Oprichnina Ivan the Terrible

"Oprichnina" in ancient times called a small landed property of the widow of the deceased warrior-nobleman. This lot remained after the transfer of most of his land to the prince.

The oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible is a special territory of the state that the tsar has allocated to himself. This "royal" lot had its own apparatus of government and army.

The introduction of oprichnina was due to the events of 1565. This year, the king, because of boyar infidelity, refused to see the throne, and he agreed to return only if three conditions were met. In particular, he demanded to himself the right to execute infidels according to his will, to introduce an oprichnina, for which the "zemshchina" (the rest of the country) was to pay a huge (by the standards of that time) amount of one hundred thousand rubles.

Oprichnina Ivan the Terrible included many western, south-western and central counties. To these territories were joined the rich northern regions, part of Moscow. Oprichnina Ivan the Terrible assumed the presence of its military corps, which consisted of a thousand noblemen. For each of them was allocated the estate. In addition, in the oprichnaya territory was created its own Duma, internal orders, its yard. In the hands of the king, the most important diplomatic affairs were concentrated. At the same time, the war with Livonia completely fell on the "zemstvo". The oprichniy corps performed only two tasks: guarding the sovereign and executing traitors.

With treason in the state fought various methods. Oprichnina Grozny assumed massive repression, confiscation, resettlement of people, executions. Soon terror spread throughout the state. At the same time, the massacres were being carried out not only over families of boyars, but also over whole cities. In Novgorod, a large number of people were executed (according to some evidence, the number of victims was about three thousand).

The further, the worse the situation in the state became. Terror began to spread and inside the oprichnina itself - the leaders began to change. Malyuta Skuratov came to the place of the executed Basmanov. Under the repression fell and eminent boyars with relatives and close people. The victims of terror were peasants and government officials. Oprichnina Ivan the Terrible lasted for seven years and was abolished in 1572.

The consequences of oprichnina primarily affected the economic state of the state. The country was in utter decay. Entire areas in the state were devastated. Many villages were emptied, up to 90% of arable land was not cultivated.

In addition, the army's might has fallen significantly. In connection with the impoverishment, the ruin of the nobles, who formed the core of the Russian army, a crisis occurred in the armed forces. The war with Livonia was lost.

In connection with the massive repression, the demographic situation in the state has also changed. The number of settlements sharply decreased, and the able-bodied population also decreased.

During the time of the oprichnina, the unlimited power of the tsar increased sharply. The Duma in the State was subordinated to Grozny.

After the destruction of the landed aristocracy, a further strengthening of tsarist despotism began. Oprichnina contributed to the liquidation of independent owners, which could become the basis for the formation of civil society in the state. The people became dependent on the authorities in general and on the tsar in particular.

As a result, Russia finally established a despotic regime. No one was protected from terror. Even the feudal elite could suffer from the tyranny of the tsar. At the same time, the Russian nobility, which was endowed with very limited rights before the introduction of the oprichnina, received power.

Historians until today can not pinpoint the cause of the emergence of such a regime in the country. According to some authors, Ivan the Terrible thus tried to centralize power.