Ivan IV and Absolutism essays

Ivan IV and Absolutism essays Ivan IV (the Terrible) ascended the throne at the age of three and ruled for just over half a century. Being the first to crown himself tsar, Ivan sought to extinguish the opposing power of the boyars. Ivan's struggle with the boyars was first addressed in a relatively mild manner but then became violent and fiendish during the second half of his reign. Ivan IV's system of government has lead many critics to label him as the " first ideologist of Russia." In consolidating the institutions of Muscovite absolutism, he not only broke traditions established by his ancestors, but also repudiated every tenant of the Orthodox Church. Ivan IV, like his predecessors, sought to facilitate the rise of a peculiar social institution consisting of service gentry. Unlike the hated boyars and their votchina, service gentry and their pomestie provided the tsar with a loyal service class that served as a dependent power base for absolute authority. It was during the reign of Ivan III that "pomestie" was first used to define lands confiscated from old boyars and appanage princes in the name of the grand prince. This land, in turn, was handed over as a fief, or pomestie, along with service obligations. Votchiny were hereditary lands, which were considered private property, unlike pomestie, which were considered personal property of the grand prince or tsar. By the reign of Ivan IV, pomestie had become the most prominent form of land ownership. This only pertained to periphery areas, where the most recent expansion of the Muscovite state had occurred. The core of the state was still controlled by votchina owning boya rs. By the time of Ivan IV votchina could not be held without rendering service to the tsar. Although the boyars, who were centered in Muscovy, could not hold votchina without rendering service, they retained some ancient rights of independence, such as the rights to judge and collect taxes. Ivan IV viewed such rights as ...