Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great Compared

Both Tsars Shared Similarities in State Goals and Personal Foibles

© Michael Streich

 Jun 19, 2009

Ivan IV and Peter I fought successful wars to enlarge Russia, established relationships with the West, reformed the military, and centralized control.

The similarities between Ivan IV (the “terrible”) and Peter the Great are many. Both suffered from traumatic childhood upbringings and both ascended to the Russian throne as children. Each tsar demonstrated like temperaments and both became known for external wars that increased the size and stature of Russia. Both Ivan and Peter reformed the military and attempted to secularize the Orthodox Church under state control. Each one died after killing their male heirs, initiating a “Time of Troubles” and palace revolutions.

 

Foreign Wars and Western Trade

Ivan’s first major war was the defeat of Kazan, asserting Russian hegemony to the Volga River and beyond. Similarly, Peter’s first conflict was geared against the Turks as he looked southward. Not as successful in the south, Peter ultimately defeated Sweden in the north, ensuring Russian access to the Baltic Sea.

Ivan IV was less successful in the north. The Livonian War (1558-1582) produced no significant gains for Russia. Ivan’s goals included Baltic ports to facilitate trade, notably with England. Although Ivan never looked to the West in the same manner Peter did, his actions represented a first step in relationships with the emerging European nation-states.

 

Under Peter the Great, the Great Northern War provided those ports and enabled him to build St. Petersburg, his “window to the west.” The 1709 battle at Poltava, considered decisive, marked the decline of Sweden’s Charles XII. Just as Ivan IV had attempted to do unsuccessfully, Peter recruited specialists from Europe to modernize Russia (Ivan's recruits were arrested by the Hanseatic League).

 

Internal Reforms under Ivan and Peter

Under Ivan IV, a reformed military resulted in an organized, standardized service, the backbone of which was Cossack cavalry and the Streltsy, a type of Musketeer force. Ironically, Peter destroyed the Streltsy during his reign after the group spearheaded a revolt against him. No doubt Peter also recalled that these same soldiers had attempted to kill him as a child when they operated under his half-sister Sophia, an ambitious and dangerous woman who wanted the throne for herself.

Peter’s military reforms resulted in a first-class European-style army, trained by European experts and using the latest weaponry available. Additional, Peter, considered the “father of the Russian navy,” inaugurated a fleet that would enable control of the Baltic and the protection of Russian trade.

 

Both tsars reformed the Orthodox Church, seeking to bring parts of it under secular control. In all matters of reform, both Ivan and Peter worked to develop greater centralized control of the monarchy over the various elements within the country. Neither tsar trusted the nobility, having been exposed to palace intrigues. Both men frequently responded violently. Ivan IV killed his heir, Ivan Ivanovich, in a fit of rage; Peter was responsible for the death of his son Alexis, for complicity in the revolt against him.

 

The Time of Troubles

Upon the death of Ivan, the monarchy was plagued with years of misrule, pretenders to the throne, wars in which neighboring powers championed favorites for their own benefit, and general instability. It has rightly been called a “Time of Troubles,” ended only after the Romanov dynasty, under Tsar Michael, was proclaimed.

 

A similar period occurred in Russia after the death of Peter. Between 1725 and 1741, four rulers of dubious quality reigned. In 1741, Elizabeth I came to power, also through a palace revolution, but ruled only slightly better than her predecessors. Not until 1762 did good leadership return under Catherine II (the “Great”).

Assessment of Ivan and Peter

Despite the cruelties (historians point out that Ivan IV was no more “terrible” than contemporary European kings and princes), both tsars left Russia larger and stronger when they died. Both men achieved reform goals designed to enhance the Russian state and Russian culture. It is certainly true that the reforms of Peter the Great were more far reaching, yet this does not diminish the vision both men had.

 

Sources:

 

• James Cracraft, The Revolution of Peter the Great (Harvard University Press, 2003)
• Ronald Hingley, The Tsars 1533-1917 (New York: the Macmillan Company, 1968)
• David MacKenzie and Michael W. Curran, A History of Russia, the Soviet Union, and Beyond 4th Ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1993)

The copyright of the article Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great Compared in Russian/Ukrainian/Belarus History is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great Compared in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Tomb of Peter the Great