1533-1598
¥ÒIvan the TerribleÓ  - Ivan IV (1533-1584)
–ÒTsar of All the RussiasÓ (1547)
–First conquest of non-Russian lands:
–blocked by:
– Swedes to northwest
–united Poland-Lithuania to the west and southwest
–Black Sea Tatars to south
–Tatars to east
–Dismal failures to the west – spectacular successes in the east
–Invaded Livonia (roughly modern Estonia and Latvia) in 1558
–Protracted war with Sweden, Poland & Lithuania until 1583
–Lost Russian possessions on Gulf of Finland, western shore of Lake Ladoga
–In east: Tatar khanates (kingdoms) disintegrated were easy pray:
–KazanÕ – central Volga 1552
–AstrakhanÕ – mouth of Volga 1556
–built fortresses – Samara (Kuybyshev in Soviet times), Saratov, Voronezh &
–Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad, Volgograd) 1586-1590
–Significance: valuable steppe farm land & access to Caspian Sea
–