Why the oprichnina began
Ivan IV was crowned the first Tsar in 1547. In the 1560s he faced a long war in Livonia (near the Baltic Sea), losses on the battlefield, and arguments with leading boyars. Some boyars left for other states. The Tsar began to see treason everywhere. In December 1564 he left Moscow with his family and treasure and wrote that he was angry with boyars and church leaders. People of Moscow begged him to come back. In February 1565 he returned on one condition: he could punish traitors as he wished, and there would be a separate part of the state under him.
How it worked: oprichnina and zemshchina
The realm was split. The oprichnina was the Tsar's own domain: chosen towns and lands, with its own court, army and officials. The rest was the zemshchina (the "land"), ruled by the old Boyar Duma. The Tsar moved to Alexandrov Sloboda.
The oprichniki were men picked by the Tsar and sworn to him alone, many from lower noble families. They wore black. They took estates from boyars and sent the old owners to far lands. Many people, boyars and ordinary families, were punished or killed, often without trial. Some stories say the oprichniki carried a dog's head and a broom as signs of hunting traitors and sweeping them away; historians treat this as a tale handed down, not a certain fact.
Results and the end of the oprichnina
Gains for the Tsar: the old boyar families were weakened and his own power grew. Costs for the land: fear, flight of peasants, empty fields, and a hit to trade. In 1570 the oprichniki marched to Novgorod, an old rich city, and it suffered heavy losses. In 1571 the Crimean khan Devlet Giray reached Moscow and burned the outer town; the oprichnina army had not been ready. In 1572 the united army won at the Battle of Molodi. Soon after, the Tsar ended the oprichnina. For the next years Russia struggled in the Livonian War, and the harm to farming added to later troubles.
Key formulas and definitions
- Oprichnina = Tsar's own domain + guard (oprichniki)
- Zemshchina = the rest of the land, under the old Boyar Duma
- 1565 start, 1570 Novgorod, 1571 Crimean raid on Moscow, 1572 Molodi and end
- Aim: weaken boyars, win loyalty. Cost: fear, empty fields, weaker trade
Worked examples
1. What were the two parts of the realm after 1565?
The oprichnina, the Tsar's own domain with his guard, and the zemshchina, the rest of the land under the old Boyar Duma.
2. How long did the oprichnina last?
From 1565 to 1572: 1572 - 1565 = 7 years.
3. Why can we say the oprichnina weakened the country, even though the Tsar got more power?
Estates were taken, many people fled or were harmed, fields went empty and trade fell. The Tsar became stronger against boyars, but the country had less food, less money and less trust, and it could not stop the Crimean raid of 1571.
Common mistakes
- Saying the oprichnina was a war. It was a way of ruling: splitting the realm and creating a special guard.
- Mixing the two parts. Oprichnina = Tsar's own; zemshchina = the rest.
- Believing that only boyars suffered. Many ordinary people, towns and villages also suffered.
- Giving the end as 1584. The oprichnina ended in 1572; 1584 is when Ivan IV died.