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Anniversary of Grand duke Ivan IV coronation
On January 16, 1547 in the Assumption Cathedral of Moscow Kremlin took place the ceremony of the Grand duke Ivan IV coronation. The ceremony was prepared and carried on by Moscow metropolitan Makariy, an eminent religious and political figure of the middle of the 16th century. Ivan IV received the signs of tsar’s dignity: the cross of the Life-giving Tree, barmy (part of royal ceremonial robes) and Monomakh’s Cap. Having administered the sacrament, Ivan Vasilievich was anointed.
In “The range of the coronation…” composed by Makariy in Byzantine style he accentuated the divine origin the power of Moscow tsar announced the successor of Byzantine emperors. In consolidation with church that was henceforth declared “the mother” of tsar’s power, tsar had to strengthen “the justice and truth” in the country and struggle for expanding the state’s boundaries.
The title of tsar enabled the Russian sovereign to take a much more advantageous position drawing up the relationship with the Western Europe. The title of the Grand duke was translated as a “prince”. The title of tsar though was given the same status as the one of king thus being on the second place after the emperor’s title.
The pretentions for such a high place in the hierarchy of rulers from the part of Moscow dukes showed already in the end of the 15th century – namely from that moment in the official documents they began from time to time to be called tsars. However the official procedure of coronation of the absolute ruler took place for the first time in Russia in 1547. Even though, it took several years for the foreigners to begin to acknowledge the title of tsar of the Russian ruler.
The acknowledgement was favored with the position of the Orthodox Church which agreed to acknowledge the ceremony that, in the breach of the usual practice, was carried on by the Russian metropolitan and not the Constantinople patriarch or the Pope. In 1561 the Constantinople patriarch Iosaf recognized the title of tsar of the Moscow ruler issuing a conciliar letter signed by 36 Greek metropolitans and bishops saying: “Not only the legends of honest people, but chronicles themselves indicate that the current Moscow sovereign descends from the unforgettable tsarina Anna, a sister of the Purple-born emperor and that metropolitan of Ephesus, authorized by the Council of Byzantine clergy, crowned the Russian Grand duke Vladimir”.
The coronation of Ivan IV contributed not only to the strengthening of the Moscow ruler power, but also to the enhancement of the international prestige of the Russian state.
Lit.: Водов В. Титул «царь» в северо-восточной Руси в 1440-1460 гг. и древнерусская литературная традиция // Из истории русской культуры. Т. 2. Кн. 1. М., 2002; Горский А. А. О титуле «царь» в средневековой Руси (до середины XVI в.) // Одиссей. Человек в истории. 1996. М., 1996; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://thepoem.narod.ru/9histo77.htm; Иоанн (Снычев). Венчание на царство [Электронный ресурс] // Хронос. 2000. URL: http://www.hrono.info/religia/pravoslav/vench_car.html; О царе Иоанне Грозном [Электронный ресурс] // Боже, царя спаси! 2005. URL: http://istina.ucoz.ru/o_groznom.html; Щербаков В. Г. Роль митрополита Макария в венчании Ивана IV на царство [Электронный ресурс] // Заметки на полях. 1999-2008. URL: http://his95.narod.ru/zam715.htm.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Иван IV Грозный // Государственная власть: [цифровая коллекция];