Reign of Ivan the Terrible (24 déc. 1532 – 27 sept. 1584)

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Defined his reign based on executing suspected opposition, including leading families and replaced them with new nobility that was guaranteed to be loyal. In response to demands for serf freedom, Ivan cracked down, tying them to their landlords and urban merchants to their towns. He also defeated Mongol power, creating the territorial expansion that defined the large Russian empire.