Tsar
This article is part of theHistory of Russia series. |
Early Russian East Slavs |
Kievan Rus' |
Khazaria |
Muscovy |
Mongol invasion of Russia |
Imperial Russia and Russian Tsars |
Russian Revolution |
Russian Civil War |
Soviet Union |
Warsaw Pact |
Collapse of the Soviet Union |
Commonwealth of Independent States |
History of post-communist Russia |
List of famous Russians |
Tsar (Russian царь, from Turkish language was used by Mongol rulers of Russia (also spelt Czar in English borrowed from Hungarian) was the title used for the rulers of Russia from 1546 to 1917 (the Imperial Russia). It was adopted by Ivan IV as symbol of taking over the overlordsip rights Mongols toward Russia (the ruler of Mongols was also called Tsar) In 1721 Peter I adopted the title Emperor (Imperator), by which he and his heirs were recognised, and which came to be used interchangeably with Tsar.
Coming from Turkish languages the word tsar could be translated with emperor, and reversely, in Russian languages, emperor is oftenly translated with tsar (e.g. The Japanese emperor (mikado) becomes literally "Japanese tsar").
Some historians claim tha the word tsar is from the Latin "Caesar" by way of the 11th century Russian tsisari (later tsari), from Old Slavonic tsesari. However, it seems unlikely since the word was used only in proper Russia, while Ukraine and Belorus that developed sooner latin education did borrow the term from Russia.
Tsaritsa is the term used for an empress, though in English contexts this seems invariably to be altered to tsarina. Tsarevna is the term for a daughter of a Tsar or Tsarina, and tsarevich for a male heir apparent. (Sons who are not heirs are called Grand Dukes.)
Territory over which a tsar rules is tsardom.
The Patriarchs, heads of the Russian Orthodox Church, acted as leaders of Russia at times, as during the Polish occupation and interregnum of 1610 - 1613.
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A note on spelling and pronunciation
The spelling tsar is the closest possible transliteration of the Russian using standard English spelling. Both czar and tsar have been accepted in English for the last century as a correct usage. French adopted the form tsar during the 19th century, and it became more frequent in English towards the end of that century, following its adoption by the Times newspaper in Britain. (see the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition).
The spelling czar originated with the Austrian diplomat Baron Sigismund von Herberstein, whose Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii (1549) (literally Notes on Muscovite Affairs) was the main source of knowledge of Russia in early modern western Europe. It is not found in any of the Slavic languages, but is the primary spelling adopted by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition, 2003), with tsar offered only as a variant.
Correct pronunciation of tsar is /tsar'/ in SAMPA though many if not most English-speaking people pronounce it /zAr/.
List of Russian rulers
(For pre-Muscovite Russia see Rulers of Kievan Rus)
Muscovite Princes and Grand Princes
Russian Tsars
Tsar was also the title of the rulers of Bulgaria in 893 - 1014, 1085 - 1396 and 1908 - 1946, and of Serbia in 1346 - 1371.
See also History of Russia, History of Finland, History of Belarus, History of Ukraine, and Lists of incumbents.
