The despatch CHRISTMAS 2023
territory. This period of rapid expansion began in 1380, when a coalition
defeated the Mongols, until 1547, when Ivan the terrible ascended to the
rank of Tsar. He conquered and settled vast swathes of land, seized parts
of Livonia, taking previously Muslim territory, before descending into
madness that led him to kill his own son, the heir to the throne, before
dying in 1584.
The Rurik Dynasty, that had led Muscovy and Kievan Rus for seven
centuries, was extinguished, and after 10 years of civil war, Micheal
Romanov was elected Tsar of Russia in 1613. Notably, across the span of
three centuries, Russia expanded, adding territory, including modern day
Ukraine. Russia discovered Alaska, settled new land in Siberia, and fought
wars against Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and the Ottomans. Catherine the
Great of Russia also founded the warm water ports of Odessa and
Sevastopol in Crimea. This would be a major reason for Russian invasion
in the future as Russia needed ports that would not be frozen all year
round. After the defeat of
Napoleon at Waterloo, this
and other factors led to
the Crimean War, where
Russia lost its access to
threaten the Ottomans on
the Black Sea.
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