| A | B |
|---|
| Peter I | He favored Westernization, built a new capitol, and defeated Sweden in the Great Nortern War. |
| Ivan IV | Nicknamed "the Terrible," his violence and absolutism led to the Time of Troubles. |
| Catherine II | Considered an Enlightened despot, she created the Charter of the Nobility and put down the Pugachev revolt. |
| Nicholas II | The last Romanov, he lost the Russo-Japanese War and led to the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. |
| Alexander II | He created local govenments called zemstvos and freed the surfs in 1861 and was assassinated in 1881. |
| Alexander I | He was more liberal than his assassinated father, Paul, and stopped Napoleon from invading Russia. |
| Nicholas I | He favored Nationalism and created the Third Section secret police and ruled from the Decembrist Uprising until the Crimean War. |
| Alexander III | He started counter-reforms after Alexander II was killed, he increased censorship and control of universities. |
| Boris Gudonov | The subject of a Mussorgsky opera and a Pushkin play, his controversial ascent to Tsar led to unrest and revolts. |
| Michael | His election at the end of the Time of Troubles started the Romanov dynasty, which would rule for over five hundred years. |
