Tsardom of Russia

The Tsardom of Russia was a historical Empire. It had it's origins in the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which during the 14th through 16th centuries grew to be the most powerful of the various disunited Russian principalities that were left after the Mongols overthrew the Kievian Rus. It formally assumed the title of Empire by Tsar Ivan IV, eventually laying claim to large sections of territory in Eastern Eurasia. The Tsardom was notable for its autocratic nature of rule, size, the diverse nature of its population (including Orthodox Christians, Prodestants, Catholics, large numbers of Jews, Muslims and Bhuddists), the existence of serfdom until 1861 and often (though not always) lagging behind in technological and industrial development, despite the efforts of some of the more progress minded Tsars such as Peter the Great and Alexander II. The Tsardom ended with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, brought about by the poor performance of the Tsardom during the Great War, the ineptitude of Tsar Nicolas-II and widespread poverty, which led to the rise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics