Ivan IV Vasilyevich (1530 - 1584), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was the Grand Prince of Moscow in 1533 - 1547 and Tsar of All Russia from 1547 until his death. He was described as intelligent and devout, yet given to rages and prone to episodic outbreaks of mental illness that increased with his age, affecting his reign. In one of his outburst, he killed his groomed and chosen heir Ivan Ivanovich, which left Russia to be passed to Ivan's younger son, the weak and intellectually disabled Feodor Ivanovich. 

Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik dynasty,  Fedor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov dynasty in 1613. During this dark period foreign intervention and the attempts of a few pretenders to seize the throne threatened to destroy the state itself and caused major social and economic disruptions of the state.

Alexis I, Alexis Mikhailovich Romanov was Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century. From the beginning of his reign, Alexis I was faced with multiple rebellions scattered across Russia. His reign saw the Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the war with the Swedish king during the Deluge and the Cossack revolt of Stenka Razin.

Peter The Great (1672-1725) ruled Russia from 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V. Through a number of successful wars he expanded the Russian Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power. He led a cultural revolution that replaced the medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific and westernized.

Anna Ivanovna (1693-1740) was Regent of Duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730. Her government was prudent, beneficial and even glorious, but it was undoubtedly severe and became unpopular. The war with Turkey, economic issues and conspiracy revolving around her accession all bring to light an ominous glow of the empress's reign.

Elizabeth Petrovna (1709-1762) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She led Russia into the two major European conflicts of her time: the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). Her domestic policies allowed the nobles to gain dominance in local government while shortening their terms of service to the state.

Catherine Alexeyevna or Catherine II (1729-1796), was the longest-ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from 1762 until her death in 1796. Born in Stettin, Pomerania, as Sophia Frederica Augusta von Anhalt-Zerbst, she came to power following a coup d'etat when her husband, Peter III, was assassinated. Russian Empire during her reign was revitalized, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.

Paul I, Pavel Petrovich (1754-1801), reigned as Emperor of Russia in 1796-1801. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine II, though Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her lover, Sergey Saltykov. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother for much of his life. His reign lasted five years, ending with his assassination by conspirators. His most important achievement was the adoption of the laws of succession to the Russian throne - rules that lasted until the end of the Romanov dynasty and of the Russian Empire.

Alexander I, Alexander Pavlovich (1777-1825) reigned as Emperor of Russia in 1801-1825. He was the first Russian king of Poland in 1815-1825, as well as the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland. He ruled Russia during the chaotic period of the Napoleonic Wars. As Prince and Emperor, Alexander often used liberal rhetoric, but continued Russia's absolutist policies in practice. The greatest triumph came in 1812 as Napoleon's invasion of Russia proved a total disaster for the French. As part of the winning coalition against Napoleon the emperor gained some spoils in Finland and Poland.

Nicholas I, Nicholas Pavlovich (1796-1855) reigned as Emperor of Russia in 1825-1855. He was also King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He is best known as a political conservative whose reign was marked by geographical expansion, repression of dissent, economic stagnation, poor administrative policies, a corrupt bureaucracy and frequent wars that culminated in Russia's disastrous defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.