In all of Russian history, only five people signed an official abdication, while the first Russian tsar ascended and departed the throne twice - but it wasn’t quite what it seemed...
1. Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584)
Ivan Vasilyevich (1530-1584) signed his first abdication in 1565 as he ushered in the policy of oprichnina in Russia [repressions against the boyars, or Russian aristocracy]. No one was crowned tsar to take his place, however, and Ivan never gave away any real power. On the contrary – while staying in a residence near Moscow rather than in the Kremlin, he simultaneously began to adopt unpopular and harsh decisions to deal with the boyar opposition.
