The New Student's Reference Work/Czar

Czar (zär) or Tsar, a title of the ruler, the autocrat of all the Russias. The word comes from an old Slav word cesar, which the Poles spelled as czar, meaning king or emperor. The Russians use the Latin word imperator to express the idea of emperor. The first independent Russian monarch to use the title was Ivan IV, “the Terrible,” who was crowned at in 1547. The Empress of Russia is styled the Czarina. The following have been the czars and emperors of Russia, from the era of the election of Michael Romanoff. Czar Peter I was the first ruler who adopted, in 1721, the title of emperor.