At different times, a ruler in Ruthenia/Kievan Rus'/Muscovy/early Russia/Imperial Russia bore the title of Kniaz (translated as Duke or Prince), Velikiy Kniaz (translated as Grand Duke, Grand Prince or Great Prince), Tsar, Emperor.

The Patriarchs, heads of the Russian Orthodox Church, also sometimes acted as the leaders of Russia — as, for example, during the Polish occupation and interregnum of 1610—1613.

For pre-Muscovite Russia see also Rulers of Kievan Rus.

• Princes and Grand Princes

• • Andrei Bogolyubsky (1168-1174), a Vladimir-Suzdal prince
  • Vsevolod III (1176-1212)
  • Yuri II (1212-1216)
  • Konstantin (1216-1218)
  • Yuri II (1218-1238)
  • Yaroslav II (1238-1246)
  • Svyatoslav III (1246-1249)
  • Andrei II (1249-1252)
  • Alexander Nevski (1252-1263)
  • Yaroslav III (1264-1271)
  • Vassili (1272-1277)
  • Dimitri I (1277-1281)
  • Andrei III (1281-1283)
  • Daniel (1283-1303) - first prince of Moscow
  • Yuri (1303-1325)
  • Ivan I (1325-1341)
  • Semeon (1341-1353)
  • Ivan II (1353-1359)
  • Dmitri Donskoi (1359-1389)
  • Vasili I (1389-1425)
  • Vasili II (1425-1462)
  • Ivan III (Ivan the Great) (1462-1505) - first Sovereign for all Russia
  • Vasili III (1505-1533)
  • Ivan IV (1533-1547)

• Tsars of All Russia, 1547-1721
  • Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) (1547-1584)
  • Simeon Bekbulatovich (1574-1576) (fake tsar set by Ivan IV)
  • Feodor I (1584-1598) - last of the Riurikovich
  • Boris Godunov (1598-1605)
  • Feodor II (1605)
  • False Dmitri I (1605-1606)
  • Vasili IV (1606-1610)
  • Succession broken due to Time of Troubles
  • Michael I (1613-1645) - first of the Romanovs: elected Tsar following the Time of Troubles
  • Aleksey I (1645-1676)
  • Feodor III (1676-1682)
  • Ivan V (1682-1696) (joint ruler with Peter I)
  • Peter I (Peter the Great) (1682-1721) (joint ruler with Ivan V)

• Emperors of All Russia, 1721-1917
  • Peter I (Peter the Great) (1721-1725)
  • Catherine I (1725-1727)
  • Peter II (1727-1730)
  • Anne (1730-1740)
  • Ivan VI (1740-1741)
  • Elizabeth (1741-1762)
  • Peter III (1762)
  • Catherine II (Catherine the Great) (1762-1796)
  • Paul (1796-1801)
  • Alexander I (1801-1825)
  • Nicholas I (1825-1855)
  • Alexander II (1855-1881)
  • Alexander III (1881-1894)
  • Nicholas II (1894-1917)
  • Grand Duke Michael (1917), refused to become emperor, see Tsar article

• self-proclaimed Emperor in exile
  • Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich

See List of leaders of Russia for the continuation of leadership.

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