What was going on politically during the Renaissance & Reformation

The time periods for these units were around the 15 and 1600s. In 1547 Ivan IV was made the first tsar of Russia, giving him complete power. He made the first represenative body and the ability for self-management in rural areas. He made new laws like Sudebenik of 1550. Moscow was burnt down. In the 1600s a famine led to a civil war in Russia. Foreign interventions also contributed to the time known as "The Time of Troubles" (1598-1613). Tsars began scheming and murdering each other.  When Peter the Great instituted the reforms on Russia the main ones were "military reform, building the infrastructure, expansion of territory, reorganization of the bureaucracy, and relocation of the capital"(www.freewebs.com).  Peter transformed Russia into a more westernized country, making it able to accept change while still keeping old traditions.