The use of the titulature of Ivan IV in legal acts (based on the materials of the Solovetsky monastery)

The article examines how the transformation of the title of Ivan IV influenced the change in the perception of the figure of the ruler. The aim of the work is to identify the changing semantic content of the titles of the Russian monarch, reflecting the changing ideas about the prerogatives of the supreme power. The source base of the study includes the published materials of the Solovetsky Monastery, both public and private. The chronological framework of the study is limited to 1534-1584. The territorial scope of the study includes the northern regions of Russia of the XVI century, on the peripheries of the country and remote from the central administrative structures. Initially, the letters selected were compiled by the scribes of the central apparatus, referring to the titles of the Russian ruler. Their semantic content was analysed and then a selection of spiritual, contribution letters of sale, compiled by subjects, was made. The material thus obtained material established the nuances of the ruler’s titles. Changes in the title did not lead to the expansion of the prerogatives of the Russian ruler. They remained the same: tax collection, financial management, management of subjects. The Grand Duke enjoyed the rights of the tsar. After his wedding to the kingdom, Ivan IV had the same powers as before. The title «sovereign» continued to be used in the meaning of «master, owner», both with regard to the monarch and to other property owners. In the charters issued in the north, the term was used in combination with other titles. It was also used as a synonym for the phrase «Tsar and Grand Duke». Gradually, the idea of the ruler as the only supreme suzerain, of the state as his patrimony, and of the unconditional dependence of subjects on the ruler was formed.