The first official Czar of Russia was Ivan the Terrible. Upon reaching adulthood, Ivan was crowned Czar of all Russia (1547). Before him, all rulers of Muscovy were Grand Princes. He was the first to appoint himself Czar "Caesar" (European tradition of "Emperor") whose power comes directly from God. Such a title gave Russia and its ruler significant weight in the eyes of European monarchs. Ivan the Terrible was recognized emperor by Queen Elizabeth I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and others.
Russian Ivan Grozny (also called Ivan IV) was ruthless. His reign saw the completion of the construction of a centrally administered Russian state and the creation of an empire that included non-Slav states.