The three pillars of absolutism in tsarist Russia were orthodoxy, autocracy, nationalism.
Orthodoxy: strong ties between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Govt;
Autocracy: absolute power of state;
Nationalism: respect for Russian traditions and suppression of non-Russian groups within the empire; Embraced by Nicholas I and was not very successful
Absolutism in Russia gradually developed during the 17th century and 18th centuries. It replaced the despotism of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Ivan III built under Byzantine traditions and laid foundations for the tsarist autocracy, a system that with some variations would govern Russia for centuries.