The Grand Prince of Vladimir during whose long reign (1177-1212) the city reached the zenith of its glory. Got his distinctive nickname from the 14 children he fathered.
Vsevolod the Big Nest
Reigned as the Prince of Moscow from 1359 and was the first prince of Moscow to challenge Mongolian power. His nickname alludes to his victory over the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) near a certain river.
Dmitry of the Don (Dmitry Donskoy)
This 16th century ruler was the first to be crowned as tsar of all Russia; his well-known English sobriquet carries connotations of strictness in Russian rather than cruelty. He sat on the Ivory Throne and managed the dreaded secret police the Oprichniki. Murdered his eldest son in a fit of rage.
Ivan the Terrible (r. 1547-1575)
Tsar Nicholas II came to power in 1894 and established the Duma (parliament) in 1905 with this person as the PM. This person initiated his namesake agrarian reforms but was assassinated in 1911.
Pyotr Stolypin
Longest serving Premier who held the post from 1964-80 most of it coinciding with the Brezhnev era.
Alexei Kosygin
This 'battleship' minister who was a favorite of Catherine the Great purportedly erected fake settlements to impress her.
Grigory Potemkin
The counsellor to Ivan the Terrible who ruled as a regent c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his reign, Russia descended into the Time of Troubles. Subject of several works of culture including a drama by Pushkin and Mussorgsky's only completed opera.
Boris Godunov
His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was one of the longest, second only to that of Joseph Stalin.
Leonid Brezhnev (1964-82)
Carried out modernization and expansion that transformed Russia into a major European power and built a new capital on the Baltic Coast. Organized the Grand Embassy tour of Europe and introduced the Julian Calendar.
Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)
According to the Primary Chronicle, considered the seminal source of the history of Slavs, this legendary figure is the founder of the namesake dynasty that ruled Russia until the 17th century.
Rurik
Was Sophia-Augusta of Anhalb-Zerbst before she married Peter III and was given a notable epithet by Voltaire. Yemelyan Pugachev's 1773 Cossack rebellion was a noted incident during this rulers reign whose noted advisors/counsels were Count Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. An urban legend says that the death of this person involved a sexual incident with a horse!
Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796)
Inherited his brother Alexander I's throne after the failed Decembrists revolt of 1825. Played a pivotal role in the securing of Greek independence and led Russia into the Crimean War (1853–1856) with unfavorable outcome for the country.
Nicholas I (r. 1825-1855)
Modernized Russia in the late 19th century with his PM Sergei Witte. As no major wars were fought during his reign, he is called "The Peacemaker". The construction of the Trans-Siberian railway started during his reign.
Alexander III (r. 1881-1894)
Known as 'Czar Liberator' for emancipating serfs, this emperor was assassinated in 1881 by a group called People's Will (though jews were blamed). The 1867 sale of Alaska to the United States was another key event during his reign.
Alexander II (r. 1855-1881)
Briefly succeeded Joseph Stalin and was Premier from 1955-57 and was ultimately nudged out by Nikita Khrushchev.
Georgy Malenkov (r. 1953-55)
Mongol ruler and founder of the Ulus of Jochi (or Golden Horde), the sub-khanate of the Mongol Empire who captured Moscow in 1240.
Batu Khan
He became the first tsar of the House of Romanov after the Zemskiy Sobor elected him to rule Russia in 1613. His ascension is said to have ended the Time of Troubles.
Michael I (r. 1613-45)
This General Secretary of the Communist Party in the 80s was also the Chairman of KGB and played a key role in crushing the Prague Spring and in the invasion of Afghanistan.
Yuri Andropov (r. 1982-84)
He was the emperor when Napoleon invaded in 1812 and he also formed the Holy Alliance to suppress revolutionary movements in Europe. As he left no legitimate heir when he died from typhus in 1825, a group called the Decembrists tried to seize power but failed.
Alexander I (r. 1801-1825)
Spouse of Nicholas II and granddaughter of Victoria who was a famous carrier of hemophilia. Was known for her notorious friendship with Rasputin.
Alexandra Feodorovna
As the Prince of Novgorod in the 13th century, he achieved legendary status for his victories over German Teutonic Knights and Swedish invaders and got his name from a river. Was the subject of an Eisenstein movie with music by Prokofiev.
Alexander Nevsky (r. 1236-1259)
(the river Neva)
This leader is most associated with the Naevus flammeus.
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-91)
(the port wine birthmark on the head)
The first ruler to call himself "tsar", his 1480 victory over the Great Horde restored Russian independence 240 years after the fall of Kiev to Mongols. Was the grandfather of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible).
Ivan III (r. 1462-1505)
Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili's better known name.
Joseph Stalin (r. 1922-53)