This book is about the formation of Russian statehood. But instead of the traditional story about military campaigns and annexation of lands, the author focuses our attention on the internal aspects of state building: the acquisition of sovereignty, the formation of governance structures, the functions of the monarch and his advisers, the development of key concepts and ideology, the role of elected bodies, etc. Development of the Moscow State in the 15th - early 17th centuries, the author examines from a broad comparative perspective - from Spain in the west to the Ottoman Empire in the east - and comes to the conclusion that we have before us one of the options for a pan-European model of a modern state. Mikhail Krom - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the European University in St. Petersburg, specialist in early modern history and historical comparative studies, author of numerous scientific works. The cover design uses a portrait of Ivan IV (c. 1600), National Museum of Copenhagen.