Ivan the IV, also known as Ivan Chetvyorty Vasilyevich, but famously known as Ivan the Terrible, is the first tsar of Russia. Growing up, Ivan had it tough. His father died when he was only 3 years of age. It was just him and his mother, Yelena Glinskaya. Sadly, their time together was cut short. Yelena died when Ivan was 8 years old. He was often neglected & scorned by the people who had taken him in after his parents passing. The environment he was in nurtured his hatred for the boyar class (A member of the old aristocracy in Russia, next in rank to a prince). He soon developed a strange suspicion that the boyars had been involved with the death of his mother.
1547, at the age of 16, Ivan was crowned the first tsar of Russia. Later that year, he married his first wife Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova. Ivan continued with his reign and his methods, although they were harsh, they were effective. After Anastasia died, his paranoia deepened and spiraled into a terrible depression. He left Moscow and the people of Russia started panicking and begged him to return. Ivan returned under two conditions: he gets full power over the region surrounding Moscow and gets authority to punish lawbreakers with execution and confiscation of property.
Over the next 24 years, Ivan conducted his reign of terror. He hired the oprichniki, his special police. These special police dressed in all black, rode black horses, and carried around dog heads and brooms (these two things symbolized sniffing out treason and sweeping away the tsar’s enemies). Ivan’s goons slaughtered rebellious boyars and destroyed towns where they were suspected of disloyalty. His henchmen were hand picked by Ivan; they were his favorites. They spread his terror all throughout Russia.
As time went on, Ivan’s anger worsened. He was more prone to fits of rage. He ended up beating his pregnant daughter-in-law and caused a miscarriage. He also beat his son to death in a subsequent fit of rage. He also blinded the architects of the St. Basils Cathedral. (He loved the Cathedral so much that he didn’t want anything else as beautiful as it. That is what led to having the architects blinded).
In 1584, with Ivan’s health failing, he became obsessed with death. He called upon witches and soothsayers (a person who is supposed to see the future), but that failed. March 18, 1584 Ivan passed away. The apparent cause of death is a stroke. He left his unfit son, Feodor, in charge. He lead Russia into a catastrophic “Time of Troubles”.
Ivan the Terrible only got his nickname of “terrible” as a mistranslation. In Russia, he is called Ivan the Grozny, which translates to formidable (inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable). He has gotten this bad reputation of this horrible tsar, but his methods were affective and his country is greater for it. Although his son basically screwed up all of his hard work. Ivan may have been crazy and a bit irrational (with some serious anger issues)but he wasn't a bad guy. He was sensitive and well educated, one of the most well educated men of his time. He was the first tsar of Russia, and a great leader he was.
Sources:
- Ellis, Elizabeth Gaynor and Esier, Anthony. World History. upper saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education In. Print.
- “Ivan the Terrible.” Bio. A&E television networks 2014. web. 17 nov 2014 <http://www.biography.com/people/ivan-the-terrible-9350679>
- “Ivan Iv the terrible” russiapedia.rt.com. web. 19 nov 2014. <http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/the-ryurikovich-dynasty/ivan-iv-the-terrible/>