Home > Ivan IV of Russia

Ivan came to the throne at age three and was crowned tsar at age sixteen on January 16, 1547. The early part of reign was one of peaceful reforms and modernization. Ivan revised the law code, created a standing army, established the Zemsky Sobor, the council of the nobles, and subordinated the church to the state, making a system of rituals and regulations. During his reign the first printing press was introduced to Russia (although the first Russian printers Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets had to flee from Moscow to Grand Duchy of Lithuania).

Ivan formed new trading connections, opening up the White Sea and the port of Archangel to English merchants. He also annexed the KazanFor the Japanese emperor, see Emperor Kazan of Japan . Kazan (Tatar (now, 1928 1939): Qazan; ( 1939 2000): ; ( 1918 1928): ; ( 922 1918), Arab: ; Russian: [Kazan]; Arab (hist. Bulgar al-Jadid (in Tatar transliteration:Bolgar al-Cadid) New Bolgar; German: and AstrakhanAstrakhan sterxan , a major city in southern European Russia, capital of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the Volga river, close to where it empties into the Caspian Sea. Astrakhan' contains a kremlin dating from the 1580s, a cathedral (early 18th centu Khanates to the east. He had St. Basil's Cathedral constructed in MoscowMoscow ( Russian: Moskva capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 878. The city's population is rapidly increasing, with 11. 2 million inhabitants counted in 2004. The city is in the federal district called Central Russia (which is to commemorate the seizure of Kazan. Legend has it that he was so impressed with the structure that he had the architects blinded, so that they could never design anything as beautiful again. Other less positive aspects of this period include the introduction of the first laws restricting the mobility of the peasantA peasant from 15th century French paisant from Latin pagus country district, is someone who lives in the country either working for others or, more specifically, owning or renting and working by his own labour a small plot of ground. Peasants depend econs, which would eventually lead to serfA serf is a laborer who is bound to the land. Serfs differ from slaves in that serfs cannot be sold apart from the land which they work. Typically, when serfdom prevailed, the land itself could not be sold because it was associated with political powers (dom. Also problematic was the 1564Events March 8 Naples bans kissing in public in the penalty of death June 22 Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in England Spa formation of the Oprichnina (or Ochrana (Охрана), meaning security). The Oprichnina was the section of Russia directly ruled by Ivan and policed by his personal servicemen, the Oprichniks. This whole system of Oprichnina was intended as a tool against the omnipotent hereditary nobility of Russia ( boyars) who opposed the absolutist drive of the tsar.

The latter half of Ivan's reign was far less successful. Ivan launched a victorious war of seaward expansion only to find himself fighting the Swedes, Lithuanians, Poles, and the Livonian Teutonic Knights. For twenty-two years the war dragged on, damaging the Russian economy and military but winning it no territory. Ivan's best friend and closest advisor, Prince Andrei Kurbsky , defected to the Poles, deeply hurting Ivan. At the same time his wife Anastacia died, perhaps murdered by the boyars from mercury poisoning. Ivan also became very sick and physically disabled.

Because he gradually grew unbalanced and violent, the Oprichniks soon got out of hand and became murderous thugs. They murdered nobles and peasants, and conscripted men to fight the war in Livonia. Depopulation and famine ensued. What had been by far the richest area of Russia became the poorest. In a dispute with Novgorod republic, Ivan ordered the Oprichniks to murder the inhabitants of this city. Between thirty and forty thousand were killed. Yet the official death toll named 1,500 of Novgorod big people (nobility) and only mentioned about the same number of smaller people. In 1581, Ivan Grozny in a fit of rage accidentally killed his capable son, Ivan (the actual cause of the death of Ivan Ivanovich is disputed today). This event is depicted in the famous painting by Ilya Repin, Ivan the Terrible is killing his son.

Upon Ivan's death the now ravaged kingdom was left to his unfit and childless son Feodor.

Ivan's life forms the subject of two famous films by Sergei Eisenstein.

The English translation of the nickname terrible does not precisely represent the meaning of the Russian word grozny. The word grozny is an adjective with the meaning of projecting fear, dangerous (as in Old English in one's danger), formidable without the pejorative connotation of being bad or evil (compare city name Grozny).