IVAN THE TERRIBLE

EXTRA CREDIT
Ivan IV Vasilyevich, known in english as Ivan the terrible. When he was just a kid his father died and 3 years later her mom died too, he had a terrible childhood. Ivan was crowned with Monomakh's Cap at the Cathedral of the Dormition at age 16. He was the first person to be crowned as "Tsar of All the Russias". By being crowned Tsar, Ivan was sending a message to the world and to Russia: he was now the one and only supreme ruler of the country, and his will was not to be questioned.  

The young ruler started out as a reformer, modernising and centralising the country. He revised the law code, created an elite standing army and introduced local self-management in rural regions.

In 1553 he suffered a near-fatal illness and several years later his beloved wife Anastasia died.  Suddenly, in the winter of 1564 Ivan secretly left Moscow declaring that he wanted to abdicate. The panicked population called for his return. After lengthy talks, Ivan agreed to come back but on his own terms, demanding absolute power to punish anyone he believed was disloyal. The next year, an instrument of his new rule was set up: a system called Oprichnina or “separate estate”. One of the most terrifying campaigns by the oprichniki was the 1570 massacre of the wealthy city of Novgorod. Suspecting its people of treason, Ivan personally led the troops. The city was ravaged and thousands murdered.

In 1581, during a violent dispute Ivan killed his eldest son, the groomed and chosen heir,  Ivan Ivanovich, hitting him with his pointed staff. 

He was a ruthless monarch and skilled manipulator, he was also a prominent theologian, an accomplished public speaker and one of the most well-educated people of his time.