Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, is one of the most infamous rulers in Russian history. He was the first Tsar of Russia and became known as Ivan Groznyi, which means “Ivan the Fearsome” or “The Terrible.” He ruled from 1533 to 1584 and is known for his cruelty and paranoia. During his reign, he strengthened Russia’s power and expanded its territory. He also established one of the largest empires in Europe at that time; however, his cruelty led to many people hating him so much that they tried to overthrow him many times during his life. Ivan had no viable children to rule after his death, which led to numerous wars between different factions at the time of passing.
Early Life of Ivan The Terrible
He was born in 1530 and died in 1584. He was the son of Vasily III, who died when Ivan was three years old; his mother Elena Glinskaya, was a nobleman’s daughter. Ivan’s mother Elena became his regent because he was too young to rule. He had become ill as a child and didn’t have many friends at court so it wasn’t easy for him to become tsar as some people wanted another candidate instead but he soon showed that he could rule with an iron fist by making sure everyone paid taxes on time and tried hard not to let anyone get away with anything illegal (especially if they were rich).
His grandfather, Ivan III (aka Ivan The Great), was the first to unite all of the Russian lands into one country. He established himself as a powerful ruler by conquering much of modern day Ukraine and Belarus, which he incorporated into his empire.
Ivan married Anastasia Romanovna in 1547. Her family, The Romanov’s would go on to shape Russia. She died when they were both at around 29-30 years old, leaving Ivan with two sons named Ivan and Fedor. The couple had other children as well but, they died at birth or shortly after birth. In 1561, Ivan married Maria Temryukovna. The couple had one son who died young. In 1571, he married Marfa Sobakina. Ivan’s sixth wife was Maria Nagaya (married 1580). They had a son Dmitri Ivanovich who died at 8 years old.
End of A Bloodline
There is no definitive number of deaths that Ivan the Terrible caused. The difficulty in determining a precise number of victims is due to the lack of accurate records, as well as the fact that many were killed by Ivan’s own hands. One sign of his cruelty is that he murdered own son Ivan Ivanovich in a fit of rage in the year 1581. He died without any children. He was the only one of his 2 sons fit to rule after his death. As a result, after Ivan The Terrible’s death his only remaining son, Feodor was left to rule. He was described as weak of health and his brother-in-law Boris Godunov was the one who was actually running the empire behind the scenes. Russia under his reign was very hectic and without direction. In addition, he also left no children and was ultimately the last of the bloodline.
Ivan The Terrible is considered one of the most important rulers in Russian history. His reign was marked by many changes, including the adoption of laws that would help shape Russia’s future. He also made significant contributions to Russian culture and arts with his support for architecture and other artistic endeavors during his rule. Despite some controversy surrounding Ivan’s life, he remains a respected figure among Russians today because of what he accomplished during his reign as tsar.
Ivan The Terrible On Coins
You can still find his legacy on currency. The Ivan the Terrible Album includes a silver kopek coin introduced during the reign of Ivan IV “The Terrible”. As it is crudely struck using a silver wire between coin dies, it is often called “wire money”. One side of the coin has inscriptions with the tsar’s name and his title in Old Russian script. While the other side depicts the indistinct and partial image of Saint George killing a dragon.
