Ivan the Terrible and his reign of terror in Russian history

Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, was the first Tsar of Russia, reigning from 1547 to 1584.

Born in 1530 to Grand Prince Vasily III and Princess Elena Glinskaya, Ivan's childhood was marked by turbulence and the turmoil of Moscow's power struggles.

His father's death when he was only three years old, plunged the realm into a power struggle and an environment of political instability. His mother, Princess Elena, died five years later.

Orphaned at a young age, he witnessed the bitter rivalry between the nobilities vying for control of the Kingdom. Ivan IV was neglected and mistreated by the royal families and this fostered a sense of insecurity, mistrust and paranoia that would cast a long shadow over his life and rule.

His rise to power

By 1547, at the tender age of 17, Ivan was crowned Tsar, the first to hold that title in Russia. His ascension to the throne in 1547 was characterised by both political reforms and progress. There was nothing particularly terrible about Ivan's early years on the throne.

However, two events that both took place in 1558 and 1560 tipped Ivan over the edge and turned him into a full-blown tyrant.

The first was the betrayal of his friend Prince Kurbsky, who paired up with the Lithuanian army, alongside forces from Poland and Sweden, against Ivan. The second event was the death of his beloved wife Anastasia in 1560. Ivan was certain that his wife had been poisoned by his enemies.

The Oprichnina and reign of terror

Ivan IV became an angry tyrant whose reign was driven by a potent mix of personal trauma, political mishaps, and a belief in his own authority. His erratic behaviour and temperament earned him the epithet "the Terrible," a term more accurately translated as "the Fearsome" or "the Formidable" in Russian.

His political opponents faced brutal methods of torture and he conquered many territories. He subdued Kazan and Astrakhan, bringing the region under Moscow's control. He waged war against Livonia, seeking access to the Baltic Sea, but the conflict dragged on for decades, draining Russia's resources and plunging the country into economic hardship.

He also created a secret force, the Oprichnina, tasked with rooting out traitors and consolidating his power. The Oprichnina quickly morphed into a terrifying instrument of repression, mass killings, brutality and terror.

The city of Novgorod suffered particularly during this period, enduring widespread destruction and loss of life. Ivan IV, convinced that the city's leaders, clergy and most prominent citizens were conspiring against him, ordered an assault on the city in 1570.

Priests and monks were rounded up and beaten to death while their churches and monasteries were ransacked. Prominent merchants, officials and noblemen were tortured and executed; many were roasted alive on specially constructed frying pans. The bloodshed and destruction in Novgorod resulted in the deaths of an estimated 12,000 of its citizens. The city was left in ruins, and most of what remained of its population fled for a better life elsewhere.

Personal tragedies

Ivan's infamous temper was not confined to the political sphere. Reports suggest that his personal life was marked by violence and cruelty. He allegedly beat his pregnant daughter-in-law so severely that she miscarried. On hearing the news of the loss of his unborn child, Ivan's second son, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich, confronted his father. The Tsar, in a fit of rage, struck his son with a fatal blow to the head during that heated argument in 1581. The blow was so severe that he collapsed and died several days later.

This event, and many more, showed the extent of Ivan's unpredictable and violent nature, even towards his own kin. Nobody, not even his family, was safe from Ivan the Terrible.

Death and legacy

By the twilight of his life, Ivan IV was a haunted figure, physically and mentally ravaged by years of exertion and dark impulses. Ivan the Terrible died in 1584, leaving behind a legacy of bloodshed and upheaval. The circumstances of his death remain unclear, with theories ranging from a stroke to assassination.

In contemporary Russia, Ivan the Terrible is a figure shrouded in historical ambiguity.

While some view him as a visionary ruler who laid the foundation for the modern Russian state, others condemn him for his brutality and disregard for human life.