Ivan The Terrible

Ivan The Terrible Religion

When Ivan was thirteen years old, he singled out the leader of the Boyars, Prince Andrei Shisky. On December 29, 1543, Ivan sent his guards to capture the prince,, who was fed to the dogs. The following year, Ivan met Macarius, the Metropolitan of Moscow, and the archbishop of Novgorod, a nearby city. Macarius convinced young Ivan that Orthodox Christianity was important.

Fig 2: Macarius

Ivan would remain a devout Orthodox Christian for the rest of his life. He emphasized the importance of the Divine Right to Rule. Ivan wanted to be an absolute monarch whose word was law.

Tsar Ivan the Terrible

On January 16, 1547, Ivan was crowned the Tzar of Moscow by Macarius. The decision to change the name of the ruler of Moscow from Grand Prince to Tzar was a strategic choice. The word “tzar” referred to the rulers of the fallen Byzantine Empire, the defenders of Christianity. It was also a nod to the Caesars of Rome Ivan began calling Moscow the “Third Rome.”

On February 3, Ivan married Anastasia Romonav. The two would have six children, but only two survived infancy, Ivan Ivanovich and Fedor. Tzar Ivan believed that Ivan Ivanovich was his only choice for an heir because Fedor had Down Syndrome.

Ivan the Terrible Actions

Ivan initially found success as Tzar of Moscow. He created new legislation that would prevent Boyars from murdering peasants without reason. This tactic weakened the Boyars, and Ivan would continue to do so throughout his reign.

The Tzar also conquered some surrounding areas like Khazan and Astrakhan. In 1553, Ivan fell ill, possibly from pneumonia, but no one knew what the illness was. Like his father before him, Ivan was near death and demanded that the Boyars swear loyalty to his son, Dmitri, but the Boyars refused.

Livonian War

Ivan had access to the Caspian Sea through acquired territory but needed a path to the Baltic Sea. To accomplish this, Ivan invaded Livonia. Moscow had a better military and should’ve quickly overcome Livonia, but that wasn’t the case. The Grand Master of Livonia surrendered to the Lithuanians and invited other Protestants to join the war. This war ended up lasting over twenty years.

Anastasia had been sick for a long time and succumbed to her illness in 1561. At this point, it is believed that Ivan had a mental breakdown.¹ Ivan believed that one of his enemies had poisoned Anastasia. Two years later, Macarius died. Ivan responded by killing one of his soldiers.

Oprichnina

In 1565, one of Ivan’s best generals betrayed Moscow and joined the Lithuanian army. A furious and humiliated Ivan threatened to abdicate the throne. The Boyars understood that the power vacuum created by this action would cost Moscow the war. Ivan agreed to stay under one condition. Ivan wanted Russia divided into two sections. One portion would remain as it was, while Ivan would rule the other with the power of an absolute monarch.

Ivan created Russia’s first form of secret police, the Oprichniki. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted without repercussions. Murder, theft, and sexual assault were regular activities for them. The Oprichniki exiled merchants and Boyars and then took their property.

The Massacre of Novgorod

Novogrod was the second largest city in Russia, with Moscow being the first. Ivan suspected the Novgorod citizens were traitors. He sent the Oprichniki to desolate the city. Adults, children, rich, poor, no one was spared. The Oprichniki violently tortured and murdered the citizens.

Anyone who could flee went to different cities, and Novgorod would never reach the same level of success.

In 1571, the Tartar army invaded Russia. The Oprichniki told Ivan that they were not a threat. Ivan didn’t prepare, and the invading army reached Moscow. The army was so large that Ivan gathered his wealth and fled from the city. Moscow was sacked, and the Oprichniki was punished and disbanded when Ivan returned.

The Death of Ivan Ivanovich

Ivan Ivanovich, the son of Tzar Ivan the Terrible, was fighting on behalf of Moscow in the war over Livonia. To make things a little bit easier, we will refer to Ivan Ivanovich as Ivanovich.

Fig 3: Death of Ivanovich

Ivanovich proved to be an excellent warrior and general. When Ivan got wind of this, he believed that Ivanovich was planning to replace him. In 1581, Ivan attacked Ivanovich’s pregnant wife and caused her to lose the child. When Ivanovich returned from the war, he confronted his father. Ivan beat his son to death using a staff.

With Ivanovich dead, Fedor was left as Ivan’s only heir. Ivan ended the war over Livonia; some believe it was because of the guilt over killing his son. On March 18, 1584, Ivan died in his sleep. Though, some speculate that he was assassinated.

Ivan The Terrible: History

Ivan the Terrible did many horrible things throughout his lifetime. Many historians believe that to understand his actions better, one must know his mental illness. Many studies on Ivan dedicate large sections to his mental illness.

Fig 4: An older Ivan the Terrible

A psychiatrist must speak with someone before they can properly diagnose them. Ivan died a very long time ago, so that isn’t possible. Historian Charles J. Halperin sums it up: Ivan’s mental illness isn’t an excuse for his crimes. One must study the Tzar to understand his actions.¹

Tzar Ivan Mykolaiovych Demjanjuk began his reign positively by defining crimes. After the death of his first wife, Ivan became crueler. The creation of the Oprichnina, the Oprichiniki, the murder of his son, and the Massacre of Novgorod cemented his legacy as Ivan the Terrible.