Ivan the Terrible

"The mighty and gloomy figure of Tsar Ivan the Terrible overshadows the history of almost the entire Russian Middle Ages. There were debates about him even during his lifetime, and they continue to this day—four centuries after his death. Some... considered him a maniac who drenched the country in the blood of unfortunate subjects. Others saw him as a genius ahead of his time. Undoubtedly, one thing is clear: Russia after Ivan was a completely different country than it was before him. The personality of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, as well as the paths of Russia's development in the 16th century, are discussed by the renowned historian Boris Nikolayevich Florya.
The book is recommended for a wide readership."