Tsar Ivan IV The Terrible

The first Tsar of the Moscow state Ivan Vasilyevich (1530–1584), who received the popular nickname "The Terrible", is one of the most majestic figures in the pantheon of Russian history. Under him, Rus-Moscow transformed into a great world power, becoming both in symbol and essence the heir of the great Roman Christian Empire – the Third Rome, the significance of which in world geopolitics could not be denied by anyone. For several centuries, the figure of this man has been surrounded by ideological passions. Some authors spend a lot of time and words to morally "discredit" the First Tsar, falsely attributing to him "atrocities" that he mostly did not commit. Others seek to elevate Ivan Vasilyevich to a historical pedestal, and some even more advocate for his canonization among the ranks of God's Righteous. This study by the outstanding domestic historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences Alexander Nikolayevich Bokhanov (1944–2019) aims to provide an adequate portrait of Ivan the Terrible, the man and the politician, in the real circumstances of time and place. Relying on various documentary evidence, using an extensive historiographical heritage, the author debunks old false ideological myths, showing their origins and roots.