Ivan the Terrible

Ivan IV Vasilyevich, nicknamed the Terrible (1530–1584), was the Grand Prince of Moscow and all Rus’ (since 1533) and the first Russian Tsar (since 1547). During his reign, large-scale reforms were carried out in the central government, the calling of Zemsky Sobors began, the Code of Law (Sudebnik) of 1550 was drafted, and the country’s state structure was changed—oprichnina was introduced. Under Ivan the Terrible, trade ties with England were established, the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates were conquered, and the annexation of Siberia began. A talented statesman, a wise reformer… and a bloody tyrant, a man who plunged his people into chaos of monstrous repressions. What was Ivan the Terrible like, the founder of the Tsardom of Moscow—his ruler who had a huge and ambiguous impact on the course of historical events?