Tsar the Terrible

Tsar Ivan the Terrible—the first Russian ruler to take this title. Perhaps the most tragic and controversial figure in our past. Historians still wonder: how did a gifted young man who sincerely wanted to be a just tsar turn into a cruel despot who delighted in the blood and pain of his subjects? How did a deeply devout man become a polygamist, a “defiler of virgins,” and a killer of his own son? Why did a reign that began with great reforms, victories, and achievements devolve into the utter hell of the oprichnina? And why did the People and the Church silently bow before Tsar Ivan the Terrible? Only one man dared to oppose him openly, face to face—Metropolitan Philip, who raised his voice against summary executions without trial, endured persecution, and accepted death for his faith. The Tsar destroyed the rebellious metropolitan—but he never managed to break him. This piercing story of the confrontation between Man and Power, Conscience and Arbitrary Cruelty is at the heart of a new novel by a popular author.