Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible

14 hrs. 44 min.

Language Russian

Author Alexander Bokhanov

Narrator Pavel Lomakin

Description

Prominent historian Aleksandr Bokhanov creates a balanced image of the first Tsar of the Moscow state, a figure who has sparked fierce debates for centuries. Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, known as «the Terrible,» is one of the key figures in Russian history. During his reign, Rus’-Muscovy became a great world power, perceived as the successor to the Roman Christian Empire—known as the Third Rome—whose significance in the global geopolitical arena was widely recognized. Disputes around this historical figure and his political legacy continue to this day. Some authors seek to morally discredit the Tsar, often attributing to him «crimes» that he largely did not commit. Others, by contrast, glorify his achievements and even suggest canonizing him. In this study, Aleksandr Bokhanov, drawing on documentary sources and a rich historiographical legacy, aims to reconstruct an accurate portrait of Ivan the Terrible, free from ideological distortions, revealing the true reasons behind the myths about him.