He's not Ivan IV: how were the early years of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the terrible

The personality of Ivan the terrible in Russian history, stands out in brightness and inconsistency. At the mention of the king before the eyes rises the image of the school program — a middle-aged, gloomy man inclined to the causeless rage and cruelty, even to the closest people. Truth in this description is, yet it does not give a complete picture of this historical figure.

Monomakh was crowned with the head of John IV 16 January 1547, followed by the longest in Russian history the reign of 50 years and 105 days. A considerable period can be divided into several periods, in each of which the king was different. What was the young king, who in his Mature years, deservedly nicknamed Ivan the Terrible?

Young Ioann Vasilyevich, still not terrible

Childhood of Ivan hardly be called cloudless, so in those hard times even Royal lineage did not provide a person peace and security. The future monarch was only three years old when his father died — the Prince Vasily III, and pretenders to the throne, except the baby, was rife.

At that time still worked the ancient "lestvice" right of transfer of power from the older to the younger brother and the son of a Prince because of his uncle could be out of work. The situation was saved by the creation of the Board of Trustees, which included the brother of the deceased Prince, Ivan's mother, Elena Glinskaya, and a group of the most influential boyars.

The most dangerous opponent of the young heir, a feudal Prince of Dmitrov, Yury Ivanovich has captured in prison and then in the life of Ivan Vasilyevich occurs relative calm. However, it lasted very long, as his mother, Elena Glinskaya, 4 APR 1538 dies unexpectedly at the age of 30 years. The most likely cause of death of the Princess her poisoning by the boyars Shuiskii, but this fact is not confirmed.

Moscow of the XVI century. Sketch for theatrical scenery works by Vasnetsov, A. M., XIX century

So in 8 years, Ivan became an orphan in a hostile world of adults who only looked like to take away his power. Ivan and his brother Yuri is not particularly ceremony — preserved memories of the king himself, who claimed that they were kept in the "black body". Children of Royal blood, left without care, clothed in rags and fed anything, as the last of the drifters.

All the fears of the king, which later turns him into a ruthless tyrant, was embedded in him since childhood. It's terrible — the child went to sleep and didn't Wake up in the morning he or he strangled in the night nobles in the struggle for a precarious throne. But nothing happened, and Ivan grew sullen and sharp in judgment the young man, reign is configured to, based only on his opinion.

The king himself had to flee Moscow to escape in vorobiove. Some Glinsky were killed and their property looted. The young king with hatred looked through the shutters of his shelter, under his Windows swagger of the mob, shouting insults in the direction of his mother's family.

Tsar Ivan the terrible and the priest Sylvester during the great Moscow fire of June 24, 1547. Pleshanov P. F. XIX century

In this difficult time Ivan came to the priest Sylvester, a man of experience and cunning. The priest stated authoritatively that all the troubles of the monarch for his sin and that he knows how to overcome this attack and get out of the losing streak. Since then, the king came under the influence of Sylvester, which eventually became one of the most influential people of the Moscow Kingdom.

In General, John IV would be worth a call to John I, since this was the first Czar in Russian history, after a succession of princes. This title has had to take in order to equate the status of the ruler of Muscovy with the European monarchs. The Grand Duke was consistent with the title of Grand Duke, which was not enough in order to speak on equal terms with kings and emperors. It should be noted that the Tsar's title of Ivan IV not far from was adopted by the Royal courts of Europe and one of the first made a step towards England, concerned in trade to the North.

During the life of the Tsar called Ivan the terrible, not Ivan IV, but only "the Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich". A sequence number to the autocrat has added two centuries later, after the birth in 1740 Emperor Ioann Antonovich. Newborn monarch became Ivan III, and Ivan the terrible John... I like the logic should be. Many of the great princes named John, who ruled earlier, did not get any offer at all.

The fourth John V. was only in the nineteenth century with the light hand of the historian Nikolai Karamzin, suddenly decided to score with Ivan the Grand Prince Ivan Kalita, who was number one. Thanks Karamzin, we have already two centuries mistakenly called this Russian Tsar John IV.

Immediately after his accession to the throne at the age of 16 Ivan IV wished to marry. As was the custom in those days was the review of brides and the king took a fancy to Anastasia Romanovna Zaharin-Juriev. The choice of the Emperor was not approved by the boyars, since, in their opinion, the bride is not enough nobility to be a Queen. But the young ruler was categorical and insisted on the wedding.

Wedding of Ivan IV and Anastasia

Historians are not without reason to believe that the marriage with Zakharina-Yurieva was Ivan the only one happy and that he really loved her selected in the "casting" spouse. British Ambassador Jeremy Hora spoke about the Queen in his letters home:

Obviously, a European diplomat was wrong only in the fact that the Queen was loved all around, as in 1560, Anastasia suddenly falls ill and dies quickly. Modern studies of her remains say that, most likely, the girl poisoned, and the king's mother, Elena Glinskaya.

The king was beside himself with grief and suspicion, that his love died because of the evil intent of the boyars greatly hardened him. It was the first serious impetus to the struggle with the boyar elite in this confrontation, John IV was ready to use the most unpopular methods.

Even those of us who are truant in school history lessons because of the Soviet film "Ivan Vasilyevich changes profession" know that the king "took Kazan, Astrakhan took." All the most significant military victories of Ivan Vasilyevich occurred in the initial period of his reign.

In the period from 1547 to 1552 the Russian army made a military campaign against Kazan. These military operations were not the whim of the king, and became an adequate response to the constant raids of the Tatars on Russian lands. The third campaign was successful and Kazan, and with it all the average the Volga region became part of the Kingdom of John.

For its time, Kazan was a great fortified city and its capture was a major military success

The king did not oppress the defeated Tatars actively involved in state service, including positions of responsibility. It was a wise decision that allowed to build between the two peoples normal relationships. In 1556, had taken Astrakhan and less powerful, but important from a strategic and economic point of view, the Astrakhan khanate was annexed to the Kingdom of Ivan IV. In parallel there was an active development of the Russian Siberian lands.

During the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich, the area of the Moscow Kingdom has increased from 2.8 million sq km to 5.4 million sq. km. did the Russian state is geographically larger than all of Europe. In addition to new land development is actively developing trade in the North, West and South, in Moscow, opened the embassies of many European powers, and in large market towns — representative offices of foreign companies.

In 1558 he began a hard and protracted Livonian war, which resulted for Moscow in the economic and political crisis. The king began to interfere with the magistrates and nobles, because his view did not always coincide with their opinion. A severe blow to the confidence of the Tsar to his companions caused the events of 1553.

Tsar Ivan the terrible asks Abbot Kirill's blessing to the monks. Lebedev, K. V. the Late nineteenth century

The king became seriously ill and his associates began to prepare for the worst. John V. insisted that the nobles swore allegiance to his son Dmitri, but the closest associates of the Emperor — Sylvester and Adach, unexpectedly, spoke out against this idea. In their opinion, the best candidate on the throne in the event of the death of the Emperor will be his cousin Vladimir, Prince Staritsky.

Some followers of John IV fled abroad as Governor, Prince Kurbsky, who escaped to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. From "emigration" renowned commander of the Livonian war, wrote to the king, full of resentment of the letter in which he denounced the betrayal of his faithful companions and ideals.

When John IV was 30 years old, he came to the conclusion that to stay on the throne, he can only by the extermination of the elites from time immemorial poisoned the life of the rulers in the literal and figurative sense. In the history of Russia began a new period, and the king was prepared to prove that the descendants will not in vain nicknamed him Formidable.