What made Russian Tsar Ivan IV so terrible?
Overview of Ivan IV's reign.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: St. Petersburg - its National Library. Here lies a highly treasured piece of Russian history. This brightly illustrated chronicle, dating from the 16th century, tells the story of Russia's first ruler to be crowned tsar, Ivan IV. He ruled Russia with an iron fist, plundering the land and terrorizing the people.
PROFESSOR DANIJL ALSCHITZ: "Ivan, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was an incredibly brutal ruler. Horrendous acts of terror were carried out during his reign. He didn't just target his enemies, but also the Russian people who were persecuted for no good reason. He believed terror served as a deterrent. The severed heads of his victims would be thrown at the feet of the victims' families. The number of those personally killed by Ivan is estimated at more than 4,500."
NARRATOR: The ascension to the throne of 16-year-old Ivan in 1547 inherently changed the lives of the Russian people. Ivan wanted to be the supreme ruler of Russia. Even the bishops were to be firmly under his control.
On Ivan's command, a special commando squad moved from town to town plundering and looting as they went in search of valuables and relics to fill Ivan's coffers. Those who stood in the way of the tsar's troops were either murdered or kidnapped. Ivan's insatiable desire for power and his boundless greed are written large in history. In today's Kremlin in Moscow it is still possible to find one very unmistakable reminder of Ivan, his palace. This place is a testament to the greed and cruelty of Ivan. It was here that so much innocent blood was shed. Here the wives and children of Ivan's courtiers were raped during Ivan's depraved orgies. To secure his power, Ivan instructed legions of learned men to spread rumors and lies.
ALSCHITZ: "Ivan ordered the history books to be rewritten to show that states which had not been ruled by a strong, all-powerful leader had stumbled and ultimately failed. He also claimed that states where women, priests or parliament had ruled had eventually come unstuck. In other words, he ordered history to be amended to show that the only successful states had been ones ruled by a single, strong ruler."
NARRATOR: In 1584, Ivan died in Moscow. During his reign, the Russian Empire had expanded over the Ural Mountains and on well into the forests of Siberia.
PROFESSOR DANIJL ALSCHITZ: "Ivan, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was an incredibly brutal ruler. Horrendous acts of terror were carried out during his reign. He didn't just target his enemies, but also the Russian people who were persecuted for no good reason. He believed terror served as a deterrent. The severed heads of his victims would be thrown at the feet of the victims' families. The number of those personally killed by Ivan is estimated at more than 4,500."
NARRATOR: The ascension to the throne of 16-year-old Ivan in 1547 inherently changed the lives of the Russian people. Ivan wanted to be the supreme ruler of Russia. Even the bishops were to be firmly under his control.
On Ivan's command, a special commando squad moved from town to town plundering and looting as they went in search of valuables and relics to fill Ivan's coffers. Those who stood in the way of the tsar's troops were either murdered or kidnapped. Ivan's insatiable desire for power and his boundless greed are written large in history. In today's Kremlin in Moscow it is still possible to find one very unmistakable reminder of Ivan, his palace. This place is a testament to the greed and cruelty of Ivan. It was here that so much innocent blood was shed. Here the wives and children of Ivan's courtiers were raped during Ivan's depraved orgies. To secure his power, Ivan instructed legions of learned men to spread rumors and lies.
ALSCHITZ: "Ivan ordered the history books to be rewritten to show that states which had not been ruled by a strong, all-powerful leader had stumbled and ultimately failed. He also claimed that states where women, priests or parliament had ruled had eventually come unstuck. In other words, he ordered history to be amended to show that the only successful states had been ones ruled by a single, strong ruler."
NARRATOR: In 1584, Ivan died in Moscow. During his reign, the Russian Empire had expanded over the Ural Mountains and on well into the forests of Siberia.