Ivan IV Vasilyevich, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and Tsar of All the Russias from 1547 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one thousand million acres. Ivan managed countless changes in the progression from a medieval state to an empire and emerging regional power, and became the first ruler to be crowned as Tsar of All the Russians.

Historic sources present disparate accounts of Ivan's complex personality: he was described as intelligent and devout, yet given to rages and prone to episodic outbreaks of mental illness. His mental illness increased in severity with his age, and the second period of his reign saw the deterioration of his mental state and consequently, his rule. In one such outburst, he killed his groomed and chosen heir Ivan Ivanovich. This left the Tsardom to be passed to Ivan's younger son, the weak and intellectually disabled Feodor Ivanovich. Ivan's legacy is complex: he was an able diplomat, a patron of arts and trade, founder of Russia's first Print Yard, a leader highly popular among the common people of Russia, but he is also remembered for his paranoia and arguably harsh treatment of the nobility. The Massacre at Novogrod is regarded as one of the demonstrations of his mental instability and brutality.... More • http://en.wikipedia. ... e_Terrible View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Dictators • Empires • Founders • Royalty • August 25 • Belarus • Moscow • Renaissance • Rulers • Rurik • Russia (Europe) • Tsars • Virgo • All Events • Icons • People