On this day 430 years ago, Ivan IV aka Ivan the Terrible, killed his own son during a heated argument. The event would mark the final stage of decline in the unstable ruler's already tumultuous life.
The argument resulted from an incident in which Ivan beat his pregnant daughter-in-law for wearing immodest clothing. It is believed that this caused her to miscarry. Ivan became so enraged by his son's challenge, that he struck him in the side of the head with a pointed staff, piercing his skull. He lingered for a few days, then died, unable to fulfill his lifelong mission to becoming Czar after his father's death.
Ivan IV has been considered one of the most evil men in history, but it is probably an unfair label. First crowned Czar in 1547, his early reign accomplished many good things, such as the destruction of the slave market on the Volga River, the concentration of government power to the Czar's office, and opening trade with the English through the White Sea, along with good relations to a number of other countries.
1571 is when things began to decline. For nearly twenty-five years Russia found herself fighting against the Swedes, Poles, Lithuanians and the Livonian Teutonic Knights. The economy went into ruins, only worsened by famine, drought and the outbreak of the plague (which killed about 1000 people in Moscow daily).
Ivan's mental state began to deteriorate rapidly after one of his trusted advisors defected to the enemy. He was now paranoid of traitors in his own ranks. To combat this threat, he created the Oprichniki, a type of secret police. Between 1565-1572, they killed about 1500 Russian aristocrats and civilians believed to be working against the Czar. They used horrible methods of torture, such as impaling or boiling alive, to suppress dissent. Ivan disbanded them after realizing they were causing more harm than good. It became a capitol offense to even mention their name. He also paid the Russian Orthodox Church to offer prayers on behalf of the victims. The damage was done, however. Class disparity was now rampant.
In his latter life, Ivan was known to participate in depraved orgies, only to spend hours in an isolated monastery begging forgiveness. The exact cause of his mental instability has never been identified. Ivan also suffered from osteophytes in the spine, which caused his vertebrae to fuse together over several years. This meant that he likely spent his life in excruciating pain.
As death approached, Ivan knew that is soul was in jeopardy. He became a monk in a desperate attempt to atone for his sins. When he finally died in March of 1584, Russia entered what is known as the Time of Troubles. They lasted from 1598-1613, finally ending with the establishment of the Romanov dynasty.
Ivan was likely called "The Terrible" by his enemies, and not his own people. His mental illness makes it hard to confidently condemn him in the same manner as Hitler or Nero. The most damaging aspect of his reign was probably the creation of the Oprichniki. The concept would be embraced by Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, which lead to the formation of the NKVD and KGB. Today, there exists a controversial movement in Russia to grant Ivan sainthood. It has yet to succeed.
