Ivan The Terrible

Ivan the Terrible is infamous as a sadistic despot responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people, particularly during the years of the oprichnina, his state-within-a-state. Ivan was the first ruler in Russian history to use mass terror as a political instrument. However, Ivan’s actions cannot be dismissed by attributing the behavior to insanity. Ivan interacted with Muscovite society as both he and Muscovy changed. This interaction needs to be understood in order properly to analyze his motives, achievements, and failures. Ivan the Terrible: Free to Reward and Free to Punish provides an up-to-date comprehensive analysis of all aspects of Ivan’s reign. It presents a new interpretation not only of Ivan’s behavior and ideology, but also of Muscovite social and economic history. Charles Halperin shatters the myths surrounding Ivan and reveals a complex ruler who had much in common with his European contemporaries, including Henry the Eighth.

A biography of the infamous czar.

This definitive biography offers abundant details on the life of Russian Czar Ivan IV, including his violent moodswings and his callous cruelty.

This is the first major re-assessment of Ivan the Terrible to be published in the West in the post-Soviet period. It breaks away from older stereotypes of the tsar – whether as ‘crazed tyrant’ and ‘evil genius’, on the one hand, or as a ‘great and wise statesman’, on the other – to provide a more balanced picture. It examines the ways in which Ivan’s policies contributed to the creation of Russia’s distinctive system of unlimited monarchical rule. Ivan is best remembered for his reign of terror, the book pays due attention to the horrors of his executions, tortures and repressions, especially in the period of the oprichnina (1565-72), when he mysteriously divided his realm into two parts, one of which was under the direct control of the tsar and his oprichniki (bodyguard). This work argues that the often gruesome forms assumed by the terror reflected not only Ivan’s personal cruelty and sadism, but also his religious views about the divinely ordained right of the tsar to punish his treasonous subjects, just as sinners were punished in Hell. Primarily chronological in its organisation, the book focuses on three main aspects of Ivan’s power: the territorial expansion of the state, the mythology, rituals and symbols of monarchy; and the development of the autocratic system of rule.

A biography of Russia's first tsar Ivan the Terrible that describes his life, cruelty, andvictims.

A classic children's book from best-loved Bill's New Frock author, former Children's Laureate Anne Fine. Perfect for readers aged between 7 and 9 and fans of The Midnight Gang and Pamela Butchart's Wigglesbottom Primary series. It's Ivan's first day at his new school, and Boris is told to look after him, and translate for him, because Ivan can only speak Russian. After all, St Edmund's is a civilized school. Only problem is, Ivan isn't civilized. So when Ivan starts greeting people as 'lowly shivering worms', and asking for words in English like 'crush' and 'mutilate', Boris realises that he's going to have his work cut out for him. And that's just the start of the day . . . Anne Fine's fun school stories have been delighting children for more than 20 years, winning her awards such as the Smarties Book Award and Carnegie Medal along the way.

Screenplay.

Offers an account of the trial of John Demjanjuk, who was convicted of committing war crimes as "Ivan the Terrible," a sadistic guard at the Treblinka concentration camp