Ivan the Terrible (Russia's First Tsar)

11/17/22 • 87 min

Today, the term "Terrible" can refer to anything from a very lousy dinner to a catastrophic calamity that kills millions. When it was conferred on Russian tsar Ivan IV in the 16th century, it explicitly meant 'awe-inspiring,' 'mighty,' and 'formidable.' However, if we look at the reign of one of the most paranoid, violent, and unpredictable individuals to control the country, then the current term of 'very awful' isn't that far off the mark after all. So, what was it that made Ivan so Terrible?
Notes: -
1- Ivan the Terrible by Isabel de Madariaga
https://www.amazon.com/Ivan-Terrible-Isabel-Madariaga/dp/0300119739
2- Fearful Majesty: The Life and Reign of Ivan the Terrible by Benson Bobrickhttps://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Majesty-Life-Reign-Terrible/dp/1880100843
3- Ivan the Terrible by Robert Payne
https://www.amazon.com/Ivan-Terrible-Robert-Payne/dp/0815412290

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11/17/22 • 87 min

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A Conversation Before The World Ends - Ivan the Terrible (Russia's First Tsar)

Transcript

Part 1:- Vasily the adequate

To talk about Ivan we need to first talk about his father, the grand prince Vasily III and the world they were born in. So, Ivan’s family were descended from the Rurik dynasty, who was a Viking leader from the Jutland who found what would become the Kievan Rus and what would become the monarchy of Russia. This is the bloodline in which Ivan IV and Vasily III would be born into. Russia by the time of their birth was somewhat a myste

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