Ivan IV (the Terrible)

Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible (1530–1584) - the Grand Duke, the first Russian tsar crowned in 1547, the eldest son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III and Elena Glinskaya. On the paternal side, he came from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, on the maternal side - from Mamai, who was considered the ancestor of the Lithuanian princes Glinsky. One of the most controversial personalities in Russian history. A talented statesman, a wise reformer and at the same time - a bloody tyrant who plunged his people into the chaos of monstrous repression. The colossal growth and strengthening of the Russian state in the middle of the 16th century is undoubtedly the merit of the outstanding but controversial first Russian Tsar. Ivan IV went down in history not only as a tyrant. He was one of the most educated people of his time, possessed a phenomenal memory and theological erudition. The tsar contributed to the organization of book printing in Moscow and the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. His death was a prologue to a not the best period in Russian history - the Time of Troubles.