Ivan the Terrible, the First Tzar of Russia

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Ivan the Terrible was the fist tsar of Russia whoes reign, one of the longest of the Russian tzars, transformed the medivial nation state into a Russian Empire .In order to understand what made Ivan the Terrible ruthless and feared, it is important to know his background. Ivan IV Vasilyevich was born on August 25, 1530 in Kolomenskoye, Moscow, Russia. His father died at age 3 from a blood infection, but on his death bead requested that Ivan become the ruler of Russia when he turned 15. After his father died, the boyars took over and paid no attention to Ivan, denying is right to the thrown. Boyars were the highest ranked members in the upper class of medieval Russia, second only to the prince. His mother queen Elena died mysteriously died1538, they believed from an assassination by poison and this left Ivan an orphan at age eight. Ivan remained isolated through out all of this, and his behavior later in life was thought to be a result from being forgotten as a child and also from the abuse that he suffered. Ivan grew up living in poverty and he saw many things including murders, beatings, and verbal and physical abuse regularly. He was also neglected, beaten, and molested by the boyars often, leaving him and his brother with almost nothing. However, Ivan could not take out his terrible frustrations on his tormentors, so instead he would take them out on defenseless animals. For example, when he got angry he tore off the feathers on birds, pierced their eyes, and slit open their bodies. Ivan waited many years until he was crowned the first tsar of Russia on January 16, 1547 at age 16. During the beginning of his reign, he gave some powers of the government to his two uncles, however they misused this power and Ivan took it way.... ... middle of paper ... ... ruler and has helped shape Russia into what it now is today. Ivan also realized he could not trust his family to hold power, so he started passing it down to those who. This is a major incluence because looking at the government of the United States, one will notice that Obama does not pass his power to his children. The power is passed down to the next . This rule helped to reform, modernize, and centralize the country. In conclusion, Ivan the Terrible has impacted the world through his conquest and expansion of land, building of the St. Basil Cathedral, his influence in Joseph Stalin, and his strong political structure he set up. Ivan was a rutheless ruler that made some incredible advancements to modernize Russia, some that still are influential today. He was a major part in turning Russia from a medevial nation state into the beginnings of the Russian Empire.

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