Ivan the Terrible

Profiles in Power

by Andrei Pavlov, Maureen Perrie

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.

Genres: Russia, History, Nonfiction, Biography

244 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2003

Reviews

[denudatio_pulpae]

"Amerykański historyk Richard Hellie zaproponował przydatną linię podziału między tymi naukowcami, którzy próbują dokonać "racjonalnego" wytłumaczenia przedsięwzięć politycznych i działań Iwana, a tymi, którzy proponują uznać zachowanie cara za irracjonalne i patologiczne. Interpretacja, którą prezentujemy w tej pracy, mieści się w kategorii "racjonalnych", ale być może warto, dla lepszego zrozumienia, poświęcić nieco czasu na zbadanie założenia "nieracjonalności".

Właśnie próba "racjonalnego" podejścia do tematu Iwana Groźnego jest dużą zaletą tego opracowania. Bez zbytniego dramatyzowania autorzy podeszli do budzącego nawet do tej pory kontrowersje panowania pierwszego cara, które do najbardziej spokojnych nie należało. Poza tym dużym plusem tej książki jest rozdział pt. "Dziedzictwo Iwana", który przybliża historię Rusi przed panowaniem Groźnego, co na pewno ułatwi zrozumienie tym, którzy za to opracowanie zabrali się z marszu, bez jej przypomnienia, oraz podsumowanie i końcowe wnioski. Ryciny i drzewa genealogiczne umieszczone w odpowiednich miejscach również pomagają.

"Psychologia i psychoanaliza nie są naukami ścisłymi i retrospektywne stosowanie dziewiętnastowiecznych teorii do postaci z szesnastego wieku w oparciu o nieco problematyczne materiały źródłowe niesie ze sobą liczne niebezpieczeństwa. Niektóre z psychiatrycznych interpretacji są nader osobliwe: P.I. Kowalewski przypisuje niestabilność psychologiczną Iwana różnicy wieku pomiędzy rodzicami, natomiast D.M. Głagolew diagnozuje chorobę psychiczną na podstawie wyobrażenia cara na ikonie".

Pewne wnioski podawane w innych opracowaniach i dla mnie wydają się dość naciągane, bo moim zdaniem nie da się przenieść współczesnych norm jak szablonu na szesnastowieczne realia panowania Groźnego. To, co nam wydaje się być obecnie szaleństwem ,wtedy wcale nie musiało nim być. Uważam, że nie należy ufać bezkrytycznie wszystkim informacjom, jakie historycy próbują nam przekazać - często przecież kłócą się oni między sobą i mają zupełnie odmienne zdanie na dany temat. Ja wychodzę z podobnego założenia jak autorzy - dla lepszego zrozumienia trzeba poznać kilka wersji. Tę biografię Iwana Groźnego polecam.
7/10

[Sean Mccarrey]

It was a really good book. The authors were able to combine a sort of Great Game (by Peter Hopkirk) styled description of the various Kazanian and Astrakhanian wars, but they also melded in the domestic policies of the Oprichnina and the historical debate surrounding these events. I did find it odd though that for a book that claims in the title to be a profile of Ivan IV, that there was so little about him personally, aside from a small bit in the end. I understand the reasons for doing this, but the title is a little odd considering the book has more to do with Russia during this period than it does with the Tsar. Over all however, I would say it was well worth reading.

[Laura]

This book had some good information, but it was really dry and I had trouble staying focused on / interested in it. I also prefer biographies that are a bit more about the person, and less just about the political atmosphere (although I get that it's difficult to really focus on the person when there aren't many reliable sources).

[Grant]

An excellent overview of Ivan Grozny, focusing on his efforts to gain and use political power. The authors do an excellent job of outlining the historiographical debates that surround Ivan, drawing measured conclusions.

[Elizabeth]

Informative, but as someone who went into it with relatively little knowledge about Ivan and Russian history in general, I feel as though I should have had more of a background before reading.

[Amjad Badenjki]

One of the most brutal leaders in the world is Russias' leader, Ivan the Terrible. This book has been written to demonstrate just how evil a Russian tsar can be. Ivan was crowned tsar of Russia when he was 16 years old. He was being beaten up by boyars when he was younger. At the time, Russia expanded from South, West and North. Kazan blocked their way of expanding East so Ivan conquered the city of Kazan in just eight days by blowing up their castle doors underground. After that, Ivan IV built a church that is still famous in Russia, Moscow. It is called the Basils Cathedral and legend has it, he blinded the architect so that he wouldn't build anything as beautiful again. In conclusion, Ivan has done some pretty terrible things like, kill his own son, kill unborn children and more but he has still done some good for Russia.

I knew about this biography from learning a topic about Russian leaders in Social Studies class. Ivan is not a hero because he has killed many innocent lives. Ivan treated enemies like there were someone in his way. He would defeat anyone who came near him and threatened him. This person became famous because he has expanded Russia into the East of Asia.

My favourite part of the book is when he has conquered Kazan. I like this part because that's the part where I thought Ivan was a good leader but it turned out to be false. My least favourite part was when Ivan has just murdered his son because of an argument. I didn't like this part because it made me feel sad and also shocked. I would definitely read another biography that this author has written because he has clearly shown everything that this person has done. I would recommend this book to friends who like stories about leaders.

[Ottilie]

School reading...

[Aliya]

A great account of Ivan, the Tsar. Good for understanding the human behind the tsar.