Ivan the Terrible

by Ian Grey

No tsar of Russia has been more widely known by name than Ivan the Terrible. He has exercised a sinister fascination but remained a nebulous figure, seen through a haze of blood and savagery.

In truth, Ivan was extraordinarily complex, extreme in conduct and in speech. His personality was vivid and powerful. He inspired legends and passionate conflicts. But from earliest childhood, he suffered terrors, calamities, and personal tragedies that would have unhinged most people. Fear, betrayals, and desperation made him suspicious and liable to flashing storms of anger, and his punishments were harsh. Indeed, he revealed many of the symptoms of a manic-depressive. His sense of sin, his obsessive anxiety for his dynasty, and his bouts of inhumanity brought him close to insanity.

But he was also capable of affection, kindness, generosity, and tolerance, and where the affairs of the Tsardom were concerned, he remained always the practical and dedicated sovereign.

An imperious man of great intelligence and ability, Ivan was a natural leader, and as the first crowned tsar of Russia, he claimed the loyalty and devotion of his people who saw in him the center and epitome of the nation. Here, from New York Times bestselling historian Ian Grey, is Ivan's extraordinary story.

Genres: History, Biography, Russia, Nonfiction, Historical

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Ian Grey (5 May 1918 – 5 June 1996) was a New Zealand-born historian of Russian history.

He began his career as a lawyer, a member of the New South Wales Bar. In 1941 he joined the Australian navy and was posted at Naval Intelligence of the Admiralty in London, then serving in the Soviet Union as an officer. He served for two and a half years in the Russian north, acting as a liaison for British Destroyers of the Soviet Navy in the Arctic. He also served as Deputy Secretary-General and the editor of publications of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Headquarters Secretariat from 1966 until his retirement. In 1971 he established the Parliamentary Information and Reference Centre.

Reviews

[Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading Russian history and the books on Peter the Great / Katherine the Great by Robert K Massie are some of my favourite reads of all time. This story of Ivan the Terrible was on the other hand a bit of a dry text-bookish read. Sure it tells the story but in a rather dull rendering. It doesn't even explain why or how he became known as 'The Terrible" - I know it might sound a bit obvious but there must have been some event or point in time that gave him this appellation, yet the book has missed this. It's an OK read if you just want the basic story.

[Roger Rosenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Describes the reign on Ivan the Terrible. I have an academic bent and would have preferred footnotes or end notes that explain sources. Additionally, even a few maps would have been useful to the discussions of territorial ambitions and military operations.

[Dado Canales · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Iván el terrible" de Ian Gray, (1969).

Biografía 4/5 ⭐

Iván IV nació en 1530 y fue el primero de los dos hijos del principe Vasily lll de Moscovia quien murió dejando al huérfano indefenso en manos de los nobles. Su madre Elena, gobernó 5 años más hasta q fue asesinada, entonces Iván subió al poder.

Influido por las humillaciones sufridas en su niñez, Iván IV dedicó su vida a fortalecer el papel de la monarquía y expandir las fronteras rusas, siendo conocido como el más cruel monarca de la historia.

En su juventud, dió rienda suelta a sus frustraciones torturando animales por diversión. A sus 13 años era conocido por su sadismo. Un día, enojado con los nobles por hablar mal de él, los convocó y anunció q castigaría a uno de ellos por su traición. Señaló al príncipe Andrei Shuisky y ante los moscovitas, fue arrojado a una jauría de perros hambrientos q lo despedazaron.

A los 16 años era un joven corpulento y musculoso, culto y aficionado a los libros. Pese q su insaciable crueldad, Iván era un cristiano devoto q cumplía con todos los rituales de la Iglesia ortodoxa, aunque ejecutaba y torturaba a clérigos sospechosos de deslealtad o desobediencia.

Desde el siglo XIII, Rusia había Sido ocupada por los tártaros y su presencia era un peligro para la monarquía. En 1552 Iván condujo a su ejército y logró devastar a los tártaros e hizo su entrada triunfal en Kazán.

Cuando llegó al trono, Rusia solo se conocía como Moscovia, el territorio q rodeaba Moscú. Iván, tenía grandes planes para su país. Abrió Rusia al mundo occidental y estableció relaciones con Inglaterra y otras naciones del norte de Europa. Creo ya Iglesia nacional y puso los cimientos de una autocracia, (zarismo), q gobernó sin interrupción el mayor país europeo durante casi 400 años, hasta la llegada de la revolución en 1917.

Sus enormes logros políticos fueron a la par de sus atrocidades. Sometió al pueblo y a los nobles (boyardos), con la hora y el látigo y su furia NO respetó a nadie, ni siquiera a su hijo, al q mató con sus propias manos en un arrebato de ira.

Un personaje cruel y desequilibrado q consolidó el estado, lo agrandó, lo unificó y forjó una potencia mundial a través del terror

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not what I would consider a fully comprehensive biography, this book was a good introduction to the Ivan the Terrible. As someone who knows very little about Russian history, I found this biography very interesting and informative.

[J. A. White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tremendously enjoyable piece, reads almost like a novel.