ENGLISH

Ivan the Terrible: Free to Reward and Free to Punish

By Charles J. Halperin

Book information

Publisher
University of Pittsburgh Press
Year
2019
ISBN
0822945916, 9780822945918
Language
english
Format
EPUB
Filesize
4 MB (4394299 bytes)
Series
Russian and East European Studies
Pages
360\0
Topic
History
Time added
2019-10-09 12:38:49

Description

Ivan the Terrible is infamous as a sadistic despot responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people, particularly during the years of theoprichnina, his state-within-a-state. Ivan was the first ruler in Russian history to use mass terror as a political instrument. However, Ivan’s actions cannot be dismissed by attributing the behavior to insanity. Ivan interacted with Muscovite society as both he and Muscovy changed. This interaction needs to be understood in order properly to analyze his motives, achievements, and failures. Ivan the Terrible: Free to Reward and Free to Punishprovides an up-to-date comprehensive analysis of all aspects of Ivan’s reign. It presents a new interpretation not only of Ivan’s behavior and ideology, but also of Muscovite social and economic history. Charles Halperin shatters the myths surrounding Ivan and reveals a complex ruler who had much in common with his European contemporaries, including Henry the Eighth.

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