Ivan the Terrible

Description

Ivan IV, “the Terrible” (1533–1584), is one of the key figures in Russian history, yet he has remained among the most neglected. Notorious for pioneering a policy of unrestrained terror—and for killing his own son—he has been credited with establishing autocracy in Russia. This is the first attempt to write a biography of Ivan from birth to death, to study his policies, his marriages, his atrocities, and his disordered personality, and to link them as a coherent whole. Isabel de Madariaga situates Ivan within the background of Russian political developments in the sixteenth century. And, with revealing comparisons with English, Spanish, and other European courts, she sets him within the international context of his time. The biography includes a new account of the role of astrology and magic at Ivan’s court and provides fresh insights into his foreign policy. Facing up to problems of authenticity (much of Ivan’s archive was destroyed by fire in 1626) and controversies which have paralyzed western scholarship, de Madariaga seeks to present Russia as viewed from the Kremlin rather than from abroad and to comprehend the full tragedy of Ivan’s reign. Contents Illustrations Maps Foreword Acknowledgements Chapter I: The Historical Background Chapter II: The Reign of Vasily III Chapter III: Ivan’s Birth, Childhood, Adolescence, Coronation and Marriage Chapter IV: The Era of Aleksei Adashev Chapter V: The ‘Government of Compromise’ Chapter VI: The Conquest of Kazan’ Chapter VII: The Dynastic Crisis of 1553: Domestic and Military Policy, and the Arrival of the English Chapter VIII: The War in Livonia and the End of the ‘Chosen Council’ Chapter IX: The Death of Anastasia, and Ivan’s Second Marriage Chapter X: Tsar Ivan and Prince Andrei Kurbsky Chapter XI: The Setting Up of the Oprichnina Chapter XII: War in Livonia and the Zemskii Sobor of 1566 Chapter XIII: The Boyar Plot: 1) the Letters to King Sigismund Chapter XIV: The Boyar Plot: 2) the Executions of Ivan Fedorov, Metropolitan Filipp and Vladimir of Staritsa Chapter XV: Armageddon Chapter XVI: Foreign Policy and the Tatar Invasions Chapter XVII: The End of the Oprichnina, and the Succession to the Polish-Lithuanian Crown Chapter XVIII: Grand Prince Simeon Bekbulatovich Chapter XIX: Peace Negotiations Chapter XX: The Truce of Yam Zapol’sky Chapter XXI: The Death of Ivan Chapter XXII: Ivan’s Legacy to Russia Abbreviations Notes Brief Glossary Select Bibliography Index