Ivan the Terrible

Paper Summary:

The paper graphically portrays the terror of Ivan's revolution and explains that those who opposed his reign and were caught were executed without mercy. The paper explores how Ivan IV's 37 year reign, which encompassed civil wars, mass murder and territorial expansion, ended in disaster and led to the 300-year reign of the Romanov dynasty. The paper illustrates how, among the chaos, he left behind a deep sense of insecurity and fright that was felt by every class as well as his foreign enemies.

From the Paper:

"For the last five centuries, many in Western Europe have referred to Russia as the Evil Empire and the Enemy of Christendom, and regard it as a backward, ignorant and barbarous kingdom. Although some sources suggest that these negative views date back into the thirteenth century, most evidence is found from the late fifteenth century onward, beginning with Ivan III, whom most thought was Terrible until they met his grandson, Ivan IV. Sometime around 1558, the city of Revel wrote a missive to Grand Master Furstenberg of the Livonian Order, referring to Russia as a barbaric empire, and Furstenberg's succesor, Grand Master Gotthard Kettler referred to Russia as Christianity's archenemy. In 1560, the Polish King Sigismund Augustus wrote to Queen Elizabeth of England calling Ivan IV the Terrible "a most barbarous and cruel enemy.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cavendish, Richard. 2002. Kazan falls to Ivan the Terrible: October 2nd, 1552. History Today. 01 October. Available Online from HighBeam Research Library, accessed 12 October 2006.
• Dolmatov, Vladimir. 2003. Britain and Russia. History Today. 01 July.Available Online from HighBeam Research Library, accessed 12 October 2006.
• Dukes, Paul. 2003. Britain and Russia 450 years of contact: Paul Dukes looks at the ups and downs of the relationship between the land of the lions and that of the double-headed eagle. History Today. 01 July. Available Online from HighBeam Research Library, accessed 12 October 2006.
• Durant, Will; Durant, Ariel. 1961. The Age of Reason Begins - A History of European Civilization: 155801648. New York. Simon and Schuster. Pp. 512.
• Durant, Will. 1957. The Reformation - A History of European Civilization from Wyclif to Calvin: 1300-1564. New York. Simon and Schuster. Pp. 654, 655, 656, 657,658,659,661.

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