Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Biography and years of government

Ivan the Terrible was one of those who left a tangible mark in the history of the Russian state. Childhood and the years of his reign were full of intrigue, violence and power struggles. While he was on the throne, several church and military reforms were carried out. So who is Ivan the Terrible?

His biography is full of tragedies and conquests. Left orphaned in his early childhood (his father died when he was three years old and his mother was seven years old), he lived in an atmosphere of unceasing struggle for power. And since he was the main contender for the throne, he became an involuntary victim or an accomplice in all the bloody massacres. Only in 1547 Ivan officially ascended the throne. Although given its adolescence, it came under the influence of the Glinski dynasty. In the same year there was a riot, which stopped their unofficial rule. The mentor of the young king is his spiritual mentor Sylvester. Bloody quarrels and rebellion were very poorly received by the young Ivan the Terrible. His biography since birth was full of such events.

Having frightened the young king, Sylvester forced him to repent and cleanse the country of impious advisers. At his insistence, a new parliament was elected, which took some of the rights from the boyars. In 1550 Ivan repented and reconciled with the state. The new parliament accepted complaints of the population about extortions and extortions. At this time, there have been a number of changes in the laws of the country. The Code of Law was revised, a set of judicial laws. Zemsky self-government was introduced and a number of changes were made in church rituals, people's customs and church administration.

At the same time, the military reform of Ivan the Terrible passed. The king divided the country into two halves: zemshchina and oprichnina. Oprichnina was allocated for his personal use. It included the most developed territories of the state. The nobles who entered the oprichnina settled on its lands, and the owners of these lands were evicted in the zemstvo. On the oprichnina, an oprichnina army was gathering in the estates. This land had its own Duma and orders.

The oprichnoye army was kept at the expense of expropriations from the land of the Zemstvos. It was a huge sum. The oprichniki were supposed to serve the tsar only faithfully and faithfully. For this they were allowed to rob and engage in robbery. In fact, Ivan the Terrible created a gang of punishers, disguised with good goals. This resulted in a mass of terror and unjust punishment.

Many were dissatisfied with this state of affairs in the country. Boyars gave petition to the tsar with a request for the abolition of oprichnina. But the response was followed by punitive measures against the instigators. In 1571, the siege of the Khan Devlet-Giray was siege to Moscow . This was due to the fault of the oprichniki troops. The Khan did not enter the city, but burned it almost to the ground. This made the tsar think about the expediency of the oprichnina army. Together with the efforts of the Zemsky and Oprichniy troops, the Khan was defeated. After that Ivan the Terrible simplified the oprichnina and forbade also to mention this word.

From all that was happening it was clear what Ivan the Terrible was able to achieve. Biography of the king, all those events that occurred in his life, speak of his despotic character. Managing the country, he made many mistakes, both in domestic politics and in foreign policy.

By the end of his reign, the king sincerely repents of his actions. But another shock must survive Ivan the Terrible. His biography will be supplemented by another bloody event. In the heat of anger, he will kill his own son, who should become his successor. The second son of Ivan the Terrible is not capable of assuming the reign. This finally undermined the king.

During the years of Ivan the Terrible's power there were also positive moments. He organized book printing and built the church of St. Basil the Blessed. We can say that the reign of Ivan the Terrible was one of the most significant and extraordinary.