A Brief History
On January 16, 1547, Ivan Vasilyevich IV was crowned Czar of All The Russias.
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find Ivan not only becoming the first Czar (the Russian equivalent of Caesar, often spelled Tsar) but also getting the frightening moniker Ivan the Terrible!
Ivan initially assumed the title Grand Prince of Moscow, what the Russian ruler was called then, when he was just 3 years old. He managed to crown himself Czar at age 17, somewhat precocious to say the least.
Under Ivan’s forceful leadership, Russia expanded by conquering adjacent lands in central Asia and Siberia. To this day Russia remains the largest country (by area) in the world and is a great power. Before Ivan, Russia was not so powerful, which he sought to “correct,” a goal he partly attained.
Gaining vast lands peopled by populations of diverse ethnicities, religions and languages must have been a trying experience, and Ivan went about his business in a ruthless and somewhat paranoid manner.
Being prone to fits of rage, Ivan The Terrible lived up to his name by killing his son and heir personally! Unfortunately, this action left a far less capable son as his heir, but Ivan did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it, and nobody was going to stop him! It is actually believed he suffered from a form of mental illness although intelligent and loved by the masses.
Saddled with a corrupt and disloyal nobility, Ivan was dismayed to the point of abdication! In the chaos that ensued, he was persuaded to return as Czar, but he did so only with caveat that he would wield absolute power. He did so with a vengeance, having many nobles killed or exiled.
During his reign, the first laws tying peasants to the land were implemented and resulted in their near-slave status as serfs. The nobles who had survived benefited from this; the peasants, not so much!
Ivan died of a stroke while engaged in that great Russian pastime, playing chess. He was only 53 years old and left Russia with a weak and unfit heir, having lived up to his terrible appellation. For good reason, he ranks ninth of the list of “Top 10 Worst Abuses of Power in History“!
Question for students (and subscribers): Why was Ivan terrible? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more on Ivan the Terrible, please read…
Pavlov, Andrei and Maureen Perrie. Ivan the Terrible. Routledge, 2003.
Payne, Robert and Nikita Romanoff. Ivan the Terrible. Cooper Square Press, 2002.
Price, Sean. Ivan the Terrible (A Wicked History). Franklin Watts, 2008.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1030 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1030">144 Comments
Dear readers, so, why was Ivan known as “the Terrible” and do you think he deserved to be known as such? Sincerely, Dr. Zarzeczny
There is a lot that made Ivan terrible. His greed for more land and not caring who got hurt and personally killing his son. He was a heartless and paranoid person for killing anyone who threatened his ruling.
He was nicknamed Ivan “the Terrible” because he kills his own son who was the heir to the thrown. Yes he had great power but the power Ivan had was too much for him! I think so because who kills their own son? That is messed up in the head!
Ivan was terrible for an number of reasons. He killed his own son, conquered and pillaged all of northern Asia, and caused serfdom to be a modern form of slavery at the time. I hate Ivan for a number of reasons. One, the lands he took do not belong to European Russians because they are rightfully Mongol, Chinese and Korean lands. Secondly, his serf laws are the reason Russia became Communist so that the people could finally benefit and be more “free”. That is also the reason why the infamous Anastasia and her family were murdered. Thirdly, Russia would overall be in a much better state of stability if it was not for Ivan. If that was the case, then the rest of the world wouldn”t be looking at Russia as a Big Brother country that is corrupt and desolate.
He was known as “the Terrible” because he was indeed a terrible man. He allowed for his power and greed to get the best of him and in turn it ruined his life and the legacy he left behind of himself.
Dear readers, does anyone else in history deserve to be known as “The Terrible”? Sincerely, Dr. Zarzeczny
Ivan was known as “the Terrible” because of killing innocent animals and his own brother. I really do not think he should be called “the Terrible” though because he had a tough life and no parents to raise him. He must have thought that killing animals was actually the right thing to do. All in all, I feel he wasn’t “the Terrible”, but rather “the Mislead”.
I definitely think he deserved the name Ivan the Terrible. I mean the guy killed his own son. He seems to me like a serial killer.
I certainly think so. Didn’t seem like a very nice guy!
It is actually interesting to learn that some of his more hated characteristics were because of some form of mental illness. I never knew this previous to reading the article. It appears that he got more terrible with time, eliminating nobles and other people of power (not to mention his son!), but that seems like something that may have helped to clear out some of the corruption in his government. It is obvious that when he turned on the people, he earned the moniker by essentially enslaving them. I can imagine that did not go over well. I think for that reason he deserves the title.
He killed small animals as a child and those killings turned into people. He didn’t seem to have a problem with that seeing as he eventually kills his own son. I think that alone deserves the title of “terrible”.
he definitely does. Killing because he can is something that should earn you the title of Terrible
He did bring expansion and wealth to Russia at the same time. His ruthlessness was an unfortunate tradeoff though
I personally think that Ivan killing his own son made him terrible. It sounds like he made his subjects endure a horrible life under his rule also.
Seems as though someone who would take the lives of others may be labeled “the Terrible”.
He was terrible because of his bad nature and killing of innocent animals
I think he was terrible because he killed his own son and was responsible for the deaths of many others.
i feel he was an very evil person!!!! how can a person kill innocent animals and their own child like that
Indeed he deserved to be called Ivan the Terrible only because of his horrible actions toward his son and many other people.
I would definitely say that he deserved the title of “the Terrible”. I mean for heavens sakes he killed his son because he got angry! I definitely wouldn’t want a leader that was prone to having anger be the deciding factor in some of the decisions he makes.
He didn’t do anything for the better of his people! Why kill his own son? My only guess is that he was afraid of his son taking the throne before he died. I would say that he deserved the title “the Terrible”
Yes he should be known as terrible. Only a terrible person would ever kill their own son especially when they are going to be the ruler of a country.
yes, killing his son he should be named by something beyond terrible , thats to nice!!!
Ivan became angry with his son’s pregnant wife. Yes he should be known as terrible. Don’t kill your own son!
Whether this title is fitting or not depends on whether you look at the success of his actual rule as a whole or the way he murdered a whole bunch of people.
Ivan killed his son and heir personally and his name fits him.
He was terrible and great! He expanded Russian territories and helped the country progress from the medieval era to modern technology of that time.
Ivan killed his son personally which would qualify him as a terrible person. I find it quite humoring that he did all these crazy things to people through out his life but died playing chess.
Ivan proclaimed himself Czar and murdered his son and heir, which is why he is known as “the Terrible.” He deserves being known as terrible, because he murdered so no one could stop him or get in his way.
Yes he did deserve the name because he was a despicable human for the things he did to his son and others but could still be considered a good leader because of the accomplishments he did for the country
Ivan was known as “the Terrible” because of his fits of rage and the fact that he killed his son and heir because he did what he wanted when he wanted to do it. I don’t think he deserved to be known as such, but he did live up to the name. To be completely honest he wasn’t the worst of Russia’s rulers because they’ll ended up having Joesph Stalin as a dictator.
Ivan became known as “Ivan the Terrible” as a result of his brutality to hold power. The fact that he carried out some of these acts by his own hand illustrates how “terrible” he truly was.
He was a little terrible I suppose. I mean, he did murder his relatives and cause a lot of misery for his countrymen, but still, a lot more rulers seemed worse than him, and they got names like the great. So no, he’s probably more like Ivan the pretty bad.
Ivan was known as “the Terrible” because of his mistreatment of his nobility, the murder of his own son, and making peasants little more than slaves during his reign. Killing your own child is pretty terrible so I think his name suited him in this regard.
Ivan the Terrible obtained his name by just simply being terrible. He was cruel to the nobility, even if most of them were corrupt and disloyal. He also killed his eldest heir which then only left an incapable heir to rule the throne. I think the name was well deserved, considering how he treated his people, killing them because he was insecure. And then also killing your own child is terrible in the highest order.
Ivan was known as “the Terrible” because his reign in Russia was, to most, aggressive and brutal. I think his actions prove that his desire for power not only meant more to him than ruling justly and fairly, but even more than his own family. Ivan seems pretty terrible to me.
Ivan was known as terrible for the actions he took to gain power as the czar of Russia.
Ivan was terrible. He was consumed with greed for lands and to have ultimate power. His power was brought on by making everyone fearful of him, if he was crazy enough to kill his own son, he surely would not hesitate to kill anyone else.
I think he deserved his name. It was said that he was a very intelligent man. If so, he could of used the power of persuasion to get most of what he wanted. He wanted absolute power and therefore killed for no reason to gain it.
Ivan did what a lot of other leaders have done when it came to expanding his power. Also who gave Ivan that name was it propaganda from a noble or a leader from another country? Every leader that has had absolute power do pretty similar things. North Korea would be a great example of that.
Ivan was terrible. Anyone who would kill their own son for personal profits can not be a good person. It did seem that he might have had some type of mental illness like paranoid schizophrenia . If they would have had mental professionals back then, maybe he would not have done the horrible things he did.
Ivan was known as being
“terrible” because he was selfish and cruel. I think that he
definitely deserves to be known as “the Terrible” seeing as he
murdered his own child.
He was a terrible person and deserved to be known as so. He was cruel.
i would say ivan should be know as “the terrible”, since he did kill his own son and he did what ever he wanted with no one able to stop him.
I would agree that Ivan the Terrible was deserving of his name for murdering his own son, disregarding his nobility, and not caring for any of his people by making the lower class like slaves. Sounds evil like Stalin or Hitler to me.
Kayla L
Ivan was a king and as king he had unchecked power, but he did what kings do. It’s easy to say he was terrible now, especially with how much life has changed throughout the centuries. Murder is no longer apart of daily life as often as it was back then. Nor as widely accepted.
Well he killed many people and was power hungry. He induced serfdom and killed his son. All of those speak to being pretty terrible.
He was so terrible because he killed thousands of people and was power hungry and didn’t want to stop until he got everything he wanted. “Ivan the Terrible” suits him just fine.
he should be known as terrible after killing his own son!
Ivan was considered terrible because instead of trying to use the power he had to make Russia a better country for his people, he simply murdered any and all who he felt threatened his legitimacy as a ruler.
It’s not surprising that he acquired this name. Killing your son for power is not something that most people would do. The way in which he attained and maintained his power was not in the best interest of his people, which a ruler should be most concerned about. While his behavior was shocking, there are far worse leaders in history (Hitler, Stalin, etc.) who rival him, therefore I don’t know if his name is necessary, but his actions are no less evil.
No wonder he was called Ivan the terrible, his greed for power controlled him. I think that in killing his son he definitely deserves the name Ivan the terrible.
He definitely deserves the name that was given to him. His obsession for control and his greed for power caused him to kill even his own son.
He was known as the Terrible because he was a ruthless man and it did not matter what type of relationship you had with him he would still kill you. One example being killing his son himself.
It is pretty obvious that this man was deserving to be called terrible. His greed drove him to kill his own son.
I think anyone that kills someone, let alone their own son, is deserving of the nickname ‘The Terrible’.
Im glad I was not living in Russia during his reign.
He did what he had to do.
Ivan was known as the terrible because he did what he wanted when he wanted to. Taking over so much land and trying to get so much power. He killed his son and heir because he simply wanted to. That is why he is terrible.
Peter the great vs. Ivan the Terrible,
Peter Wins
He killed his own son! That is TERRIBLE!
I wouldn’t say that he should be titled as Terrible, even though he killed son. Given that, we must remember that there were conquerors before this time period that killed their whole family for the sake of a ritual or sacrifice. It he was alive during our time period, he would have not got the nickname “Terrible”.
He was ruthless, really didnt care, did what he wanted. Killed his Son, i mean yeah that is terrible and so i get why he is called “the terrible”… i feel like he had no soul.. just didnt give a crap!
Ivan the terrible let his greed overcome his common sense. He killed anyone, even women and children. What gives him his name was his killing of his own son. Ivan was truly terrible.
He was known “The Terrible” because he killed his own son that was an heir to the thrown. if that isn’t terrible enough I don’t know what is.
For killing his own son; yeah id say he deserves his name
I don’t know, killing your own son is pretty…terrible. Conforming to the wrath of greed is just the “usual” in todays society now,
Clearly, he was a nut job. He murder his own son.Like, in history we see that a kings offspring, in particular their sons are consider very valuable. Why would he decrease his family’s chance of direct control over the throne.
Another, reason he’s terrible is his obsession with control. H e wanted complete power over his understudies (nobles). Some power should be a decision of ownership, it’s natural born right.
How could anyone like this ever have ruled anything? It’s a scary thought
Ivan the terrible was known as the terrible probably not just because he killed people, but because of the way he killed them and who he killed. I mean he killed his own son/heir!
It’s ridiculous how much influence that Julius Caesar had. Even more than a millennium after his death, he still influences the thoughts and ideas of people who lived after the Byzantine Empire fell. Although Ivan The Terrible is not exactly a person to look up to, I find it interesting how the name “Czar” was still influenced by thoughts and ideas of ancient Romans. I think he definitely deserves to be known as Ivan The Terrible (although not quite as terrible as some future Russian leaders in more modern periods of history).
The most terrible thing he did was killing his own son. Terrible not only because that was his own child, but because he left Russia with a worse heir, punishing everyone. On top of that he was harsh to the nobles and others. He deserved the name Ivan the Terrible for certain, but on the plus side it is a pretty badass name.
I can see that Ivan was trying to expand Russia and that harsh things had to happen in order for his goal to be somewhat accomplished. His treatment of his people is something he should regret.
It seems like Ivan had a case of bipolar disorder.
I believe Ivan’s most terrible act was killing his own son. No one in their right might would every do such a thing.
I can’t believe Ivan abused his power and did so many awful things, killing his son among the many, and was still loved by the masses. You would think everyone would despise him, especially since he had no sympathy for anyone.
I was expecting a drastic death to the czar, not a stroke in a game of chess.
His name was the “Terrible” because what father would have the mind to kill his own son. Ivan had a strange mind and I believe he did in order to keep his power
One thing I find interesting is how Ivan claimed the throne at such a young age of three years old. I understand that they are not the ones who are making the decisions at that time, but it’s weird how they are technically still considered the ruler and that time is counted in counting how long their reign is, even if they had no clue what was going on.
I find it funny how he went through his reign as tzar being such a “terrible” person — killing his own son because he could — then dies in a peaceful game of chess. I would’ve expected him to die in some raging confrontation or war.
Anyone who kills their own son deserves to be called much more than terrible.
Ivan The Terrible literally played
I have never read anything about this man before, the name seems to fit him well. Killing your own son, wow! I wonder what kind of people would “love” such a man with such hatefulness?
A fit of rage… killing his son- I would say thats pretty terrible
Can’t believe someone who was as corrupt as him would die of a stroke and not be murdered/dethroned.
He killed his own son… Ivan the Terrible isn’t even that bad compared to what he should have been called.
Power can make good people… BAD! They let it get to their head. — DAVID WARDLE
His random fits of rage and ability to kill his own son if probably what earned him the tille. the guy probably had high blood pressure so it’s fitting he died from a stroke haha.
Ivan was an alright guy tbh
Ivan definitely deserved the title of Ivan the terrible. He was a ruthless and cruel ruler that was self adsorbed and power hungry. Despite all that he did a lot of good for Russia in the long run, and i feel that he most likely suffered from some sort of mental disorder.
he definitely deserved to be called that. Ruthless ruler, exiling and killing his own people.
He was brutal and didn’t care , how could he just kill his own son! He deserves the name he got .
Did you also say in class that he tortured animals too when he was younger? I believe he was terrible in the sense that he maybe lacked empathy. It seems totally possible that he definitely had some sort of mental illness and was unable to show this.
Yes, according to http://www.biography.com/people/ivan-the-terrible-9350679
He killed his own soon.. He had a mental illness though but being able to do that makes him terrible.
Wow! Killed his own son! Crazy! He left a less capable son, interesting.
definitely lived up to his name
They probably should have just found a new ruler instead of asking him to come back.
How can you justify killing your own son? That blows my mind.
One reason was that he killed one of his sons personally. Ivan ruled under a form of absolutism. When a person feels he can do whatever he wants with no fear of retribution, you get the Ivan the terrible, Osama Bin Laden and others of the world.
I believe he deserved to be known as the terrible because of the animals, people, and his own son he killed.
Definitely was terrible
seems to me he had a mental sickness who kills there kids like that. so yes i feel he was really terrabile and mean but also a great leader that knew what he was doing though since russsia the biggest land mass to this day still.
What’s more than the acts they commit in their lives is how they weaken their kingdoms after their deaths uncaring of their state’s future. Ivan having killed his more capable son and unflinchingly causing discord among his leadership is a testament to his moniker.
Earned his nickname, but out of all Russian leaders he doesn’t sound as though he was the worst, I think Stalin probably takes the cake
He killed anyone he wanted and no one was going to stop him. I think he deserves the name because he had a temper and ruled with an iron fist
I think he was called the terrible because he killed his son. Who could ever kill there son. You would think you would want your son to take over after you died but I guess not Ivan. yes I do believe he deserved to be called this.
I believe Ivan was called terrible because he killed his son. As a father I do not think I could ever kill my son that’s just brutal. Yes I do think he deserved to be called terrible.
I think he is known as Ivan the terrible because the dude killed his son. I mean I agree he should be known as such because thats a horrible thing to do, especially to your own kid
What a terrible father! How can you kill your own son?
Many people had a type of mental illness back in these eras, but they were unknown yet, making peoples actions unjustified. Most of his characteristics were based f an illness that many did not know about or believed in. Crazy to see how things change and are handled differently now.
Ivan did a lot of terrible things usually i wouldnt consider mass murderers people id wanna have a chat with
This makes you wonder if Ivan the terrible never reigned what Russia would be like today. Would they have been better off or even though he was terrible, as his name states, is it good that he gave Russia some more power.
His acts were terrible.When the goal is to expand the power and reach of your own country at the expense of those that Russia conquered, then there is not much room for a nice guy approach. The agenda required pretty terrible measures, but the masses apparently believed in and supported his power hungry ways just as long as it was not aimed at them.
I think he earned the title of “The Terrible” for multiple reasons. To start he killed many innocent people including his own son. Also, the people he ruled over were miserable during his reign.
he killed his own son and heir! How terrible!
The people he reigned over were miserable under his power and he killed his own son.. Uncalled for
It certainly seems as though Ivan suffered from mental illness, especially killing his son.
By him killing many people, including his own son, it puts terrible in Ivan “the terrible.” I definitely believe he earned his name.
As soon as you kill your own son, “terrible” is one of the better names one can earn. He even somehow went beyond that, and proved what a horrible person he was.
responsible for the deaths of many. and also the killing of his son.
Hes a terrible man with terrible intentions i think
Wow he died while playing chess? That is pretty sad, he was some bad ass and he died from a stroke? Lame!
I think he defnitely deserved to be called terrible, he killed his son!!
If you can kill your own son you are a terrible person!
He was known as terrible due to his ruthless and unjust abuse of power. He certainly deserved to be called “the Terrible” anyone capable of murdering their own son is a terrible human being.
Yes. “The Terrible” is a perfect nickname for Ivan. He ended the lives of many, therefore it explains him very well.
Not only did he kill his own son but he then look absolute control over Czar where he proceeded to kill nobles and higher authority to get to where he wanted to be. He cares fr no ones lives when it comes to him needing to achieve a goal.
Killing animals (as well as people) is a sign of being a psychopath so being called “the Terrible” isn’t the worst thing that could have happened to him.
He killed his own son and heir, that alone is a “terrible” thing. Although he gained so much land and was loved by many, he did what he wanted and many were affected because of it.
I think he deserved the name “terrible” because he killed his own son and didn’t think about what would happen to Russia without an heir.
I can’t believe he was able to crown himself at the age of 17, I would like to witness that.
He killed his own son. I think the name fits.
how can you just kill your son and not be consider terrible.
yes he is definitely terrible if he killed his own children. why would anyone want him to come back? he definitely had to have a mental illness.
i belive it is a very personal opinon what kind of name someone should adopt
This man was clearly evil. Accomplished, but evil. He did crown himself czar at 17 and did expand his country. This isn’t done with mere kindness. He was a leader and did what he felt necessary to better his country. He was a true czar. Think of what people as a whole have done throughout history. Hitler, Stalin, our own forefathers killing off the indians (which were my ancestors) , purposely giving them blankets with smallpox. deceiving them into thinking it was out of kindness. Murder is murder, it’s wrong . Wether it is the killing of the masses or your family. He was a Czar, what do you expect. “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. i can’t remember who said that, but it is true.
Dear HJ,
Please see http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely.html
Sincerely,
Dr. Zar
19th century politician Lord Acton, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Why would someone kill their own family like that.
The guy killed his own son and forced the people he rolled over into slavery! I think he more than earned the title Ivan The terrible
I think if your a king and you kill your son, you do have a mental illness.
Well the question they asked was for sure answered.
I think that him killing his own son personally qualifies him to have the name of Ivan the Terrible