Ivan the Terrible - the first Russian Tsar, who in 1547 was officially married to the reign.
In August 1530, the long-awaited son was born to Moscow Prince Vasily III and Elena Glinsky - their heir John. When Ivan was 3 years old, his father died, and his mother raised him, who also died in 1538 when he was 8 incomplete years. Ivan grew up surrounded by the struggle for power of the boyar clans, which were at enmity with each other, surrounded by palace coups.
Violence, murder, intrigue made him suspicious, revengeful and cruel. Even when he was young, already dreamed of unlimited power. And when Ivan became an adult in 1545, he became the ruler of Russia. In 1547, January 16, in the Moscow Kremlin in the Assumption Cathedral was his wedding to the kingdom. The title "king" in translation means "emperor".
During his reign, the first Russian emperor Ivan IV carried out many
reforms: zemstvo, church, judicial, order, military. He carried out many innovations useful for the state, drew up orders - uniform management bodies. During his reign, they compiled Sudebnik, the charter of Russian laws. The first Russian Tsar in domestic politics greatly strengthened the state. He expanded the borders of Russia, having conquered the khanates of Kazan (1547-1552) and Astrakhan (1556), and began to penetrate Siberia. In the international arena, Russia's positions have rather strengthened.
In connection with the expansion of the territory of the Moscow state and the creation of an order system, the economic and trade ties between the regions intensified. Bread was brought to the north from the center, and from there - salt, furs, fish. Under the reign of Ivan IV, trade with Western Europe began through Novgorod and Smolensk. Trade with England became more regular. Through the White and Barents Seas, they opened the way from Britain to Russia. They founded the English trading house in Moscow, and in 1584 the port of Arkhangelsk on the banks of the Dvina Bay.
But the welfare of the kingdom was short-lived. The Livonian War (1558-1583) brought failure for Russia. In 1565, the first Russian Tsar Ivan IV created the oprichnina, and after that they began to call him Grozny. By terror he wanted to assert his authority. And he didn’t even spare his son in this anger. Oprinchiki in 1569 plundered many Russian cities under the leadership of Ivan the Terrible.
The first Russian Tsar - Ivan Vasilievich Grozny - one of the most educated people, he had a phenomenal memory, in theology was an erudite. He was the author of many messages. He wrote text and music for the service for the feast of Our Lady of Vladimir, as well as the canon to Archangel Michael. In the organization of book printing played a very important role. In Moscow, on Red Square, the construction of the St. Basil's Cathedral was carried out , the first tsar - Ivan - was the initiator of its construction.
The activities of Ivan the Terrible received a versatile description in Russian history, because pre-revolutionary historians described him negatively, while the Soviet emphasized his positive aspects during the reign. And in the twentieth century, in the second half, historians began to deeply study the domestic and foreign policies of Ivan the Terrible.