Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible, is the definitive biography of this Russian Tsar, portraying the infamous cruelty of his reign within the context of 16th century Russia. Written for scholars and students, this book also provides general readers with the first narrative of Ivan's life from birth to death. It studies his policies, his marriages, his atrocities, and his disordered personality, linking them as a coherent whole. Enthroned while still a youth, Ivan accumulated power over the vast and divided territory of Russia by decimating the boyars, a landowning elite, displaying a penchant for sadism and brutality. Throughout a period of almost continuous warfare and bloodshed, he consolidated power across the land and expanded Russian territory into western Siberia, garnering a fearsome reputation guided by highly capricious superstitions and paranoia towards his own subjects.
Isabel de Madariaga argues that many of the Ivan's actions were driven by a belief that violence was necessary to purify himself and his people. She includes a fresh account of the active role that religion, magic and astrology played in Ivan's life and court and provides new insights into his foreign policy. Without minimizng the role of psychopathology, Isabel de Madariaga provides revealing comparisons with English, Spanish, and other European courts, setting the reign of Ivan the Terrible within the context of his time.
