Ivan the Terrible essays

Ivan the Terrible essays I, Ivan IV, was the first of two children born to Basil III, who had been attempting for many years without success to have a son. Basil, my father, divorced his first wife, Solomonia Saburova (which he had picked, by royal custom, personally out of thousands of virgins) due to her disability of not being able to bear his child. My father then quickly remarried a princess of royal Mongolian culture on January 21, 1526. This woman was Elena Glinskaya who became my mother. I was born on the evening of August 25, 1530. Two years after in 1532, my deaf-mute brother, Fyodor, was born. The following year, when I was only three, my father died due to a small little pimple on his leg that turned into a deadly sore. While he was dying, my father requested that I become the ruler of Russia when I reached the age of fifteen. However, his request was denied by the Russia aristocracy and they prevented my becoming their ruler. Instead, my mother Elena successfully ruled Russia for four years until she was killed. During this time, I was ignored and isolated from everyone except my nurse Agrafena. After my mother died, Agrafena was taken from me. My loneliness continued and the boyars ruling Russia would abuse me or not pay me any attention. The boyars would only pay attention to me when my presence was needed at a ceremony, otherwise they would ignore or abuse me. As the rivalry in the Palace for the power of Russia escalated into a bloody feud, I witnessed horrible things. I watched and heard murders, beatings and took verbal and physical abuse regularly. Because I was unable to hit my boyars, I would take my frustration out on animals. I imagined the animals being the men who tortured me. On December 29, 1543, I called the boyars to a meeting. I condemned them for ignoring me and my nation. Later I punished them for this by sending a group of huntsmen to seize Prince Andrew Shuiksy. Then in front of a group ...