Ivan the Terrible is the first tsar of all Russia, known for his barbaric and incredibly harsh methods of government. Despite this, his reign is considered significant for the state, which, thanks to the foreign and domestic policies of Grozny, has doubled its territory. The first Russian ruler was a powerful and very evil monarch, but he managed to achieve a lot in the international political arena, supporting in his state a total individual dictatorship, saturated with executions, disgrace and terror for any disobedience to the authorities.

Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV Vasilievich) was born on August 25, 1530 in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow in the family of Grand Duke Vasily III of Rurikovich and Lithuanian princess Elena Glinskaya. He was the eldest son of his parents, so he became the first heir to the throne of his father, whom he had to replace upon reaching adulthood. But he had to become the nominal king of all Russia at the age of 3, since Vasily III became seriously ill and died suddenly. After 5 years, the future king's mother also died, as a result of which at the age of 8 he was left a complete orphan.

The childhood of the young monarch passed in an atmosphere of palace coups, a serious struggle for power, intrigue and violence, which formed a tough character in Ivan the Terrible. Then, considering the heir to the throne as an incomprehensible child, the trustees did not pay any attention to him, mercilessly killed his friends and kept the future king in poverty, even to the point of being deprived of food and clothing. This brought up in him aggression and cruelty, which already in his early years manifested itself in the desire to torture animals, and in the future the entire Russian people.

At that time, the country was ruled by the princes Belsky and Shuisky, the nobleman Mikhail Vorontsov and the relatives of the future ruler on the maternal side Glinsky. Their reign was marked for all Russia by the disorderly management of state property, which Ivan the Terrible very clearly understood.

In 1543, he first showed his guardians his temper, ordering the murder of Andrei Shuisky. Then the boyars began to fear the tsar, power over the country was completely concentrated in the hands of the Glinskys, who began to please the heir to the throne with all their might, bringing up animal instincts in him.

At the same time, the future tsar devoted a lot of time to self-education, read many books, which made him the most well-read ruler of those times. At the same time, being a powerless hostage of temporary rulers, he hated the whole world, and his main idea was to obtain complete and unlimited power over people, which he placed above any moral laws.

Governance and reforms

In 1545, when Ivan the Terrible came of age, he became a full tsar. His first political decision was the desire to marry the kingdom, which gave him the right to autocracy and the legacy of the traditions of the Orthodox faith. At the same time, this tsarist title became useful for the country's foreign policy, as it allowed it to take a different position in diplomatic relations with Western Europe and claim Russia for first place among European states.

From the first days of the reign of Ivan the Terrible, a number of key changes and reforms took place in the state, which he developed with the Chosen Rada, and in Russia a period of autocracy began, during which all power fell into the hands of one monarch.

The next 10 years the Tsar of All Russia devoted to global reform - Ivan the Terrible carried out a zemstvo reform, which formed an estate-representative monarchy in the country, adopted a new law code that toughened the rights of all peasants and slaves, introduced a lip reform that redistributed the powers of volostels and governors in favor of the nobility.

In 1550, the ruler handed out to the "chosen one" a thousand of Moscow noblemen estates within 70 km from the Russian capital and formed a streltsy army, which he armed with firearms. The same period was marked by the enslavement of the peasants and the ban on Jewish merchants from entering Russia.

The foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible at the first stage of his reign was full of numerous wars, which were very successful. He personally participated in the campaigns and already in 1552 took control of Kazan and Astrakhan, and then annexed part of the Siberian lands to Russia. In 1553, the monarch began to organize trade relations with England, and after 5 years he entered the war with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in which he suffered a resounding defeat and lost part of the Russian lands.

After losing the war, Ivan the Terrible began to look for those responsible for the defeat, broke off legislative relations with the Chosen Rada and embarked on the path of autocracy, filled with repression, disgrace and executions of all who did not support his policy.

Oprichnina

The reign of Ivan the Terrible at the second stage became even more harsh and bloody. In 1565, he introduced a special form of government, as a result of which Russia was divided into two parts - oprichnina and zemstvo. The guardsmen who took an oath of loyalty to the tsar fell under his complete autocracy and could not communicate with the zemstvo people who paid the lion's share of their income to the monarch.

Thus, a large army gathered in the estates of the oprichnina, which Ivan the Terrible freed from responsibility. They were allowed to arrange robberies and pogroms of the boyars forcibly, and if they resisted, they were allowed to mercilessly execute and kill all those who disagreed with the sovereign.

In 1571, when the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey invaded Russia, the oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible demonstrated complete incapacity to defend the state - the oprichniks spoiled by the ruler simply did not go to war, and from the entire large army the tsar managed to assemble only one regiment, which could not withstand the army of the Crimean khan. As a result, Ivan the Terrible canceled the oprichnina, stopped killing people and even ordered to compile memorial lists of executed people so that their souls were buried in monasteries.

The results of the reign of Ivan the Terrible were the collapse of the country's economy and a resounding defeat in the Livonian War, which, according to historians, was the work of his entire life. The monarch realized that, ruling the country, he made many mistakes not only in domestic but also in foreign policy, which by the end of his reign forced Ivan the Terrible to repent.

During this period, he committed another bloody crime and, in moments of rage, accidentally killed his own son and the only possible heir to the throne, Ivan Ivanovich. After that, the king completely despaired and even wanted to go to a monastery.

Personal life

The personal life of Ivan the Terrible is as rich as his reign. According to historians, the first tsar of all Russia was married seven times. The first wife of the monarch was Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva, with whom he married in 1547. In more than 10 years of marriage, the queen gave birth to six children, of which only Ivan and Fedor survived.

After Anastasia died in 1560, Ivan the Terrible married the daughter of the Kabardian prince Maria Cherkasskaya. In the first year of married life with the monarch, the second wife bore him a son, who died at the age of one month. After that, Ivan the Terrible's interest in his wife disappeared, and after 8 years Maria herself died.

The third wife of Ivan the Terrible, Maria Sobakina, was the daughter of a Kolomna nobleman. Their wedding took place in 1571. The third marriage of the king lasted only 15 days - Mary died for unknown reasons. After 6 months, the tsar again married Anna Koltovskaya. This marriage was also childless, and after a year of family life, the king concluded his wife in a monastery, where she died in 1626.

The fifth wife of the ruler was Maria Dolgorukaya, whom he drowned in a pond after the first wedding night, as he learned that his new wife was not a virgin. In 1975 he again married Anna Vasilchikova, who did not last long as a queen - she, like her predecessors, suffered the fate of being forcibly exiled to a monastery, allegedly for treason to the tsar.

The last, seventh wife of Ivan the Terrible was Maria Nagaya, who married him in 1580. Two years later, the queen gave birth to Tsarevich Dmitry, who died at the age of 9. After the death of her husband, Maria was exiled to Uglich by the new tsar, and after she was forcibly tonsured as a nun. She became a significant figure in Russian history as a mother, whose short reign fell on the Time of Troubles.

Death

The death of the first Tsar of All Russia, Ivan the Terrible, occurred on March 28, 1584 in Moscow. The ruler died while playing chess from the proliferation of osteophytes, which in recent years made him practically immobile. Nervous shocks, an unhealthy lifestyle and this serious illness made Ivan the Terrible in his 53 years a "decrepit" old man, which led to such an early death.

Ivan the Terrible was buried next to his murdered son Ivan in the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. After the burial of the monarch, persistent rumors began to appear that the king had died a violent and not a natural death. Chroniclers claim that Ivan the Terrible was poisoned with poison, which after him became the ruler of Russia.

The version of the poisoning of the first monarch was checked in 1963 during the opening of the royal tombs - the researchers did not find an increased content of arsenic in the remains, so the murder of Ivan the Terrible was not confirmed. At this, the Rurik dynasty was completely stopped, and the Time of Troubles began in the country.

Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible was born on August 25, 1530 in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow. Son of Grand Duke Vasily III (Rurikovich) and Princess Elena Glinskaya (Lithuanian princess).

In 1533 he lost his father, and in 1538 his mother died.

After the death of Vasily III, the state under the juvenile tsar was ruled by Princess Elena, Prince Ivan Ovchina-Obolensky-Telepnev, Belsky, Shuisky, Vorontsov, Glinsky. Ivan IV grew up in a struggle for power between warring boyar groups, accompanied by murder and violence, which contributed to the development of suspicion, vengefulness and cruelty in him.

This act was of great international importance, since it expressed the right of the Russian state to one of the first places among the states of Europe.

In 1562, the tsar's dignity was confirmed for the Russian Tsar by the Patriarch of Constantinople on behalf of himself and the Council of Constantinople.

Ivan the Terrible's active participation in state activities began with the creation of a kind of council from among his like-minded people, the so-called Chosen Rada - the de facto government of the Russian state.

In 1549-1560, he carried out reforms in the field of central and local government (the most important orders are drawn up, the system of "feeding" is liquidated), law (a national code is drawn up - the Code of Laws), the army (localism is limited, the foundations of the streltsy army are created, a guard service is being established at the borders Russian state, artillery is allocated as an independent branch of the army, the first military regulations appear - "Boyar's verdict on stanitsa and guard service"), etc. After the fall of the Chosen Rada (1560), he single-handedly pursued a line to strengthen the autocratic power.

Fighting with the power and influence of the boyars, as well as with the remnants of feudal fragmentation in the country, Ivan IV in 1565 introduced a special form of government - oprichnina - a system of repressive measures against the boyars, aimed at strengthening the sole power of the tsar. The main methods of fighting political opponents were executions, exile, and confiscation of land.

A major event of the oprichnina was the Novgorod pogrom in January-February 1570, the reason for which was the suspicion of Novgorod's desire to go to Lithuania. The tsar personally directed the campaign, during which all the cities on the road from Moscow to Novgorod were plundered.

From the bloody massacres and mass repressions of Ivan IV, his political opponents, and tens of thousands of peasants, slaves, and townspeople died. During one of his outbursts of anger in 1582, he fatally beat his son Ivan. Among the people, Ivan IV received the nickname "Terrible", reflecting the idea of ​​him as a tyrant tsar.

A characteristic feature of the social policy of Ivan IV was the strengthening of serfdom (the abolition of St. George's Day and the introduction of reserved years).

In foreign policy, he pursued a course of bringing to an end the struggle against the successors of the Golden Horde, expanding the territory of the state to the east and seizing the shores of the Baltic Sea to the west. As a result of the military campaigns of Ivan IV in 1547-1552, the Kazan Khanate was annexed, in 1556 - the Astrakhan Khanate; the Siberian Khan Edigei (1555) and the Great Nogai Horde (1557) fell into dependence on the Russian tsar. However, the Livonian War (1558-1583) ended with the loss of part of the Russian lands and did not solve the main problem - access to the Baltic Sea. The tsar fought with varying degrees of success against the invasions of the Crimean Khanate.

As a commander, Ivan IV was distinguished by his courageous strategic plans and decisiveness; he personally led the troops in the Kazan campaigns, the campaign against Polotsk (1563), and the Livonian campaigns (1572 and 1577). In the struggle for fortresses, he made extensive use of artillery and engineering (mine and subversive) means.

Ivan IV developed political and trade ties with England, the Netherlands, the Kakhetian kingdom, the Bukhara Khanate, Kabarda, etc.

The tsar was one of the most educated people of his time, possessed a phenomenal memory and theological erudition. He is the author of numerous letters (including to Prince Andrei Kurbsky), music and text of the service of the feast of Our Lady of Vladimir, the canon to Archangel Michael. Ivan the Terrible contributed to the organization of printing in Moscow and the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. Supported chronicle writing.

Ivan IV the Terrible died in Moscow on March 18, 1584. Buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Ivan the Terrible was married several times. Apart from the children who died in infancy, he had three sons. From her first marriage with Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva, two sons were born, Ivan and Fedor. According to one version, the tsar accidentally killed the eldest son and heir Ivan, hitting his temple with a staff with an iron tip. The second son, Fyodor, who was distinguished by sickness, weakness and mental disability, became tsar after the death of Ivan the Terrible. The third son of the tsar, Dmitry Ivanovich, who was born in his last marriage with Maria Naga, died in 1591 in Uglich. Since Fedor died childless, then with his death the reign of the Rurik dynasty ended.

(Military encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. In 8 volumes - 2004)

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

"As if in madness" ...

The version of Dr. A. Maslov (Department of Forensic Medicine, IM Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy).

On the day of his death, March 18, 1584, Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible ordered to bring and read his will, then for a long time, about three hours, he steamed in the bath. The bath brought some relief to his weary body.

Steamed, pacified, in a spacious white shirt, the tsar was sitting on a wide bed. Silent Boris Godunov stood at a distance. Prepared a chess board. Ivan Vasilyevich arranged the pieces himself, wanted to play with the boyar Belsky, but suddenly fell on his back, clutching the last undelivered piece in his hand - the king.

Doctors rubbed the tsar with "strong liquids", but the agony was short-lived, and a few minutes later the 37-year reign of Ivan IV ended.

The sovereign, on whose order many boyars were poisoned, himself understood a lot about poisons. Ambassador Jerome Horsey reported how Ivan, once picking up a handful of turquoise, said: “Do you see how it changes color, how it turns pale? This means that I was poisoned. It portends death to me. " The constant premonition of death intensified the seemingly inexplicable cruelty and sadistic inclinations of Ivan IV.

Were these pathological tendencies congenital? Incredible ruthlessness and suspicion could have been in Ivan's very human nature. This is most likely the case.

In early childhood, he underwent great emotional and mental stress. In an atmosphere of violence and internecine bloodshed, the future despot was ripening. But maybe Ivan IV was just a mentally ill person?

The famous Russian psychiatrist P.I. Kovalevsky claimed that the tsar was prone to neurasthenia, suffered from paranoia with a persecution mania.

Modern psychiatry believes that he did not suffer from dementia. Ivan was often an unfair and cruel judge, but, importantly, he always judged independently.

What is really known about the state of physical and mental health of Tsar Ivan?

An unexpected discovery: during the opening of the tombs in 1963, the remains of Ivan IV and Tsarevich Ivan were found to contain almost five times (!) More mercury than in the remains of Tsar Fyodor and Prince Skopin-Shuisky. This is suggestive of poisoning. But what about Tsarevich Ivan? He died for a completely different reason - from a traumatic brain injury inflicted by his father? ..

It is historically reliable that mercury preparations began to be used in Russia from the end of the 15th century, and exclusively for the treatment of syphilis. The spread of syphilis in Russia also dates back to this time. Could Ivan IV get sick with syphilis?

The chroniclers dispassionately noted the lust of the monarch. According to Ambassador J. Horsey, Ivan "boasted that he had corrupted a thousand virgins," and according to other testimonies, father and son exchanged mistresses ...

Indeed, the way of life of the king and his eldest son contributed to the illness of syphilis. Its course is characterized mainly by a wave-like change in active manifestations of the disease. Syphilitic ulcers appear with copious, fetid, purulent discharge. Eyewitnesses write that at the beginning of 1584 the body of Tsar Ivan emitted an intolerable stench.

In addition, syphilis is often accompanied by a progressive metabolic disorder, "shooting" pain in the knee joints. During periods of exacerbation, they make it impossible to move independently. When studying the remains of the king, scientists drew attention to the powerful deposits of salts on the spine - osteophytes, which caused excruciating pain at the slightest movement. According to the famous anthropologist and archaeologist M.M. Gerasimov, this disease developed in the last five to six years of the king's life, which is confirmed by historical data.

In the last years of his life, Ivan the Terrible became very stout. Of course, the king was tormented by the indispensable companion of syphilis - cirrhosis of the liver, which is usually accompanied by the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

Before his death, Ivan the Terrible looked like a decrepit old man, he was carried in an armchair. But at the age of 45, as eyewitnesses wrote, Ivan was full of strength ...

The only method of treating syphilis at that time was the use of mercury preparations. But their excessive consumption leads to chronic intoxication. At the same time, painful changes are manifested mainly on the part of the nervous system: mercury erethism is a special state of mental agitation, anxiety, fearfulness, suspiciousness. In case of an overdose of mercury preparations, epileptic seizures and chaotic mental agitation are observed. Ivan IV also had these symptoms. Eyewitnesses report that he suffered from seizures, during which he came “as if in madness,” foam appeared on his lips ... By the end of his life, Ivan the Terrible had turned into a decrepit person, destroyed by syphilis and mercury preparations.

Ivan the Terrible died of illness. Boris Godunov did not persecute his tsar. Time will restore justice, but, as always, it's too late ...

Poisoners

The version of the writer, Orthodox Orthodox V. Manyagin.

Could Tsar Ivan get sick with syphilis? The chroniclers dispassionately noted that after the death of Anastasia's first wife, "the tsar began to live and be extremely loving." Syphilis, they say, was an inevitable punishment of a voluptuous and lustful monarch.

What can you say to this? Syphilis was brought by Columbus's sailors to Spain from America in 1493 - just at the end of the 15th century.

In 1494, the Spanish king Charles VIII invaded the Kingdom of Naples. So, together with the Spanish soldiers, syphilis came to Italy. After the war, some of the Spanish mercenaries ended up in France. At the end of the 15th century, a shame disease had just appeared in Poland, and the Moscow authorities were trying to delay the epidemic at the border. And therefore, syphilis could not be widespread in Russia already at the end of the 15th century, as A. Maslov, a venerable professor of forensic medicine, claims, although, of course, individual cases could have occurred.

The professor is also mistaken that "mercury preparations began to be used in Russia from the end of the 15th century, and only for the treatment of syphilis." They were proposed by Paracelsus only in the first half of the 16th century. Paracelsus could not make his discovery earlier, since he was born in 1493 and at the end of the 15th century was still an infant.

It would also be interesting to know which particular chroniclers “dispassionately noted” the “rage and adultery” of the tsar after the death of his first wife, Queen Anastasia. After all, it is known that the king deeply experienced her death, was sure that she was poisoned (and he was right!). And a year later he entered into a second marriage - with Tsarina Maria (daughter of the Kabardian prince Temryuk). He did this at the insistence of the closest dignitaries, proceeding from political necessity: to establish himself in Pyatigorye, to cut the path of the Turks to the lower Volga, to the Caspian Sea and thus protect the conquered Kazan and Astrakhan. So he simply did not have time to “rage and commit adultery”. As well as being sick with syphilis.

According to the head of the archaeological department of the Moscow Kremlin Museum, T.D. Panova, “very decisively dismissed

MM. Gerasimov, the conclusions of some too zealous authors that Ivan IV from about 1565 (about twenty years) suffered from syphilis. His eldest son Ivan allegedly suffered from the same disease (and from the same time!). The authors of this idea were not even stopped by the boy's age - he was then only 10 years old!

There are no traces of venereal diseases on the bones of the skeleton or on the skulls of Ivan Vasilievich and his son. "

In the relics of the sovereign, an excess of 32 times was found for mercury and for arsenic - 1.8 times. “It was these figures that gave rise to a lot of absurd ideas about indecent diseases, traces of which, as already mentioned, have not been found,” writes T.D. Panova. It would seem that everything is clear: the king was poisoned! But it was not there…

Panova even puts forward a completely "original" version that the Tsar himself poisoned himself: “There are vague indications that Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich (and possibly his eldest son), fearing poisoning, accustomed his body to poisons, taking them in small doses. This is quite realistic, given the expert examination data. "

Of course, there is no need to talk about any "suddenness of death" of both Grozny and his sons.

The dispute is not over!

The version of Dr. L. Gorelova (Moscow Medical Academy named after I.M.Sechenov).

The dispute about Tsar Ivan Vasilievich has been going on for more than four centuries.

As you know, Ivan IV issued new laws. In Stoglava, for example, a question is raised that reads like this: “The answer about almshouses, and about lepers, and about cloying, and about the old, and on the streets in boxes lying, and on carts and sledges carrying, and having no head where to tilt. " Following the order of the sovereign, hospitals and almshouses were opened in many Russian cities, which Ivan liked to visit. At the same time, he severely punished those ministers who were seen stealing.

Mental patients are also mentioned in Stoglav. They should, the law said, be sent to monasteries "so as not to be a hindrance to them and a scarecrow for the healthy", where they were to be helped to "admonish" or "bring them to the truth."

The development of sea trade between Russia and England through the port in Arkhangelsk gave an impetus for the influx of British doctors. The fate of Ivan the Terrible's personal physician Elisey Bomeliy is well known. The Belgian left a sad memory of himself in the gloomy chronicles of the era. This "dokhtur", "a fierce sorcerer and a heretic," supported fear and suspicion in the suspicious tsar, predicted riots and mutinies, acted as a poisoner of persons objectionable to the sovereign. Subsequently, Elisey Bomelia was burned at the behest of John IV for his relationship with the Polish king Stephen Bathory.

Another personal physician of Ivan the Terrible, Arnolph Lenzei (Lindsay) from Italy, enjoyed great trust of the tsar, prescribed him treatment, medicines (this with a constant fear of poisoning!) And even gave advice to the sovereign on many political matters.

After Lindsay's death, John expressed a desire to have a doctor from England. Tormented by the ghosts of the boyar troubles, John, as you know, seriously thought about his asylum in England. This doctor was Robert Jacobi, an excellent doctor, obstetrician. Jacobi later became one of the most respected physicians of the 17th century.

The first mention of a pharmacist dates back to the time of Ivan the Terrible. The Nikon Chronicle (1554) says "Matyushko the Lithuanian - the doctor" (the pharmacist Matias).

The most reliable information about the first pharmacy in Russia dates back to 1581, when during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, a court pharmacy was opened on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, which was called the "sovereign", since it served only the king and members of the royal family.

Was it all connected with the state of health of Ivan the Terrible himself?

After all, the king's lifestyle was extremely unhealthy: constant nocturnal orgies, accompanied by abundant food and drunkenness, could not but affect his body.

The illnesses of Ivan the Terrible can be judged by his remains. In the last six years of his life, the king developed powerful salt deposits on the spine - osteophytes, which caused sharp, excruciating pain with every movement. And indeed, six years before his death, Ivan IV stopped participating in military campaigns (and before that he went with the troops regularly). The king's health deteriorated more and more.

For four centuries, there has been a dispute about the causes of the death of Ivan the Terrible. There are many records of his violent death. One of the chronicles, compiled already in the 17th century, informs about the rumor that the tsar "dasha ... will poison the neighbors."

However, M.M. Gerasimov, when examining the remains of the tsar, denied the version of suffocation, since Ivan the Terrible had well-preserved laryngeal cartilages (although there could be suffocation with a pillow). The version of poisoning by examining the skeleton has not been confirmed, but has not been refuted either.

Many historians, trusting foreign sources, come to the conclusion that Ivan in 1570 was on the verge of insanity. However, two years later, he writes a testament to his sons, full of advice, invites them to personally delve into all matters and never trust others in anything, because otherwise only the semblance of power will remain. These are not the words of a madman, but a perspicacious politician.

Thus, the dispute over the identity of Ivan the Terrible is not over. And whether it will ever be finished is unknown. More and more new versions appear ...

Secrets of death - the death of Ivan the Terrible
The cause of death of Ivan the Terrible - was the tsar poisoned?

Alexander MASLOV

The fact that Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible had practically nothing in common with the dear Ivan Vasilyevich from the popular comedy is probably known to everyone. Therefore, the death of his terrible and sudden popular rumor connected with the intrigues of numerous royal enemies - they poisoned him. But was it really so?

Boris Godunov did not persecute his tsar.

It doesn't smell like dementia.

On the day of his death, March 18, 1584, Tsar Ivan Vasilievich spent a long time, about three hours, in the bathhouse. Steamed, pacified, in a spacious white shirt, the tsar was sitting on a wide bed. Prepared a chess board. Ivan Vasilyevich placed the pieces himself, wanted to play with the boyar Belsky, but suddenly fell on his back, squeezing the last undelivered piece of the king in his hand.
Doctors rubbed Tsar Ivan with "strong liquids", but the agony was short-lived, and in a few minutes the 50-year reign of Ivan IV ended. There were dark rumors among the people that the tsar was poisoned by his fellow people - Belsky and Godunov, having bribed the doctor who treated the sovereign.

The constant premonition of death intensified the inexplicable cruelty and sadistic inclinations of Ivan IV. Were these pathological tendencies congenital? Incredible ruthlessness and suspicion could have been in the very human nature of the king. This is most likely the case. At the end of the 19th century, the Russian psychiatrist P. Kovalevsky argued that Tsar Ivan was prone to neurasthenia, suffered from paranoia with a persecution mania. Kovalevsky wrote that the tsar "sharply expresses the passion of many unstable people (degenerates) to figure as often and as much as possible, make speeches, appear to the people and wander around the state." But modern psychiatry believes that degeneratism (congenital dementia) and paranoia are completely different diseases. Obviously, the scientist was led to the idea of ​​paranoia by the incredible cruelty of the king. Cruelty was characteristic of that era in the West as well, but the refined sadism and quirks of a semi-Asian despot were reflected in Ivan's executions. Ivan was often an unfair and cruel judge, but, importantly, he always judged independently. The tsar did not succumb to other people's influences, which indicates the absence of "congenital dementia."

PEOPLE. SOCIETY. PLANET - Grandmas, witches, sorcerers, psychics
Skeptics deny everything mysterious in our life, but there are mystical phenomena that defy logic. For example, the sorceresses predicted the death of Ivan the Terrible, and their prediction turned out to be accurate.

This fact is known for certain. In the last year of his life, the tsar ordered to bring to Moscow from Arkhangelsk the witch women there. They brought 12 witches to the court and put them under lock and key. The king's confidant visited the old women every day and reported to the king what they said. Once all the witches unanimously announced that the king would die on March 18th. For such a false prediction, the king ordered them to be burned alive on March 18. However, when a servant appeared early in the morning to fulfill the king's will, the witches raised an indignant cry: the day, they say, has just begun, it is not known how it will end. According to the testimony of contemporaries, nothing on this day foreshadowed misfortune, and the tsar was surprisingly cheerful. He sat down to play chess, but suddenly swayed, grabbed his chest and died a few minutes later, reports Pravda.Ru.

It is known that on the day of his death on March 18, 1584, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich spent a long time, about three hours, in the bathhouse. Steamed, pacified, in a spacious white shirt, the tsar was sitting on a wide bed. Prepared a chess board. Ivan Vasilyevich arranged the pieces himself, wanted to play with the boyar Belsky, but suddenly fell on his back, clutching the last piece of the king in his hand. There were rumors that the tsar was poisoned by his confidants Bogdan Belsky and Boris Godunov. The British ambassador reports that Ivan the Terrible was strangled at the time when he had an attack. This is how the historian N. Kostomarov describes the death of Grozny: “At the beginning of 1584, he had a terrible illness; some kind of rotting inside; a disgusting smell emanated from him. "

The constant premonition of death intensified the inexplicable cruelty and sadistic inclinations of Ivan IV.
Incredible ruthlessness and suspicion could have been in the very human nature of the king.

It is known that shortly before his death the king was not well. A strange melancholy gripped him. “The body is exhausted ... the spirit is sick ... the wounds of the soul and body have multiplied ... I waited for someone to grieve with me, and no one appeared ...”. This is the vulnerable Ivan Vasilyevich, who, just two years before these words, destroyed Novgorod. The infants were tied to their mothers and drowned in Volkhov ... And he wrote these pitiful words in his will, and they are addressed, first of all, to his beloved son, whom he will also kill!

According to legend, when Ivan the Terrible was born, a thunderstorm thundered. Perhaps already from childhood, Ivan was accompanied by a kind of curse, which he avoided with violence, interruption of the family. But the prediction of the witch came true.

Based on materials from the site "krugi.magov.net"

What is really known about the state of physical and mental health of Tsar Ivan?

It's time to come of age in the life of the people of the XVI century. came at the age of 15. The youth Ivan, in modern terms, was an accelerator, quickly developed physically and by the age of 13 he looked like a real man. Sigmund Freud believed that premature sexual maturity makes it difficult in the future to control the sexual desire on the part of the higher nerve centers and increases the obsessive nature of these drives. Indeed, contemporaries noted in Ivan IV "the vile delights of voluptuousness."

Few people know that in 1963 four tombs were opened in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin: Ivan IV, his sons - Tsar Fyodor and Tsarevich Ivan, and the tomb of the most prominent military leader, Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky. The commission, which included forensic physicians, began work after appropriate measurements, sketches, photographs. Ivan the Terrible was buried in a schema, girded with a simple rope. The fairly well-preserved bones of the skeleton of Tsar Ivan were mostly correctly positioned. The skull is slightly turned to the right.

Unexpected find

To establish a possible poisoning, which Ivan the Terrible feared so much, after opening the tomb, it became possible to find out whether the tsar's fears were real. For this, it was necessary to conduct a chemical and toxicological study of the remains, however, over such a long period - about 400 years - many poisons could disappear or change, the possibility of the formation of new chemical compounds due to tissue decay was not excluded. In this regard, forensic chemical research was carried out for groups of compounds, mainly for the so-called "metal" poisons. After the opening of Ivan's tomb, samples of humus, hair, nails, dried pieces of soft body tissues, small, 3-4 cm long and 5-10 g in weight, pieces of ribs were taken for examination. Since some compounds are widespread in nature, for control studies, individual parts of clothing fabrics were removed, scrapings from the walls of the tomb.

Spectral research has shown that scrapings from the walls of the tomb contain trace amounts of zinc, copper, silver, and lead. The clothes of Ivan the Terrible contained only those elements that are usually found in cotton fabrics.
Research continued ... And suddenly - an unexpected discovery: in the remains of Ivan IV and Tsarevich Ivan, almost five times more mercury was found than in objects from the sarcophagi of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich and Prince Skopin-Shuisky. Moreover, mercury could not get into the remains from the outside, since negligible little was found in the walls of all tombs. Consequently, mercury compounds entered the body of Tsar Ivan and his eldest son during their lifetime.

The high concentration of mercury preparations in the body of Ivan IV suggested poisoning. But what about Tsarevich Ivan?
He died from a completely different cause - a craniocerebral injury caused by his father. But he also had a huge amount of mercury in his body!

What was Ivan the Terrible sick with?

It is historically reliable that mercury preparations began to be used in Russia from the end of the 15th century, and exclusively for the treatment of syphilis. At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries, many European countries were seized by an epidemic of syphilis. The disease during this period was distinguished by a particular severity of the course, pronounced painful changes in the skin, mucous membranes, bones, exhaustion, severe depression, ulcers, tumors of the face, legs. Relatively quickly recognized connection of this serious disease with sexual activity gave reason to call syphilis "sexual plague"! The spread of syphilis in Russia also dates back to this time. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, syphilis undoubtedly roamed Moscow.

Could Tsar Ivan get sick with syphilis? The chroniclers dispassionately noted that after the death of Anastasia's first wife, "the tsar began to live and be extremely loving." Syphilis was the inevitable punishment of a voluptuous and lustful monarch. According to Jerome Garsei, who personally knew the Russian tsar, Ivan "boasted that he had corrupted a thousand virgins, and that thousands of his children were deprived of their lives." Oderborn testified that father and son exchanged mistresses. The historian K. Valishevsky noted: "It is quite possible that even the guardsmen served to satisfy such inclinations and tastes of his passionate and immoderate nature, which, apparently, could not weaken in him neither old age, nor illness." Thus, Ivan the Terrible, in modern terms, was included in the "risk group". It should be emphasized that this unpleasant information is not given for the sake of digging "in dirty linen". Without knowledge of the diseases that sometimes "led" statesmen, it is impossible to scientifically analyze the mechanisms of making vital decisions by them. Finally, it is necessary to reveal the secret of the death of Ivan the Terrible.

Indeed, the lifestyle of Tsar Ivan and his eldest son contributed to the illness of syphilis. But was Grozny sick with this disease that destroys flesh and spirit? Is there medical, scientifically grounded evidence, forensic medical assessments that irrefutably testify to this?

The course of syphilis is characterized mainly by a wave-like change in active manifestations of the disease, periods of a latent course, improvement and a gradual, as the disease progresses, an aggravation of the clinical manifestations of the disease. Syphilitic ulcers appear with copious, fetid, purulent discharge. Eyewitnesses write that at the beginning of 1584 the body of Tsar Ivan swelled up and began to emit an intolerable stench. Doctors found him to have "blood rot". As a chronic infection, syphilis is often accompanied by a deep and progressive metabolic disorder, "shooting" pain in the knee joints,
practically during an exacerbation, depriving the patient of the ability to move independently. In the last years of his life, Ivan the Terrible became very stout, which was confirmed by studies of his remains. Its weight reached 85–90 kg. When examining the remains of the king, experts drew attention to the powerful deposits of salts on the spine - osteophytes, which caused excruciating pain at the slightest movement. Contemporaries testify that before his death, Ivan the Terrible looked like a decrepit old man, he was carried in an armchair. Of course, the king was tormented by the indispensable companion of syphilis - cirrhosis of the liver, which is usually accompanied by the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Let us remember that in the last years of his life the body of the tsar "was very swollen."

Depraved syphilitic

The only method of treating syphilis at that time was the use of drugs of mercury, mercuric chloride - "liquid silver".
Overdose leads to chronic mercury intoxication - mercurialism. In this case, the first to suffer is the nervous system, on which mercury has a selective effect. In chronic mercury poisoning, the syndrome of mercury erethism is observed - a special state of mental agitation, anxiety, fearfulness, suspiciousness. Probably, it is this mercury erethism that can explain the inadequacy, originality and paradoxical reactions to which, as historians confirm, Tsar Ivan was exposed. An instant transition from fornication to humility, from cruelty to repentance ...

Of course, Ivan the Terrible suffered deeply. “The body is exhausted, the spirit is sick, the scabs of the body and the soul are multiplying,” wrote the tsar.
The state of health of Grozny progressively deteriorated. The historian N. Karamzin noted: "... at that time he had changed so much that it was impossible to recognize him: his face depicted a gloomy ferocity, all features were distorted, the gaze faded, almost not a single hair was left on his head and beard." Hair loss is one of the most characteristic signs of mercurialism. With an overdose of mercury preparations, epileptiform seizures, chaotic mental agitation are observed. These symptoms were clearly observed in Ivan IV. Eyewitnesses report that he suffered from seizures, during which he came “as if in madness,” foam appeared on his lips. The tsar "was furious at the counter." This is a typical picture of epileptiform seizures. Sudden outbursts of rage that intensified towards the end of life, ever increasing incredible suspicion are associated during this period, most likely, with a neuropsychiatric illness. Is it not this outbreak of "mercury anger" that explains the murder of Ivan's eldest son? Thus, the root cause of many political upheavals should be sought not only in character, but also in the illness of the king.

Against the background of mercury intoxication in chronic syphilis, mental and neurological disorders appear, which begin with neurasthenia: irritability, bad mood, decreased memory, working capacity, headaches, poor sleep. A change in mood is quite characteristic - from euphoria to deep depression. All this was observed by Ivan the Terrible.

The last years of his life Grozny was decrepit, with destroyed by syphilis and improper treatment. The king knew that he was hated for his cruelty, despised for decrepitude, for the bad smell that emanated from him, despite the incense. The Tsar wrote in his confession: "... for his sake I hate everyone ...". Psychologists believe that the more a person is hated, the more he hates and despises people. The incredible suspicion and cruelty of Ivan IV could be embedded in the very human nature of the tsar, aggravated by the wrong upbringing and the environment in which his childhood passed.

As you know, on March 18, the tsar steamed for a long time in the bath. Hot baths are known to bring relief under Merculialism. And on that day Ivan felt better, thoughts of death receded ... Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible died suddenly. In forensic medicine, sudden death is understood as a non-violent death that occurred within a short period of time from a latent disease.

So, Ivan the Terrible died of illness. Boris Godunov did not persecute his tsar, as the people said. Time will restore justice, but, as always, it's too late.

Alexander MASLOV, professor of forensic medicine.
Arguments and Facts. Health. 2000.

Ivan IV the Terrible (August 25, 1530, the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow - March 18, 1584, Moscow), Prince of Moscow and All Russia (since 1533), the first Russian tsar (since 1547), the son of Grand Duke Vasily III and Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya.

Childhood.

After the death of his father, 3-year-old Ivan remained in the care of his mother, who died in 1538 when he was 8 years old. Ivan grew up in an atmosphere of palace coups, the struggle for power between the warring boyar families of Shuisky and Belsky. The murders, intrigues and violence that surrounded him contributed to the development of suspicion, vindictiveness and cruelty in him. Ivan's tendency to torment living beings was already evident in childhood, and those close to him approved of it. One of the strongest impressions of the tsar in his youth were the "great fire" and the Moscow uprising of 1547. After the murder of one of the Glinskys, a relative of the tsar, the rioters came to the village of Vorobyovo, where the Grand Duke took refuge, and demanded the extradition of the rest of the Glinskys. With great difficulty, they managed to persuade the crowd to disperse, convincing them that they were not in Vorobyov. As soon as the danger was over, the future king ordered the arrest of the main conspirators and their execution.

The beginning of the reign.

The favorite idea of ​​the tsar, realized already in his youth, was the idea of ​​unlimited autocratic power. On January 16, 1547, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, a solemn wedding to the reign of Grand Duke Ivan IV took place. Signs of royal dignity were placed on him: the cross of the Life-giving Tree, barmas and the cap of Monomakh. After the communion of the Holy Mysteries, Ivan Vasilievich was anointed with the world. The royal title made it possible to take a significantly different position in diplomatic relations with Western Europe. The grand-ducal title was translated as "prince" or even "grand duke". The title "king" was either not translated at all, or translated as "emperor". The Russian autocrat thus stood on a par with the only emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe. Since 1549, together with the Chosen Rada (A.F. Adashev, Metropolitan Macarius, A.M. Kurbsky, Priest Sylvester), Ivan IV carried out a number of reforms aimed at centralizing the state: the Zemsky reform of Ivan IV, the Lip reform, reforms were carried out in the army, in 1550, a new Code of Law of Ivan IV was adopted. In 1549 the first Zemsky Sobor was convened, in 1551 the Stoglav Sobor, which adopted a collection of decisions on church life "Stoglav". In 1555-1556, Ivan IV canceled feeding and adopted the Code of Service. In 1550-1551, Ivan the Terrible personally participated in the Kazan campaigns. In 1552 Kazan was conquered, then the Astrakhan Khanate (1556), the Siberian khan Ediger and Nogai Bolshie fell into dependence on the Russian tsar. In 1553 trade relations were established with England. In 1558, Ivan IV began the Livonian War for the capture of the Baltic Sea coast. Initially, hostilities developed successfully. By 1560, the army of the Livonian Order was finally defeated, and the Order itself ceased to exist. Meanwhile, serious changes have taken place in the internal situation of the country. Around 1560, the tsar broke with the leaders of the Chosen Rada and put various opals on them. According to some historians, Sylvester and Adashev, realizing that the Livonian War did not promise success for Russia, unsuccessfully advised the tsar to come to an agreement with the enemy. In 1563, Russian troops captured Polotsk, at that time a large Lithuanian fortress. The Tsar was especially proud of this victory, won after the break with the Chosen Council. However, already in 1564 Russia suffered serious defeats. The tsar began to look for the "guilty", disgrace and executions began.

Oprichnina.

The tsar became more and more imbued with the idea of ​​establishing a personal dictatorship. In 1565 he announced the introduction of the oprichnina in the country.
The country was divided into two parts: the territories that were not included in the oprichnina began to be called zemstvo, each oprichnik took an oath of allegiance to the king and pledged not to communicate with the zemstvo. The guardsmen dressed in black clothes, similar to those of a monk.
Horse guardsmen had special insignia, gloomy symbols of the era were attached to the saddles: a broom to sweep out treason, and dog heads to gnaw out treason. With the help of the guardsmen, who were freed from judicial responsibility, Ivan IV forcibly confiscated the boyar estates, transferring them to the noble guardsmen. Executions and disgraces were accompanied by terror and robbery among the population. A major event of the oprichnina was the Novgorod pogrom in January-February 1570, the reason for which was the suspicion of Novgorod's desire to go to Lithuania. The tsar personally directed the campaign. All cities on the road from Moscow to Novgorod were plundered. During this campaign in December 1569, Malyuta Skuratov strangled Metropolitan Philip, who was trying to resist the tsar, in the Tver Otroch monastery. It is believed that the number of victims in Novgorod, where no more than 30 thousand people lived then, reached 10-15 thousand. Most historians believe that in 1572 the tsar canceled the oprichnina. The invasion of Moscow in 1571 by the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey, whom the oprichnina army could not stop, played its role; the townships were burnt, the fire spread to Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin.

Results of the reign.

The division of the country had a detrimental effect on the economy of the state. A huge number of lands were ravaged and devastated. In 1581, in order to prevent the desolation of the estates, the tsar introduced reserved summers - a temporary ban on peasants from leaving their masters on St. George's Day, which contributed to the establishment of serfdom in Russia. The Livonian War ended in complete failure and the loss of the primordially Russian lands. Ivan the Terrible could see the objective results of the reign during his lifetime: it was the failure of all domestic and foreign policy undertakings. Since 1578, the tsar stopped executing. Almost at the same time, he ordered the compilation of synodiks (memorial lists) of those executed and sending donations to the monasteries for the commemoration of their souls; in the will of 1579 he repented of his deed.

Sons and wives of Ivan the Terrible.

Periods of repentance and prayer were followed by terrible fits of rage. During one of these attacks on November 9, 1582 in the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, a country residence, the tsar accidentally killed his son Ivan Ivanovich, hitting his temple with a staff with an iron tip. The death of the heir plunged the tsar into despair, since his other son, Fyodor Ivanovich, was unable to govern the country. Ivan the Terrible sent a great contribution to the monastery to commemorate the soul of his son, he even thought about leaving for the monastery. The exact number of Ivan the Terrible's wives is not known, but he was probably married seven times. Apart from the children who died in infancy, he had three sons. From the first marriage with Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva, two sons were born, Ivan and Fedor. The second wife was the daughter of the Kabardian prince Maria Temryukovna. The third is Martha Sobakina, who died unexpectedly three weeks after the wedding. According to church rules, it was forbidden to marry more than three times. In May 1572, a church council was convened to permit the fourth marriage - with Anna Koltovskaya. But in the same year she was tonsured into a nun. The fifth wife was Anna Vasilchikova in 1575, who died in 1579, the sixth, probably Vasilisa Melentieva. The last marriage was concluded in the fall of 1580 with Maria Naga. On November 19, 1582, the third son of the tsar was born - Dmitry Ivanovich, who died in 1591 in Uglich.

The legacy of Ivan the Terrible.

Ivan IV went down in history not only as a tyrant. He was one of the most educated people of his time, possessed a phenomenal memory and theological erudition. He is the author of numerous letters (including to Kurbsky), music and text of the service of the feast of Our Lady of Vladimir, the canon to Archangel Michael. The tsar contributed to the organization of printing in Moscow and the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.

A. L. Yurganov

Watch preliminary "Logicology - about the fate of man".

Consider the tables of the FULL NAME code. \ If on your screen there is an offset of numbers and letters, adjust the scale of the image \.

Since Ivan the Terrible "did not bother" to have a surname, for the analysis we take the DOUBLE CODE of his NAME and PATRONY:

10 13 14 28 31 32 50 60 72 101 107 110 120 144 154 157 158 172 175 176 194 204 216 245 251 254 264 288
I V A H V A S I L E V I C + I V A H V A S I L E V I Ch
288 278 275 274 260 257 256 238 228 216 187 181 178 168 144 134 131 130 116 113 112 94 84 72 43 37 34 24

The gaze immediately falls on the two deadly numbers 172 and 116:

288 = 172-DEADLY + 116-ATTACK, POISONING.

172 - 116 = 56 = POISON, DIED.

DATE OF BIRTH code: 25.08.1530. This is = 25 + 08 + 15 + 30 = 78 = SUDDENLY.

288 = 78 + 210 = 78 + 210-STUNNED = 78 + 34-FROM + 106-STOP + 70-HEART.

DATE OF DEATH code: 03/15/1584. This = 15 + 03 + 15 + 84 = 117 = POISONOUS, DEATH, ATTACK = 28-ALL + 34-FROM + 55-POISONS.

288 = 117 + 171 = 117 + 171-DEPRIVED OF LIFE = 171-DEPRIVED OF LIFE + 52-KILLED + 65-POISON.

DATE OF BIRTH code + DATE OF DEATH code = 78 + 117 = 195 = 165-TOXIC + 30-DOSE = 73-CONDENSED + 37-POISON + 85-MERCURY.

288 = 165-TOXIC + 30-DOSE + 93-PREPARATION, DEFEAT.

NUMBER OF COMPLETE YEARS OF LIFE = 176-FIFTY, FAST ACTION, POISONING, INLIFE + 46-THREE, MEASUREMENT = 222 = 139-POISONED + 83-ORGANISM = 37-POISON + 185-CONCENTRATION = 6 x 37-POISON.

288 = 222-FIFTY-THREE + 66-HARMFUL, DEAD, UNLIVING, SUPER.

DAY OF DEATH: 151-FIFTEEN, INSTANT + MARCH 51, LIFE = 202 = 81-PARALYCH + 70-HEART + 51-KILL = 62-LEAVING + 19-FROM + 51-LIFE + 70-EXIT = 99-SEVERE + 103 -POINTING = 72-NICE + 66-OVER + 64-MEASURES.

Let's carry out a selective reading of the DOUBLE CODE OF THE NAME AND PATRONY OF IVAN THE GROZNY:

288 = 86-CHEMICAL + 30-DOSE + 103-POISONING + 69-ORGANS = 56-POISON + 97-KILL + 135-MERCURY = 87-TOXIN + 98-DEADLINE + 103-POISONING = 79-DANGEROUS + 172-DEADLY + 37-POISON = 126-LIMIT + 77-EFFECT + 85-MERCURY = 103-POISONING + 84-ORGANISM + 101-DEAD = 149-DEADLY + 139-POISONED = 54-SKOOL + 150-TOXICATION + 84-ORGANISM = 93- INJECTION + 84-ORGANISM + 111-TOXINS = 75-HEART + 116-INSTANT + 97-STOP = 103-POISONING + 185-CONCENTRATION, INVALIDITY, MORTALITY = 102-DEATH + 131-OVERDOSE + 55-POISONS = 65 3-IN + 89-BODY + 131-OVERDOSE = 131-OVERDOSE + 85-MERCURY + 72-CORPUS = 114-CHEMICALS + 174-INTOXICATION = 114-CHEMICALS + 77-EFFECT + 97-SULEMA = 153-TOXIC + 135- MERCURY = 120-EXPOSURE, DEATH + 112-USE + 55-POISONS = 168-LETHAL + 121-PREPARATIONS = 93-DAMAGE + 130-CHEMICAL + 65-POISONS = 37-POISON + 251-CATASTROPHICITY = 232-TOXIC + 56- POISON = 123-DEAD, HEART + 165-POISON = 56-POISON + 129 -BAD + 103-POISONING = 83-ORGANISM + 37-POISON + 168-OVERSATURATION.

“Encyclopedia of Death. The Chronicles of Charon "

Part 2: Dictionary of Chosen Deaths

The ability to live well and die well are one and the same science.

Epicurus

IVAN IV (Grozny)

(1530-1584) Russian tsar

Ivan the Terrible was distinguished by extraordinary cruelty: suffice it to say that he personally beat his own son Ivan, after which he died. Grozny was inexhaustible in inventions of how to execute his subjects - some (for example, Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod), by his order, were sewn into a bearskin and thrown to be torn apart by dogs, others were skinned alive, and so on. But fate prepared a painful death for the king himself.

“... The body of the king was worn out beyond its years, - writes the historian. - Much influenced this condition. Maniacal suspicion, constant fear for his life, confidence in the villainous intrigues of his own courtiers ... All this shatters the nerves and does not strengthen health. In addition, Tsar Ivan was a lecher. According to Gorsei, who personally knew the Tsar, he "boasted that he had corrupted a thousand virgins, and that thousands of his children were deprived of their lives ..." In addition, the whole way of life of Tsar Ivan was unhealthy: constant nocturnal orgies, accompanied by overeating and excessive drunkenness, could not but provoke a variety of ailments. "

According to the anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov, who examined the skeleton of Ivan the Terrible, in the last years of his life the Tsar developed powerful salt deposits (osteophytes) on his spine, which caused him terrible pain with every movement. Before his death, Grozny looked like a decrepit old man, although he was only 53 years old. In the last year, he could no longer walk by himself - he was worn. A number of Grozny's contemporaries believe that the tsar was poisoned. Clerk Ivan Timofeev blames Boris Godunov (who became tsar after Grozny) and Bogdan Belyovoy for this. Dutchman Isaac Massa claims that Belsky put poison in the medicine he gave to the king.

Here is how the historian N. Kostomarov describes the death of Grozny: “At the beginning of 1584, he had a terrible illness; some kind of rotting inside; he emanated a disgusting smell. Foreign doctors lavished their skills on him; to pray for the sick tsar, and at the same time superstitious Ivan invited healers and healers to him. They were brought from the far north; some wise men predicted for him, as they say, the day of death ... and prisoners, released prisoners from the dungeons, then again rushed to the former unbridledness ... It seemed to him that he was bewitched, then he imagined that this witchcraft had already been destroyed by other means. Meanwhile, the body was covered with blisters and wounds, and the stench from it became more unbearable.

It was March 17th. About three o'clock the king went to the bathhouse prepared for him and washed himself with great pleasure; there he was amused with songs. After the bath, the tsar felt refreshed. They made him sit on the bed; over the linen he wore a wide robe. He ordered the chess set to be served, he began to arrange it himself, he could not put the chess king in his place, and at that time he fell. A cry arose; some ran for vodka, some for pink water, some for doctors and clergy. The doctors came with their medicines, began to rub him; the metropolitan appeared and hastily performed the ceremony of tonsure [a monk], calling John Jonah. But the king was already breathless. They struck the bell for the exodus of the soul. The people became agitated, the crowd rushed to the Kremlin. Boris [Godunov] ordered to close the gate.

On the third day, the body of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich was buried in the Archangel Cathedral, next to the grave of his son who had been killed by him. "