Ioann Vasilievich (Ivan the Terrible) from the Rurik dynasty was born on August 25, 1530 in the village of Kolomenskoye. He went down in history as one of the most cruel rulers, distinguished by a violent disposition and who had a persecution mania. However, modern historians increasingly question this view of the historical characters of the Time of Troubles.
Formally, Ivan Vasilyevich became tsar at the age of three, but initially his mother Elena Glinskaya and her entourage ruled Russia, however, at the age of 30, Glinskaya most likely died of poisoning. The time from the death of Vasily the third to the wedding to the kingdom of his son Ivan is usually called Troubled, this is the time of the reign of the Seven Boyars, arbitrariness in the power of the boyar nobility. Historical documents that have come down to descendants have a lot of contradictions, moreover, some of them are clearly forged and rewritten, and therefore who exactly was the tsar with the nickname Terrible, how he ruled and how he died, we can only guess.
By the way, Ivan the Terrible is the first tsar in Russia.
Reign
The views of the Moscow tsar, who ascended the throne at the age of 15, on the reign were similar to the Byzantine ideas about the crowned kings, messengers of God, who have unlimited power. It is in the special vision of his destiny that Ivan the Terrible's well-known attachment to the clergy and monks, his frantic prayers and demonstrative long-term services in private chambers, lies.
After the assassination attempt and the famous Moscow uprising, Ivan Vasilyevich protected himself from the whole state with a circle of entourage, whom he called the Chosen Rada. His board, as they would say now, was directive, many functions were delegated to gatherings. which only Peter the Great abolished. However, this did not at all prevent Ivan the Terrible from creating the Code of Law, according to which descendants lived for centuries, to carry out major reforms in the field of politics, the army, the legislative system and state bodies, to conquer Kazan, Astrakhan, Western Siberia and Bashkiria.
Dying
It is known for certain that the tsar was assassinated more than 15 times, Grozny knew about every attempt on his life, moreover, he personally participated in the massacre of the conspirators. Obviously, the constant threat of death hit the king's psyche hard. His last days are described in an extremely confused manner, historical data contradict each other, however, most likely, Grozny died after a long illness: according to researchers, Ivan Vasilyevich developed osteophytes that prevented him from walking. He moved on a stretcher. Scientists say that the 50-year-old king's illnesses resembled those of the elderly. On March 16, Ivan the Terrible fell into unconsciousness, and on March 18 after lunch he died. It still remains a mystery whether it was a natural death or the king was still poisoned.
Even during his lifetime, Ivan Vasilyevich bequeathed to bury himself in the deacon of the altar, wishing to show everyone the importance of his reign. At the dying order of the tsar, he was buried in the tomb of the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in the funeral hall of the rulers of the state in the male line.
To this day, the body of the king rests in the Archangel Cathedral, despite the fact that they tried to open the tomb several times.
The tomb of the first king is decorated with a copper casing, which was made at the beginning of the 20th century. Under the casing there is a tombstone made of bricks, and under the tombstone there is a sarcophagus made of solid limestone. The sarcophagus is covered with a slab of white stone, on which the name and dates of the life and death of Ivan Vasilyevich are written.
