Russian Tsar
(1530-1584)

Known to most Russians as Ivan Grozny, Ivan IV “The Terrible” was Tsar of Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584.  His father, Vasiliy III, died when Ivan was only three years old, and his mother, Elena Glinskaya, died five years later.  The Russian nobles (boyars) didn’t pay much attention to Ivan as a child, even though he was heir to the throne, and according to his own writings he spent many of his childhood days hungry and without anyone paying much concern to his wellbeing.  Perhaps for that reason, Ivan came to detest the boyars later in life.  That may also have been the underlying cause for Ivan’s psychological instability. 

Ivan IV was crowned “Tsar of all Russia” in 1547 and he was the first ruler to hold that title.  Soon after his coronation he married Anastasia Romanova, who bore him six children.  However, in the summer of 1560 Anastasia fell ill and died soon after.  After her death, Ivan IV suffered from emotional trauma and fell deeper into depression.  Despite all this, during his rule, Russia went from a country that was primarily composed of peoples of Slavic origin to a large multiethnic state.  He also revised the Russian law code, established the Zemsky Sobor (parliament), the Council of the Nobles, and created a standing army.

Information  from Biography of Ivan IV of Russia and  Wikipedia