Tristan Hayden
11/12/14
Mr. Zamora
Humanities
During the 1500’s Russia was in a political system of czars and had many battles with neighboring countries. Ivan III was ruler of Moscow and conquered Lithuania. Once Ivan III died, Basil III took his throne as czar. Basil III then goes on to conquer Kazan, and then is succeeded by his three-year old son, Ivan IV, also known as Ivan The Terrible. Ivan The Terrible was the tzar of Russia from 1547-1584 and czar of Moscow from when he was three years old to when he was sixteen years old. His father, Basil III died when he was only three years old and his mother, the regent, died when he was eight years old from a supposed poisoning by the Boyar Family. Ivan was a violent orphan who was tormented and even molested by the Boyar Family at a very young age and led to his brain deficiency. He was known to kill animals, watch muggings, rapes, and murders on the streets, which slowly transitioned him into being the bloodthirsty person he would become in his older days. This led to his hate for the Boyar Family, when eventually he was crowned tzar at 16 years old and fed one of the top ranking Boyars to a pack of hunting dogs for an example to not mess with him. He married Anastasia Romanovna and had multiple children, including one he killed with a strike of a staff. He went on to going into the Livonian war, when his wife died and Ivan returned with severe brain deficiencies. When Ivan returned, he was severely aggressive and relentless with his people, and all of Russia in general. He left Russia in political despair and left scars on Russia that we even remember today. Ivan’s “it factor” is his severe cruelty and way of scaring others through his use of deathly examples, but also using his credibility as tzar in order to keep his position of high class. The purpose of this paper is to deeply dive into one of Russia’s most powerful figures in the 1500’s and also find out what made this man such an influential person.
In her article, Absolute Terror: Ivan the Terrible, Susan Haarman explains the life and trauma that Ivan the Terrible bestowed upon Russia during his rule from 1530-1584. Susan Haarman supports her take on Ivan the Terrible through use of actual historical events that did occur, such as, his hatred for the Boyar Family, which resulted in him throwing the leader of the Boyars into a pack of hunting dogs. Haarman’s purpose is to reveal Ivan’s early life and what led to his anger/reign throughout Russia in order to educate readers on the development of Russia, while also showing the psychological side of infamous rulers. Haarman uses cruelty in her voice when talking about Ivan IV, in order to show the true side of how cruel he was to the Boyar family, personal relatives, and even animals when he was a young child.
Throughout this article, I found that Ivan’s “it factor” in this article is once again his psyche and cruelty. I honestly believe that is what made him known today, he wouldn’t really be known if he wasn’t as cruel as he was to the Boyar Family. “His hatred for the Boyar Family, which resulted in him throwing the leader of the Boyars into a pack of hunting dogs.” That statement above is enough to question his motives and psyche because a ruler as old as 15 shouldn’t have that state of mind, as to kill his own people, unless he was somewhat mentally ill.
In her article, Under Ivan The Terrible, Charlotte Yonge explains the way Ivan The Terrible goes to war with soldiers and how he carries himself/treats soldiers. She explains her claim first by giving a quote on how Ivan The Terrible said to have treated his first line of defense like his own children, with respect, then she explains how Ivan The Terrible rode into Kazan on horseback with glimmering gold/silver armor, untouched by anyone, then Ivan (after his wife’s death), created bodyguards called the Oprichnina who would commit personal murders, robberies etc, finally she backs up her claim by explaining the siege of Kazan, where although they were bound to lose, Ivan sent in troops anyways, regardless of consequence. Yonge’s purpose is to inform readers on the way Ivan The Terrible acted in war, responsibly and irresponsibly, to show the leadership skills of Ivan IV. She creates a contradicting tone in her writing because sometimes Ivan IV seems like a great leader, but at other times he seems like he commits poor decisions through greed.
I believe Ivan was a commander with good intentions but just didn’t have the tenacity and grit in order to lead men into battle wisely. “Ivan The Terrible said to have treated his first line of defense like his own children, with respect, then she explains how Ivan The Terrible rode into Kazan on horseback with glimmering gold/silver armor, untouched by anyone.” “Although they were bound to lose, Ivan sent in troops anyways, regardless of consequence.” The sentences above describe how Ivan did care for his soldiers, but he never really did any of the fighting himself. He also was known to send troops to their own fate, knowing they would die, but he wouldn’t accept failure. I personally feel like that was a terrible move on his part because he is first off, killing off his own men with his childish move, and he is further making his army less powerful and valuable.
In his article, Sympathy for the Terrible, Bryan Proctor explains the psych of Ivan The Terrible and what his terminal illness did to impact his life. He explains his claim first by explaining how Ivan IV would kill cats and dogs for pure fun, which eventually led into a more bloodthirsty Ivan IV, then he explains how Ivan IV wanted the St. Basil’s Cathedral to be the most beautiful building ever, so he called an architect over who said he could build a better building, and gouged his eyes out, then he shows that Ivan IV had a brain deficiency where he wouldn’t mature as fast as other people, so he was practically a child in a man’s body, which meant he had all this power,fame,etc and he wouldn’t use it responsibly, finally the author explains how he caused a miscarriage with his daughter-in-law by hitting her over a dress, and when his son tried to intervene, he killed him with a staff as well. Proctor’s purpose is to show the inhumane traits of Ivan The Terrible, and how he influenced Russia through these acts, similar to Adolf Hitler. He creates a very dark mood through the terrible/graphic details that he gives in order to show some of the dark facts about history not many people know about.
I believe Ivan The Terrible did need to seek help for his mental problems that he developed early on in his life but unfortunately I believe back in the 1500’s they didn’t have that sort of treatment as an option. “Ivan IV had a brain deficiency where he wouldn’t mature as fast as other people, so he was practically a child in a man’s body.” This was straight from the article and thoroughly described why he believed killing wasn’t such a big deal. This also clarifies more into why he was so cowardly during wartime and why he expended troops at such a high rate with unbeatable odds. Overall I believe he was a crazy ruler, but he served his time and purpose in Russia, and helped evolutionize Russia.
I could connect Ivan The Terrible with a Gang Leader in our present world today. I connect this because Ivan The Terrible could easily represent a homeless child earlier in his life, where he sees murders, muggings, rapes etc. All this changes a child and it changed Ivan IV for the worst. Ivan also used people as an example such as the Boyar Family incident, where he fed a young man to a pack of hunting dogs. Gang Leaders also use examples to show other gang members or rival gangs to not mess with them in any way. At one point Ivan even had his own unit that went around and did tasks, even illegal tasks. This is strikingly similar to gang activity in present time 2014. A lot of political leaders can learn from Ivan the Terrible, by having a stable and fair ruling and also not abuse power in order to achieve illegal desires.
Cited Sources:
Haarman, Susan. "Absolute Terror: Ivan The Terrible." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Yonge, Charlotte M. "Under Ivan the Terrible." Under Ivan the Terrible.N.p., 1864. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
"Ivan the Terrible." History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Proctor, Bryan. "Sympathy For The Terrible." Sympathy For The Terrible. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
11/12/14
Mr. Zamora
Humanities
During the 1500’s Russia was in a political system of czars and had many battles with neighboring countries. Ivan III was ruler of Moscow and conquered Lithuania. Once Ivan III died, Basil III took his throne as czar. Basil III then goes on to conquer Kazan, and then is succeeded by his three-year old son, Ivan IV, also known as Ivan The Terrible. Ivan The Terrible was the tzar of Russia from 1547-1584 and czar of Moscow from when he was three years old to when he was sixteen years old. His father, Basil III died when he was only three years old and his mother, the regent, died when he was eight years old from a supposed poisoning by the Boyar Family. Ivan was a violent orphan who was tormented and even molested by the Boyar Family at a very young age and led to his brain deficiency. He was known to kill animals, watch muggings, rapes, and murders on the streets, which slowly transitioned him into being the bloodthirsty person he would become in his older days. This led to his hate for the Boyar Family, when eventually he was crowned tzar at 16 years old and fed one of the top ranking Boyars to a pack of hunting dogs for an example to not mess with him. He married Anastasia Romanovna and had multiple children, including one he killed with a strike of a staff. He went on to going into the Livonian war, when his wife died and Ivan returned with severe brain deficiencies. When Ivan returned, he was severely aggressive and relentless with his people, and all of Russia in general. He left Russia in political despair and left scars on Russia that we even remember today. Ivan’s “it factor” is his severe cruelty and way of scaring others through his use of deathly examples, but also using his credibility as tzar in order to keep his position of high class. The purpose of this paper is to deeply dive into one of Russia’s most powerful figures in the 1500’s and also find out what made this man such an influential person.
In her article, Absolute Terror: Ivan the Terrible, Susan Haarman explains the life and trauma that Ivan the Terrible bestowed upon Russia during his rule from 1530-1584. Susan Haarman supports her take on Ivan the Terrible through use of actual historical events that did occur, such as, his hatred for the Boyar Family, which resulted in him throwing the leader of the Boyars into a pack of hunting dogs. Haarman’s purpose is to reveal Ivan’s early life and what led to his anger/reign throughout Russia in order to educate readers on the development of Russia, while also showing the psychological side of infamous rulers. Haarman uses cruelty in her voice when talking about Ivan IV, in order to show the true side of how cruel he was to the Boyar family, personal relatives, and even animals when he was a young child.
Throughout this article, I found that Ivan’s “it factor” in this article is once again his psyche and cruelty. I honestly believe that is what made him known today, he wouldn’t really be known if he wasn’t as cruel as he was to the Boyar Family. “His hatred for the Boyar Family, which resulted in him throwing the leader of the Boyars into a pack of hunting dogs.” That statement above is enough to question his motives and psyche because a ruler as old as 15 shouldn’t have that state of mind, as to kill his own people, unless he was somewhat mentally ill.
In her article, Under Ivan The Terrible, Charlotte Yonge explains the way Ivan The Terrible goes to war with soldiers and how he carries himself/treats soldiers. She explains her claim first by giving a quote on how Ivan The Terrible said to have treated his first line of defense like his own children, with respect, then she explains how Ivan The Terrible rode into Kazan on horseback with glimmering gold/silver armor, untouched by anyone, then Ivan (after his wife’s death), created bodyguards called the Oprichnina who would commit personal murders, robberies etc, finally she backs up her claim by explaining the siege of Kazan, where although they were bound to lose, Ivan sent in troops anyways, regardless of consequence. Yonge’s purpose is to inform readers on the way Ivan The Terrible acted in war, responsibly and irresponsibly, to show the leadership skills of Ivan IV. She creates a contradicting tone in her writing because sometimes Ivan IV seems like a great leader, but at other times he seems like he commits poor decisions through greed.
I believe Ivan was a commander with good intentions but just didn’t have the tenacity and grit in order to lead men into battle wisely. “Ivan The Terrible said to have treated his first line of defense like his own children, with respect, then she explains how Ivan The Terrible rode into Kazan on horseback with glimmering gold/silver armor, untouched by anyone.” “Although they were bound to lose, Ivan sent in troops anyways, regardless of consequence.” The sentences above describe how Ivan did care for his soldiers, but he never really did any of the fighting himself. He also was known to send troops to their own fate, knowing they would die, but he wouldn’t accept failure. I personally feel like that was a terrible move on his part because he is first off, killing off his own men with his childish move, and he is further making his army less powerful and valuable.
In his article, Sympathy for the Terrible, Bryan Proctor explains the psych of Ivan The Terrible and what his terminal illness did to impact his life. He explains his claim first by explaining how Ivan IV would kill cats and dogs for pure fun, which eventually led into a more bloodthirsty Ivan IV, then he explains how Ivan IV wanted the St. Basil’s Cathedral to be the most beautiful building ever, so he called an architect over who said he could build a better building, and gouged his eyes out, then he shows that Ivan IV had a brain deficiency where he wouldn’t mature as fast as other people, so he was practically a child in a man’s body, which meant he had all this power,fame,etc and he wouldn’t use it responsibly, finally the author explains how he caused a miscarriage with his daughter-in-law by hitting her over a dress, and when his son tried to intervene, he killed him with a staff as well. Proctor’s purpose is to show the inhumane traits of Ivan The Terrible, and how he influenced Russia through these acts, similar to Adolf Hitler. He creates a very dark mood through the terrible/graphic details that he gives in order to show some of the dark facts about history not many people know about.
I believe Ivan The Terrible did need to seek help for his mental problems that he developed early on in his life but unfortunately I believe back in the 1500’s they didn’t have that sort of treatment as an option. “Ivan IV had a brain deficiency where he wouldn’t mature as fast as other people, so he was practically a child in a man’s body.” This was straight from the article and thoroughly described why he believed killing wasn’t such a big deal. This also clarifies more into why he was so cowardly during wartime and why he expended troops at such a high rate with unbeatable odds. Overall I believe he was a crazy ruler, but he served his time and purpose in Russia, and helped evolutionize Russia.
I could connect Ivan The Terrible with a Gang Leader in our present world today. I connect this because Ivan The Terrible could easily represent a homeless child earlier in his life, where he sees murders, muggings, rapes etc. All this changes a child and it changed Ivan IV for the worst. Ivan also used people as an example such as the Boyar Family incident, where he fed a young man to a pack of hunting dogs. Gang Leaders also use examples to show other gang members or rival gangs to not mess with them in any way. At one point Ivan even had his own unit that went around and did tasks, even illegal tasks. This is strikingly similar to gang activity in present time 2014. A lot of political leaders can learn from Ivan the Terrible, by having a stable and fair ruling and also not abuse power in order to achieve illegal desires.
Cited Sources:
Haarman, Susan. "Absolute Terror: Ivan The Terrible." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Yonge, Charlotte M. "Under Ivan the Terrible." Under Ivan the Terrible.N.p., 1864. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
"Ivan the Terrible." History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Proctor, Bryan. "Sympathy For The Terrible." Sympathy For The Terrible. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.