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Position:Home>History> Do you think the word "Terrible" describes Ivan IV? What other word or


Question: Do you think the word "Terrible" describes Ivan IV!? What other word or term might describe him better!?
Why did many Muscovites think he was a great ruler!?
Okay history buffs, give me your best opinions!. Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Remember that the soubriquet "Terrible" was chosen by Ivan for himself!. It was how he wanted to be known!.

However, "Terrible" in this context does NOT mean "Lacking in quality" It means liable to provoke terror!. A better translation of his name might be Ivan the Awe-Inspiring!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Here are some adjectives to use when describing Ivan IV:

*Psychotic
*Paranoid
*Murderous
*Sado-machoistic (not sure how you spell it)
*Creepy
*Horrible
*A piece of [CENSORED] (okay, so that's a noun)
*Controlling
*Unforgiving
*Insane

Here's a short list of some of the crap that Ivan did:

*Raped his 13-year-old cousin when he was 11!.
*Liked to kill dogs as a kid for the fun of watching them die in agony!.
*Hit his pregnant daughter-in-law and when his son got angry about it, Ivan killed him in a fit of rage; an act that he terribly regretted!.
*Had his own secret police!.
*After the death of his first wife, he remarried seven times!.

There are tons of sources on this guy!. The History Channel had a huge, 2-3 hr!. documentary on Tsars and it had some good information on Ivan!. Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein created a two part biopic about Tsar Ivan the Terrible!. If you can find it on DVD, it's a good watch if you can get past the English subtitles!. The first part dwells on the beginning of Ivan's reign and the second part deals with Ivan's insanity and his horrific nature (allegedly a reference to Stalin's reign of terror (first part was made in 1944, second part was made in 1958 after Stalin's death)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't think He was really any Worse than any of the Other Russian Rulers of his Time!.!.!. I think the "Terrible" nickname- was just a macho, "don't mess with Me" deal- designed to keep his enemy's at bay!. He actually did quite a few GOOD things for His People at the time He ruled!.!.!. And it is for THOSE things that most people usually end up in History Books for!.!.!.-not just a fearsome Name!.!.!. :)Www@QuestionHome@Com