Ivan the Terrible: the characterization of personality is brief. Evaluation of the activities of Ivan the Terrible

The first tsar of all Russia Ivan the Fourth, or Ivan the Terrible, whose personality character is of interest to many of our contemporaries, acquired during his years of rule a huge number of lands, sometimes resorting to ruthless means. Also known for the creation of a system of centralized power. But it is not known what more contributed to his celebrity: merit before the state or cruel and unbridled disposition?

Ivan the Terrible: personality and epoch, as well as the surrounding atmosphere

Russian tsar, who ruled since 1547, was the grandson of Ivan the Great and the son of Basil III. His mother is a Mongol princess. When Ivan was three years old, his father died, and another five years later, his mother died (according to some sources, she may have been poisoned). Around the maturing boy reigned an atmosphere of constant rivalry and deceit. Young people suffer from poor health, abuse, manipulation and lack of education.

The struggle in the palace for power grows into bloody enmity. Ivan himself often observed or heard about murders and beatings. And often he himself was subjected to verbal and physical attacks. Unable to strike his tormentors in response, he vented his disappointment on defenseless animals, who were cruelly tortured and thrown from the tops of the towers. So spent his childhood Ivan the Terrible. Characteristics of his personality - a difficult task, because much is known about him, but even more - forgotten or simply silent.

Educated, extraordinary and ... incredibly devout

At the same time, Ivan is intensely engaged in reading books and reading them at an incredible pace. He writes a lot, learns to play music and becomes a great rider. Intellectually, he was noticeably more developed than his entourage. The personality and characterization of Ivan the Terrible during this period of government has been thoroughly studied by many historians. This man is so striking with his eccentricity and learning that it can easily be put on a par with the most competent rulers.

Yes, he is cruel, but at the same time very pious and constantly observes complex rituals of Orthodoxy. He takes an active part in various church events. At sixteen, in 1547, Ivan was crowned. Three weeks later he married Anastasia Romanovna Zakharina-Yuryeva.

She was chosen on the parade of the girls presented to the young sovereign. The queen bore him six children, of whom only two survived. During their joint thirteen-year residence, Anastasia always had a calming effect on her husband's stubborn, nervous and unstable temper.

Beginning of government: conscientious leader

It was during this period, from 1547 to 1560, that the assessment of the personality and activities of Ivan the Terrible, as a rule, bears the most positive traits. He becomes a conscientious and pious leader. Ivan appointed an advisory council, founded the National Assembly of acting reforms in local government bodies and drafted a new set of laws that standardized the responsibilities and duties of the aristocracy.

The personality of Tsar Ivan the Terrible becomes popular not only in the Russian state. He takes control of the Volga and access to the Caspian Sea, encourages trade with various European countries, including with England, France and Holland. Moreover, inviting foreign masters, is engaged in decorating Moscow. And it should be specially noted for its high progressive administrative policy. This is how Ivan the Terrible began to reign, the character of which is known not only to historians, but also to many well-read people.

Awakening of cruelty

In 1553, Ivan the Fourth suffers a serious illness, during which he begins to suspect his grandees of disloyalty. He decides to take revenge on their families, using torture and executions. And when his wife dies in 1560, the period of bestial tyranny begins.

Now before contemporaries appears a completely different Ivan - Grozny. Characterization of the personality of this king is well understood even in the school curriculum, and every pupil knows that from that time on he begins to differ with unlimited cruelty. The family life of Ivan the Fourth becomes more unstable, emphasizing his egocentrism, insecurity and manic temperament.

Disordered family life

In 1561 he marries the beautiful Mary Temryukovna, but soon gets tired of it. Two years after her death, Ivan marries Martha Vasilievna Sobakina, the daughter of a merchant who dies in two weeks.

The fourth wife of Ivan the Terrible is Anna Alekseevna Koltovskaya. He sends it to the monastery, and in 1575 he marries for the fifth time on Anna Grigoryevna Vasilchikova. An unreasonable lady got herself a lover, whom Ivan the Four had planted on the stake right under her window, and she had tonsured an adulteress herself as a nun. His last wife was Maria Feodorovna Nagaya. Ivan the Fourth married her in 1581. There are versions that some of Grozny's wives have died of poisoning.

Ruler, famous for his cruelty

Of course, readers are known for many historical personalities. Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Catherine II and so on. But Ivan the Fourth is the king, about whom every person has heard, even one who is not familiar with history at all. What caused such universal fame?

Probably, this is the cruelest period of his reign, which had its flowering from 1564 to 1572. When, according to historical sources, John Vasilievich mercilessly tortured and killed thousands of his subjects, and many even with his own hands. His goal was to cleanse the land of "insidious elements." In 1570, on the basis of unverified charges of high treason, the whole city of Novgorod was tortured. Sixty thousand citizens were cut out within one week.

Is it worth judging strictly this historical personality

Ivan the Fourth of the Rules until 1584. Someone from historians notes his services to the power, someone reproaches him for excessive suspicion and cruelty, very many blame him for infanticide ... How to figure out which of them is right? The only possible option is to go deep into history, but it will take a very long time. Therefore, we will go the other way. What will help to get to know each person better, whether it's the neighbor's uncle Vasya or the famous Ivan the Terrible? Characteristics of personality. Briefly dwelling on only the basic details, one can note his boundless suspicion, insatiable cruelty and extreme depravity. According to historians, these are the most outstanding features of this king's character.

During his reign, hardly any family of noble birth was not affected by the will of the king. Numerous agricultural lands were abandoned during the oprichniki attack, and landowners were forced to leave their homes in search of salvation. As soon as they did not call this person: a tyrant, a despot, a maniac, a murderer of his own son ... "In general," the reader will say, "a gloomy personality." And the childhood of Ivan the Terrible played a decisive role in this. Because, most likely, already in his youth, the boy was laid that painful cruelty that manifested itself in adulthood. Being brought up in the atmosphere that reigned in the palace, Ivan the Fourth had no opportunity to communicate with his mother or father, no one gave him any support - neither physical nor moral. So it's not for us to judge him for his instability or the inconsistency of the psyche.