Making Sense of Autocracy
Journal: transcript Verlag eBooks
Year: 2013

The Example of Ivan the Terrible JAN KUSBERIvan IV (1530-1584, reg.1533-1584) is one of the most prominent rulers in professional historiography and popular traditions present disparate accounts of Ivan's complex personality: he was and still is described as intelligent and devout, yet given to rages and prone to episodic outbreaks of mental illness.On one such outburst, the Tsar beat and unpremeditatedly killed his groomed and chosen heir, Ivan Ivanovich.This left the Tsardom to be passed to Iv