The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-28
Story OF Ivan the Terrible, the
Nero Of Russia.
CRUEL AND CRAFTY TYRANT.
He Was the First Cxar-Dsstructieu Of
Novgorod and Sibsria-Poisnd's
Military Greatness.
III.



aosoiu'e monarchy from his grandfather
and his father, he became master over the
me ana death OF his subjects, while his
carry educaton was adapted TO develop
ms naturally tyrannical instincts. Hated
ny ,fe nobility, he is even to this day Idol
ised by the peasantry, for. strange to say,
'ne RUSSIAN people worship brutal force,
ana Ivan the Terrible appears to them
awful as Destiny itself" He is in RUS
sian history a car who knew how to pun.
ish, ana who knew also how to defend the
country from the invaders. He was an
aasoerat through and through, mighty
and threatening, ike the old god OF the
hussian history--the omnipotent Perun.
Ivan ruled for long period. from 1888
TO 1881. but he was a child when his father.
Sa'iii, died. In his minority the country
was ruled by his mother. Helen Glinska.
and after her death by two boyars
or nobles.. Shniski and Bolski. Ivan.
however, was not long under guard.
ianship. When only 10 years of age he
emancipated himself from the tutelsge and
caused Shniski to be torn TO pieces by dogs.
was pretty good beginning in boy OF
10. In l547 Ivan was crowned, and he first
TOOK the title OF GEAR" Shortly afterwards
he was married to Anastasia Romanora. an
excellent lady. who for certain time exer-
cised her beneficent I'M iuence upon her cruel
husband. He was also under the influence
OF the priests. Sylvester and Alexis Adj
asheh. but firing of their guidance, he ban.
ished them both.
VANS first military exploits were very
brilliant He broke the power OF the
Tartars. In 1852 he became master oil
kazan, and two years later OF Astrakhan.
and, anticipating the plans of Peter the
Great, he turned his attention towards tina
Baltic. The Swedes and the TsutoniO
knights were at that time in possession oil
the coast, and the latter, being sorelv
pressed by Ivan, made an alliance with
sigismundus Augustus. king of Poland.
Baftied in that part Ivan in rage began 4
series OF atrocities which have earned him
he epithet of Terrible" He depossd
and murdered Philip, the archbishop OF
Moscow, executed Alexandra, thu
widow of his brother Yurii, and
butchered hundreds of people on
the so-called Krasnnia Psostchad or
Red Square. The city of Novgorod.
already subdued by Ivan ILL.,, meditated
to open its gates to the king OF Poland.
The tyrant in vengeance caused $4,000 OF
the inhabitants to be massacred or
drowned, and thousands were transported
TO all parts of Russia. The famous city OK
Novgorod has ceased to exist. In his wars
with the Tentonic Knights he committed
atrocities hardly surpassed in the history
of maakind, and at home crushed al o6.
position with cruelty which would have
made even Nero ashamed. He had d
al MI In, ~
mobiles to his table and then hand him d
cup of wine. Tae wine was poisoned, and
tine unhappy victim still In his agony OF
death. was carried away and thrown to b
devoured by dogs. Such was Ivan tina
Terrible
Ivan carried on en- almost continuous
war with the Poles, but. Notwithstanding
that, he declared himself one of the COM
petitors for the crown on the death Of Sigis.
mundus Augustus. or course he was not
elected, but q French prince, Henry OF
Valois. Henry abandoned the throne 81
soon as he heard of the death Of his brother
Charles TX. of France. and the famous
Stefan Batony became the king of Poland.
This remarkable man was one of the best
monarchs any nation ever had A war
between him and Ivan the Terrible wau
only matter of time. and when it was de-
clared the two nations fought some of tbs
most remarkable battles on record.
Ivan the Terrible made q mistake thak
time. The Poles, led by their heroic kinR
in person, and by John Zamoyski, carried
everything before them, They develOpe1
in that stnpendous struggle perhaps mora
than in any other war, that military vsIoR
which made the unhappy nation famous
all over the world. Ivan's generals wefD
defeated everywhere. his armies routed.
and the tyrant before whom everybody
trenibled found himself at the mercy Of the
king OF Poland. When peace was con
cluded, Russia lost everything she gained
previously in the west and the attempt to
open up passage to the Baltic failed TIL
the time of Peter the Great.
Unsuccessful in the West, Ivan was SUD-
cessful in the East, and to his dominions
was added an immense but thinly pOpyi-
lated country, Siberia, now so famous, OF
rather infamos, through the atrocities conf
mitted in the prisons. 1t was conquered
by Cossack named Termak. who hsd
been an outlaw and robber, but was ii.
forwards pardonec by the car.
ivan the Terrible. like Henry Will, 1t
England, had seven wives, and IL is curious
20 know how he tried to get an eighth. He
sent Feodor Pisemski to London, request
ing Queen Elizabeth to procure him Win.
Elizabeth chose daughter Of the Earl 1t
Huntington. and when the ambassadors saN
her be Frustrated himself before her and
professed TO be dazzled by her beauty. Tho
Young lady had heard. however, ct that
time enough of the atrocities OF Ivan. and
she refused to marry the tyrant Altar
that time Ivan had no m ore use for the
English, end the merchants who had set
tied In his country suffered accordingly.
In his declining days Ivan committed
his greatest crime-he killed his eldest
son. Struck, however, with remo-se, be
intended to abdicate and retire INFO acoIip
vent, but death prevented his design. In
1884 his dark shadow passed away. HIS
eldest surviving son, Feodor. was weak n
mind and body, and, in consequences, tie
chief power in the empire fell into the
hands of Boris Godunoff, his brother-in-
law GodunoH. who was OF Tartar descent,
WAS in every respect q remarkable man
and one of the most ambitious politicians
who ever sat on the throne Of Russia-fOr
he assured to the throne and finally accOnas
plished his object. Feodor died Of poison.
but he left brother, Demetrius or DimitlA
who. while child. had been removed -
the town of Uglich. There are many -
sons to believe that Godunon caused me
child to be assassinated ut Uglich On ~
18th OF May, 1891, but the circuneIe.sss
of the death are involved in my9eoky -
il has never been proved e - yC.y
prince was assassinated or saved D.'r
ing TO the testimony of the bCys n. 4 =; - N
seryant-m aid. the prince w. S,tfi,,~
pieces OF wood with izrss kz a...s = lev Iew
minutes afterwards A. ~. s s31a r.
with large wound r. - s1'~ :