Dear Folk,
Well, I don't know about you but I am simply worn out from celebrating Ivan Glinsky's birthday. Ivan IV of Russia is also called "Ivan the Terrible." Now I know you think "terrible" means he was yucky. Although that probably was the case, in Russian it meant more that he was a kick-butt dude. Trust me on this.
Ivan was born August 25, 1530 in Moscow (pronounced "mosk-Va") to Vasily III who was Grand Duke of Moscow. Pappy Vasily passed on when Ivan was only 3. Although his mom tried to establish herself as regent and guide young Ivan, the rest of the Glinksy family were squabbling and intriguing to get the throne. Mom died in 1538 and Ivan was left alone. He was a sickly kid with no one to tuck him into bed, no one to dry his tears, no one to really educated him. 'Tis pravda (truth).
When he was 17 he was crowned as ruler—the first to have the title Tsar – and married Anastasia Romanov. She was the first tie in then of the Romanov line which continued until 1917. Anastasia was a babe of first magnitude. After she died in 1560, Ivan remarried a few times but he was never the broncing buck of the steppes like he was with his first love. Sigh.
That first thirteen years of his reign can be considered the most wonderful time in Russia's history. He appointed folks to advise him, started a national assembly, got the local governments to lighten up, and actually enacted some laws which told the aristocracy "If you want to be treated as nobles, start acting that way." He annexed three Tatar states and assumed control of the Volga River and access to the Caspian Sea. Of course he had to do a tad of smiting. In 1552 he conquered and sacked Kazan, and in 1556 Astrakhan, having thus destroyed the lingering power of the Golden Horde. Ivan's Tatar campaigns opened vast new areas for Russian expansion, and it was during his reign that the conquest and colonization of Siberia began. He also established the empire in Siberia and promoted trade with various European countries, including England, France and Holland. He was noted for his highly progressive administrative policies.
After Anastasia died, Ivan became someone completely different. The period was marked by Ivan's erratic and brutal behavior. He surrounded himself with drinking buddies who were after feathering their own nests, not helping the country. In 1570 someone told Ivan that Novgorod folk were scheming against him. He ordered out the troops and had them kill thousands of the townsfolk.
Ivan ruled with a deep-seated paranoia and ruthlessness. One source said that he gouged out the eyes of the architects who built St. Basil's so that a cathedral of such beauty could never again be created. The Tsar's power became absolute when Ivan succeeded in conquering the remaining independent principalities. He confiscated the property of the boyars (ruling-class nobles) and granted state property to those who served him. Since his bully-boys were tenured to the state for life, their land grants became hereditary. The state also assigned a master to the peasants who worked the lands around an estate; guess what, this paved the way for serfdom. Ivan the Terrible organized the Streltsy (members of the army elite) to govern his districts and the Oprichniki (the first police force) to suppress boyar rebellions
In 1581 Ivan brought personal tragedy upon himself when, in a fit of anger, he struck and killed his eldest and favorite son Ivan because his son disagreed with him. Okay, he hit son Ivan with an iron rod. That was very excessive and Poppa Ivan was sad and sickened by it.
When Ivan the Terrible died in 1584, he was succeeded by his son Fyodor, who was not exactly the guy his dad (or even his brother) was. Fyodor was, to be polite, "feebleminded" and he left most of the management of the kingdom to his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov. Of course if you let folks take the reigns, they are not likely to want to give them up. It was not long before Godunov began to work to secure the succession for himself. In 1591, he murdered Fyodor's younger brother Dmitri.. When Fyodor died in 1598, Godunov was made Tsar, but his rule was never accepted as entirely legitimate.
A couple of years later a pretender arose in Poland, claiming to be Dmitri, and in 1604 he invaded Russia. Godunov died suddenly the next year, and the "Time of Troubles" began. For the next eight years both the first and a second false Dmitri laid claims to the throne, both supported by invading Polish armies. By the way, the Polish armies were lead by King Stephen Bathory. Yes, that cousin of Elizabeth the Blood Countess. See how all of this ties together?
Finally, in 1613, the Poles were ousted from Moscow, and the boyars unanimously elected Michael Romanov, grandnephew of Ivan IV, as Tsar. The Romanov dynasty was to rule Russia for the next 304 years, until the Russian Revolution brought an end to the Tsarist state.
What have we learned from this? Some folks will even try to take advantage of children? Don't raise your hand to your child (it leaves your groin unprotected)? Sometimes Godunov isn't? (sorry) How about the love and council of a good woman makes all the difference? I know I believe that.
When whomping up on the Poles or just brewing up some local discontent amongst your boyars, forward these onto whomever but leave my name and sig. attached. My Oprichniki know where you are living. Oh, a quick thing: my column "Wrasslin' with the Saracens" is going to be published in "The Clark Street Review," a real live magazine out of Colorado. Neat!
Oh, Morgan Cain was the first one who emailed and identified "Sufficiently advance technology is indistinguishable from magic" as being from Arthur C. Clarke. Good job.
Searching for my vodka remedy and Anastasia,
J. Ellsworth Weaver
SCA – Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS – Polyphemus Theognis of Athens
TRV – Sebastian Yeats