Ivan the Terrible was one of the most atrocious tyrants that history ever 'blessed' Russia with. Ivan IV, know as Ivan the Terrible, is most known for his brutal ruling, centralised administration of Russia and expansion of the boundaries of the Russian Empire. Although Ivan abdicated in 1564 in protest, he was urged back to power and began a rule of terror never before seen in Russian history. He divided the country into two clean-cut spheres, the one (the oprichnina) encompassing his personal domain, and the other (the zemshchina) representing the rest. Ivan broke the power of the Muscovite boyars, exiling thousands of them to Siberia, and created a new militia. These hand-picked oprichniki, as he named them, were devoted to his orders and were encouraged to rape, loot, burn, kill and torture in the Tsar's name. They spread terror throughout Russia, culminating in the atrocious massacre of Novgorod in 1569, when as many as 60,000 citizens were tortured to death for supposedly plotting to side with Poland.
He may not look so evil in the picture but he really was a bad-ass.
The sad thing is that all the beautiful sadistic crimes, all the stylish tortures have been forgotten today when our today mass-murderers kill thousands with a push of a button. Good old times are just gone.
