It is Ryan Seacrest here. Everybody needs some variety in life. That's what I love about Chumpa Casino. They know how to keep things fresh and exciting. All their games are free to play at spin Slots, Bingo and Solitaire. You can claim free daily logging bonuses too, and they release new games every week. So spice things up with chumpacasino dot com. Now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes sponsored by chump A Casino. No purchase necessary VGW
group void where prohibited by Law eighteen plus. Terms and conditions apply.
Top reasons your career wants you to move to Ohio. So many amazing growth opportunities, high paying jobs and technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, life sciences and more.
You'll start to new heights.
Just like the Wright brothers, John Glenn, even Neil Armstrong. Their careers all took off in Ohio, and yours can too. A job that can take you further and a place you can't wait to come home.
To have it all in the heart of it all.
Launch your search at Call Ohio.
Hello, and welcome to Western SIV Episode three hundred and twenty six Ivan The Terrible Part three. After the death of Princess Anastasia, Ivan was a different person, and not for the better. After her death, the only restraining influence on many of Ivan's darker impulses was gone. Within ten days of her death, Ivan ordered the period of mourning over and launched himself headlong into an extended episode of drunkenness and oblauchery. Ivan had many weaknesses which success had
thus far concealed. He wanted to appear strong, but in reality he was hopelessly timid. He saw enemies everywhere, perhaps as a consequence of the trauma he suffered as a boy, and struck out at anyone he thought might be even remotely.
Opposed to him.
He decided from this point forward he was going to live his own life. No one would tell him what to do. The concepts of sin and the punishment of an avenging God and an afterlife had concerned Ivan up to now, but no longer it did. He would live his life for his own hedonistic desires, and that was that he was, after all, the direct representative of God on earth. The first indication of this change was his
choice for a second wife. Previously, Ivan had declared it a disaster for a Russian czar to marry a foreign princess. Now he did just that, choosing for his wife the beautiful young daughter of his step chieftain. And this was only the beginning. In November fifteen sixty two, Ivan decided to move against the Lithuanian town of Polosko. Was defended by only five hundred Polish troops and fell to the
Russians without much difficulty. In March fifteen sixty three, Ivan got news that the Russian commander of the border town with Lithuanians was going to betray it back to their people. This was almost certainly not true, but Ivan's reaction was emblematic of his behavioral change. He executed the leader of the garrison and his entire family. Then he moved on and arrested and executed the entire extended family for no
reason whatsoever. This included the murder of one of the most important Russian generals from the previous Crimean campaign, who had no involvement in the episode.
In the end, over.
Sixteen people were put to death. Such purges were previously unknown in Russia, but this would prove to be barely the tip of the iceberg, and the last day of fifteen sixty three the Metropolitan died, he had been a kindly man, very scholarly and genuinely pious, but somewhat weak. For twenty one years he had looked over the Russian Church.
He carried out a series of reforms. In his lengthy will and last testament, which was read out during the funeral service held in the Cathedral of Annunciation, he forgave everyone and asked forgiveness from everyone, and he spoke of how weighed down by sorrows. He had hoped to be permitted to lay down the burdens of his office and retire to the peace of monastery, but Ivan never allowed him now. Honestly, overall, fifteen sixty three had been a
pretty successful year for Ivan. There hadn't been any major battles after Pulusk. There were some skirmishes on the borders, but in reality it had been an unusually quiet year for him, and the death of the Metropolitan now put him in a position where he could appoint his own candidate if he wanted to. But behind closed doors it was a different story. In his drunken rages, Ivan was
becoming increasingly murderous. Blood often float like wine and beer at his drinking parties which could last through the night. One day, a courtier called molsham Mitev was commanded to drink from a huge bowl of mead he had already drunk more than enough in In a loud voice, he heard himself declare, quote a cursed one talking to Ivan, you force us to drink mead mixed with the blood of
our brothers the Orthodox Christians end quote. Ivan was so enraged that he immediately stabbed the man with the iron point of his staff, then ordered him to be dragged out of his sight and put to death. On another occasion, Ivan had been once more drinking and a variety of different mass clowns were present. Ivan, who was drinking heavily, put on a mask and began drinking with them, and all joined in him, except for one courtier, Prince Mikael Repinin.
According to our sources, he was disgusted with Ivan's behavior that he would cavort with common people, he told the Tsarzoch. Momentarily, Ivan responded to the criticism by taking off the mask, throwing it at the man, and then ordering him dragged from the room and likewise executed. It seemed for all the previous years Ivan had been, you might say, straining
at the leash. He wanted to exert his will, but every turn he found himself confronted by various powerful forces, his wife, the metropolitan, so.
On and so forth.
All these attempted to reduce him to the status of a constitutional monarch. He saw himself as an autocrat, ruling by imperial decree.
Like God.
His wishes should be instantly obeyed, his demands immediately accept his slightest whisper a law. He had conducted a profound study of the Old Testament, and that demonstrated to him the existence of divinely appointed rulers who took counsel from absolutely no one except God. Why should he listen to the advice of the boyars if he was divinely appointed? He hated advice, just as he detested the traditional functions of the court, which to create a balance of power
between the czar and his boyars. What Ivan wanted above all was the freedom to rule as he saw fit without an interference of anyone, as a pure, absolute monarch. And so here is where the story admittedly gets weird. It's the winter of fifteen sixty four, and Ivan wants absolute authority, but that doesn't necessarily exist under the present rule Ussian system of government, so what he does in
reaction is bizarre. Instead of just trying to reform the existing government structure to bring it more in line with his idea of absolute kingship, Ivan decides to create a parallel system of government that's going to run alongside the existing state. So in early fifteen sixty four, rumors start to permeate Moscow that Ivan intended to abdicate in favor of his ten year old son. He summoned the boyars and nobles into the Great Hall of the Kremlin, but
then there was no abdication, far from it. In the speech that followed, Ivan did two things. First, in a rather lengthy diatribe, he rated everyone present for alleged acts of disloyalty. Second, he indicated that he would be going into exile. But what did that mean, Ivan would not say. Later he addressed the clergy and the nobles around the middle of November fifteen sixty four, and during the following
days his actions grew increasingly ominous. He went around Moscow sort of just plundering icons and holy banners from the churches, all that was the most holy in Moscow he took for himself. But then on Sunday, December third, fifteen sixty four, about two weeks after the prior meeting with the clergy and the nobles, he summoned them again to discuss in
the cathedral the plan for action. After the service, the Czar gave his blessing to the Metropolitan, the archbishops, bishops, priests, monks, princess boyars, and and so and forth that were all gathered. They all kissed his hand, and he made the sign of the crossover him. Then, without so much as another word, accompanied by his queen and his two sons, he turned,
got in his sleigh and left. Stunned, the population watched as their czar rode out of Moscow without so much of an indication as to what he intended to do next. All I Evan had indicated was that he and his family were leaving. But how would Russia's government operate now without the Czar? The Czar, who had not abdicated his position, now living in exile, Ivan announced his intention shortly thereafter, And this, as I mentioned, is where things get a
bit peculiar. To lead a new kingdom called the Oprinika, the name was derived from Slavic oprich, which means separate.
So and again, just.
He's a very terrible person, so just don't laugh at this. But Ivan essentially named his new kingdom separate land, right.
Dum.
Sure we could all laugh at it were it not for the reality that this bizarre and political and legal maneuver allowed Ivan to torture and murder with abandon even on the road to his new capital, which was not much more than an elaborate hunting lodge. Ivan decided to punish some of the boyars with him. He summarily dismissed them from their offices, stripped them of their robes, and
ordered them to walk back to Moscow. He was sending a message even boyars with high administrative positions were easily expendable. Around the same time, Ivan sent a series of letters to Moscow. In these, he announced his intention of residing permanently at the hunting lodge Alexandra Sloboda, and of resigning rather than abdicating from the throne. One letter was addressed directly to the metropolitan the other to the people of Moscow.
The complete text of these letters has not survived, but we know from contemporary sources that the letter to the Metropolitan was intended to be read by the Church hierarchy, the Boyars and members of the Tsar's court, and contained inevitable lists of attacks against them. He accused the church hierarchy of continuing to intercede for the lives of hated malefactors who deserve to be punished.
Quote.
Wherefore, the Tsar and Grand Prince, not wishing to endure these many acts of treachery, has abandoned the Czardom with a heavy heart, and now travels wheersoever God may lead him end quote. He reminded the Boyars that during his minority, they had committed many acts of treason and embezzled the state treasury. A lot of that was actually true. He accused them of failing in their duty to defend the Orthodox Christian Church against its former enemies, the Tartars, Lithuanians
and Germans. In the end, Ivan was the same person that he had been years before. He just had a new legal loophole to do what he wanted. He would create a separate kingdom. He would retain all his powers, He would not abdicate. He would abandon Moscow and go wherever God directed him to go. He would resign from the government of Moscow and leave it in the hands of the men who remained, but only for so long as he saw fit, for he return and resume his
powers whenever he wanted to. He wrote, quote, if God in the weather permit, I shall go to Alexandras Laboda, and I commit the Czardom into the hands of the traitors. Nevertheless, there may come a time Eyeshot once more demand the Tzardom and take it back.
End quote.
The intention of this letter was obvious to put his enemies on the wrong foot. He wanted to sow confusion into the ranks of the clergy and the boyars. He was both Czar and not Tzar. He had abdicated, but yet not abdicated. He was content that Russia should be ruled by traders, yet at a time of his own choosing, he could come back and wrest it back from them. By creating so much confusion, he was giving himself the
maximum opportunity to maneuver. Although Ivan's letter to the people, which was similar, did not cause a rebellion against the Boyars, it did have the desired effect of throwing the people into dismay If Ivan's goal was to alienate the Boyar class while keeping the people on his side, it appeared to be working.
Now.
Had he been more moderate and strategic in his approach, it might have all worked. But as we will see, that was not going to be his path moving forward. In response, in January of fifteen sixty five, the Boyars and Metropolitan decided to send Ivan a petition begging him
not to resign, not to abandon them. It read as follows, with grave reluctance and sorrow in our hearts, we have learned from our great Lord, who merits every praise, that he is displeased with us, and especially that he is abandoning the Zardom and us we are but poor and inconsolable sheep without a shepherd, and the wolves, our enemies, surround us. We therefore request and beg him to see fit to change his mind. In the past nations have
been conquered and left without rulers. But that a mighty sovereign should abandon his loyal subjects and his zardom needlessly, Such things are unheard of and not to be read in books. If the Csar knows of existence of traders, then he should proclaim their names, and they must answer for their crimes, for the Lord has the right to punish them and to pass exemplary sentences upon them. Should the Czar agree to hear our petition, we shall gladly submit ourselves to his will.
End quote.
Now a delegation went to Alexandra Saroda with this petition. All the approaches were guarded, and at the small village on the way of Solentino, the whole procession came to a halt while the guards sent messengers to discover whether or not Ivan was prepared to receive the petitioners. The message came back that he was only prepared to perceive the leading members. As a result, only seven or eight of the assembled dignitaries were permitted to make the rest
of the journey. They spent the night in Sloantino and then rode the remaining twenty miles to Alexandra's. All the while under close guard. Ivan gave the petitioners a cold, formal and courteous reception. They were treated as though they were the ambassadors from a foreign state. Ivan listened to the long speeches on the manifest duty of the tsar to uphold orthodox Christianity. How, after all, could he do
this if he was exiled from his people. If he abdicated, the true faith would be tainted with heresy, for he alone had the power to instill fear into the hearts of heretics. One of the men present the archbishop, repeated the argument that was contained in the petition. After all, if there were crimes and shortcomings committed by the people, then the Tsar should be empowered to set things right, either by acts of mercy or by employing the most
terrible punishments. Having read the letter and listened to this plea, Ivan dismissed the petitioners and announced that he would have a decision in the morning.
The following day.
When the petitioners came back, Ivan was in a dark mood. He spoke of interminable rebellions, which were probably mostly in his head. Ivan told those assembled that he would return, but only under two conditions. One he must have the right to strike down anyone he considered a traitor, and two, he must have the right to form a separate kingdom with its own army, its own boyars, noble secretaries, and officials.
For the first time, the petitioners heard the word Oprinika out of Russia would be carved a new kingdom reserved for his own use. Were his followers. The Olpriniki would be granted as states equal to their rank, and these estates would necessarily have to be taken from the present owners.
There was no other way.
All towns and provinces would be included in the Oprinika for the upkeep of his.
Court and the court of his sons.
The rest of Russia, which would be known and again I'm really bad at these names Zeminisha, which roughly translates to the dominion, would be ruled by the boyars, but only in obedience.
With Ivan's wishes. Over the Opininiki.
Ivan would rule directly and absolutely, with no restraint whatsoever. Now those assembled were relieved, they actually thought the conditions would be significantly worse. They enthusiastically accepted the idea and returned to Moscow, expecting Ivan to be not far behind them.
Ivan, however, did.
Not return to Moscow for around six weeks. When he did return, Ivan was physically changed, appearing to have lost considerable weight and hair. When Ivan did return, he continued to insist on this divided state theory. This made the operation of the the Russian state nearly impossible, but to Ivan it had one huge upside. He could keep everyone guessing. Since no one knew exactly who could do what. It
kept Ivan in the place of ultimate authority. As I'm sure you've guessed, it did not take long for the reign of terror to begin. One leading prince and his seventeen year old son were arrested and executed within a few days of Ivan's return.
No one knew why.
Even today, historians have no idea what Ivan had against this man or his son. Regardless, Ivan had absolute authority, and so they both died. The hunting lodge at Alexandra's Leboda, which was about seventy five miles from Moscow by the way, remained Ivan's principal residence and capital. Here Ivan could live as he wanted, secluded and mysterious. Here he could operate without being observed. Ivan's court was much smaller here, but more responsive to his needs. Around six thousand boyars were
interviewed and vetted for roles in this new administration. Perhaps a few hundred made the cut, but those who did were wildly rewarded. Boyars who previously owned little land found themselves in charge of massive estates.
Being on Ivan's good side had its benefits. For now.
Those on the Inner Council had the power of life and death. Their job was to ferret out traders, real and imagined, mostly the latter, as Ivan waited for the opportunity to have his vengeance on his imagined enemies. Hundreds of people had been rounded up by the Oprainiki, the people working in this new government, and led off to
the prison chambers within Alexandros Leboda. Oftentimes, Ivan would make his way down to the torture chamber after dinner, where he himself would interrogate these victims and order those whose answers were unsatisfactory to be tortured. He seemed to take great pleasure in watching people in their agony. To foreign mercenaries who joined the Openingiki would later write quote Ivan was always gay and cheerful, and spoke excitedly when attending
these interrogations and tortures end quote. Another observer, a German, a careful observer of the Czar and his behavior, wrote of Ivan and the dungeons quote the tyrant habitually watches with his own eyes those who are being tortured and put to death, as it happens frequently that the blood's spurts on his face. He is not the least disturbed by blood, but on the con he is exalted by it and shouts exuberantly goyda goida, which means Hurrah, Hurrah,
and then those all around him shout yoida, yoida. But whenever the tyrant observes someone standing there in silence, he immediately suspects that he is sympathetic.
To the prisoner.
He asks why he is sad when he should be joyful, and then orders him cut to pieces. And every day people are killed at his orders.
End quote.
In the spring of fifteen sixty six, the kingdom was starting to get used to Ivan's arbitrary double jurisdiction experiment. It did not work well, but the country had enough resources that Russia did not collapse. All the while, Ivan continued to refine and embellish his ideas on the Opriniki. He was determined to push these ideas to the furthest limits and alien el to himself completely from his people.
He was no longer in his own as the ruler of Russia, but only a segment of Russia that resembled the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle selected by him without any coherent boundaries. To be his own private domain, he had abandon the Kremlin palaces, deciding to build a new Alpernika palace nearby, just outside the Kremlin wall, in what he had declared to be the Alperanika region of Moscow. In May fifteen fifty six, the architectural plans were ready, and he gave orders for the new palace to be
built in the quickest possible time. He expropriated whole streets of houses and tore them down, so it was that by the end of the year the palace was almost complete. The walls were eighteen feet high and formed a square whose sides measured eight hundred feet. There were three gates, each surmounted by carved emblems representing a double headed eagle
between two lions. Exactly what he intended to convey by this new emblem wasn't but a German mercenary who described the palace at some length so the lions had wide open mouths. Perhaps the lions represented the spirit of the Opuniki roaring out. Now within this massive square were a debtor's prison kitchen cellars, bathhouses, ice houses, stables, and hundreds of administrative quarters. There was a small cottage built in one corner of the square just for Ivan to eat breakfast.
The walls near the cottage were a little lower than elsewhere, so that more sunlight could come in and he could catch the morning breeze. Now that summer, Ivan found himself faced with an actual real plot. King Sigamundas Augustus, the present King of Poland, was trying to get as many Russian boyars as possible to defect. Given Ivan's increasingly erratic behavior, I suppose it wasn't exactly what you would call a
hard cell. Seemingly to distract Russia from the situation within and along the border with Pole in Lithuania, Ivan decided to attack Lithuania again. But then he almost as quickly as he decided to invade, called off the invasion. He had not prepared well enough and the weather was poor. Plus King Sigismund was poised to invade, and Ivan's advisers told him the Russian troops would be better used against the polls on defense. Regardless as to the reason, and
there's a lot of conflicting information in the sources. If I'm being honest, the invasion did not go forward. Now, before we get into the next stage of the story, let me dispel one myth.
For a little while.
It was in vogue for historians to defend Ivan in this line of logic, Ivan was pursuing a policy designed to end Boyar oppressions and fundamentally reduce the of the Boyar class. That argument simply isn't true. As we will see, Ivan was not pursuing any careful policy. He was murdering indiscriminately. Peasants suffered just as much as Boyar's. Ivan was no brilliant tactician. He was a bloodthirsty, paranoid maniac.
End of story.
All throughout that summer fifteen sixty six, the blood bath continued. Hired assassins flowed in and out of Ivan's hunting lodge, laden down with orders to kill those around. Ivan had but one job find victims, and they did it with abandon. The only real person who tried to oppose Ivan was the Metropolitan. He implored Ivan to stop the indiscriminate slaughter. Ivan respond it that these were all traders and that
was why they were dying. The Metropolitan tried to hold a church synod to condemn Ivan's actions, but only one other bishop stood with him. Perhaps the other bishops were right. That November, armed guards broke into the cathedral as the Metropolitan was delivering Sunday's service. They read out a list of alleged crimes, declared the metropolitan unfit for his office, and dragged him out. He was the last metropolitan who would ever tried to stand up to Ivan. From this
point forward, everyone kept their heads down. With the Metropolitan out of the way, there was nothing to hold back the absolute blood letting that followed. The purpose was to make everyone fear Ivan, and it worked. In September fifteen sixty nine, the Czar's second wife died. They had been estranged for the last several years of Ivan's life. Her death, nonetheless, seems to have made his behavior even more aberrant and unhinged.
In fifteen sixty nine, Ivan turned against the people of Novgorod. Now there, the peasants had been totally loyal, but Ivan couldn't understand why they were more interested in trade than expanding the reaches of the Empire.
Hence they needed to be punished.
Ivan set out for Novgorod in October fifteen sixty nine, with around fifteen thousand men. The army avoided the main roads so no one within Novgorod could be warned. Anyone that the army came across as it marched were killed immediately. Now along the way, Ivan stopped at the town of Tivert. There he had a beef with the monastery and decided he would just punish everyone. Result, he demanded that every single family turn over any treasure that they had to the czar.
Right now.
Those who did not comply were treated as common criminals. In the end, about nine thousand men, women and children were rounded up and summarily executed alongside the Volga River, where their lifeless bodies were thrust through holes cut in the ice. From Tivere, Ivan continued murdering indiscriminately as the army marched. On January second, fifteen seventy, about two days
from Novgorod, Ivan sent ahead an advanced guard. Their job was to secure the roads leading in and out of the city so that no one could leave from there. I even slowed down his approach to draw out the panic in the city. It did not reach Novgorod until January. The now for whatever reason, Ivan had decided that the Archbishop of Novgorod was essentially responsible for all of the city's quote unquote sins. He declared that the church would
have to pay for its insolence. Every monk needed to come up with twenty rubles worth of goods or they would be clubbed to death. Hundreds of monks were beaten to death as they were clubbed on the very day Ivan arrived. The czar had little patience for such things. You either have the money or you didn't. But this was merely a prelude of what was to come. After several weeks of essentially besieging his own city, I even
began interrogating the people inside about their neighbour's loyalty. It did not take long for even to get enough evidence to start a fresh wave of violence. He ordered a large wooden platform erected over the river. Accused men, women and children would be led up to the platform, their arms and legs bound, and then they were summarily pitched over into holes cut in the ice. His assassins waited below with axes. When someone bobbed at the surface, they
were hacked to death. While this was the principal method of massacring the people of Novgorod. Ivan also had some merchants tied to stakes, where he used them as jousting practice, running them through with his own lance. Over twenty thousand people were slaughtered. Of these, historians believe Ivan killed twenty by his own hands. During the first week of February fifteen seventy, Ivan decided Novgorod had had enough. About one third of the population was dead, and all the city's
wealth was now in Ivan's hands. Suddenly, in the early morning of February thirteenth, fifteen seventy, Ivan declared it was over. At sunrise, he ordered messengers to announce that, by the Tsar's orders, every single street in Novgorod had to send its leading citizen to him. Now, of course, there could be no question of disobeying his orders, and about sixty elders showed up, all considering themselves as good as dead.
Clearly they thought there'd be another massacre, then another, and then another, so simply no one in Novgorod was left alive. To their surprise, they found Ivan in a very different mood.
According to the chronicler, the Tsar looked upon them with merciful eyes and said quote men of Novgorod the Great, all those of you now remaining in this city, I pray you to beseech the all merciful, ever generous and most loving God and his pure Mother, and all the saints on behalf of our Zardom, and my children Ivan and Fiedor, and my Christ's loving army, so that our Lord may grant us victory over our enemies, whether visible
or invisible. God shall judge the archbishop who is a traitor to me and also to you, and all his evil collaborators, and they will be held accountable for this bloodshed. But you must not grieve anymore, Go and be thankful.
Now.
This was a totally self serving statement. It ignores the fact that the massacre was one one hundred percent Ivan's responsibility, and that all the enemies have been invisible. Unfortunately for Ivan, he had but one problem. He could not transport all his stolen wealth back to his hunting lodge. So in one last vindictive moment, he ordered all the goods that could not be carried jammed into several nearby warehouses. Then
he ordered the warehouses burned to the ground. Anyone who tried to rush in and save their personal belongings was killed. Ivan's coffers swelled with the remaining loot. Back at his headquarters, he celebrated his quote unquote victory over Novgorod.
In the end.
Historians estimate, when you count the famine that followed the general massacre, around fifty thousand people in Novgorod died in the year fifteen seventy. If true, that is around eighty five percent of the total population. Next week we finished with Ivan and see how, somehow this all gets worse.
Now.
As always, if you'd like to support the show, there's two key ways. The first is you can click on the link in the show notes to Western CIV. Two point zero and it is seven day for each try all. And the other is to just leave a rating or review on whatever platform you happen to be listening to at the time. It really is the best way to help new listeners find the show, and I thank you very much every single person who leaves a review. It really does.
Help jump looking for excitement. Chumbu Casino is here. Play anytime, Play anywhere, Play on the train, play at the store, play at home, Play when you're bored, Play today for your chance to win and get daily bonuses when you log in, So what are you waiting for? Don't delay. Chumba Casino is free to play.
Experience social gameplay like never before. Go to Chumbuck Casino right now to play hundreds of games, including online slots, bingos, lingo, and more. Live the Chemba life at Chemba Casino dot com. Bgwroom No parts necessary. Bid were prohibited by lossy terms and conditions.
Eating plus top reasons your career wants you to move to Ohio. So many amazing growth opportunities, high paying jobs and technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, life sciences, and more.
You'll soart to new heights.
Just like the Wright brothers, John Glenn, even Neil Armstrong, their careers all took off in Ohio, and yours can too. A job that can take you further and a place you can't wait to come home to have it all in the heart of it all. Launch your search at call Ohio home dot com.