Ivan The Terrible

By s-sbamberger
  • Aug 25, 1530

    Birth Date

    Ivan Chetvyorty Vasilyevich was born on August 25, 1530 in Russia.
  • 1533

    A Tragic Loss

    A Tragic Loss
    Ivan Chetvyorty Vasilyevich's father Vasili III passed away when Ivan was only 3 years old forcing his mother to rule as regent.
  • 1538

    Another Family Death

    Ivan's mother Yelena Glinskaya dies leaving her 8 year old son orphaned and creating a power struggle among the noble class.
  • 1538

    Childhood

    Childhood
    After his mother's death, Ivan was raised by nobility that often neglected and mistreated him causing his sensitive and intelligent nature to deteriorate taking a suspicious and ruthless turn.
  • 1547

    Royal Marraige

    After being crowned the first tsar Ivan the Terrible he made Anastasia Romanovna his wife.
  • 1547

    The First Tsar

    The First Tsar
    Ivan the Terrible was crowned the first tsar in 1547.
  • 1553

    Bad Health

    Bad Health
    Ivan the Terrible almost did not recover from a severe illness.
  • 1560

    Death in the Royal Family

    Ivan's wife Anastasia Romanovna dies.
  • 1560

    Mental Health

    Mental Health
    Following the death of his wife, Ivan struggled with depression and his behavior became more uncontrollable. He was eventually nicknamed "Grozny" because of the fear and suffering he caused his people.
  • 1561

    St. Basil's Cathedral

    St. Basil's Cathedral
    Ivan the Terrible had St. Basil's Cathedral built by very talented architects. After it was completed he thought it was so splendid that he had the architects blinded so that they could never create anything more beautiful.
  • 1564

    Abdicating the Throne

    Abdicating the Throne
    A few years after his wife's death, probably because of his mental state, Ivan the Terrible left for a short time and threatened to abdicate the throne until people eventually convinced him to come back and agreed to his conditions.
  • 1581

    Murder

    Murder
    Ivan the Terrible gets into a fight with his son after beating his daughter-in-law causing her to suffer a miscarriage. The fight escalates and he ends up killing his son the first heir.

  • Illness

    Illness
    As Ivan the Terrible began to have problems with his health he also became obsessed with the idea of death. He started to do anything possible to prolong his life such as bringing in soothsayers and witches.

  • Death

    Death
    Ivan the Terrible died of what was probably a stroke on March 18, 1584.