Ivan the Terrible

Ivan IV, “the Terrible” (1533–1584), is one of the key figures in Russian history, yet he has remained among the most neglected. Notorious for pioneering a policy of unrestrained terror—and for killing his own son—he has been credited with establishing autocracy in Russia. This is the first attempt to write a biography of Ivan from birth to death, to study his policies, his marriages, his atrocities, and his disordered personality, and to link them as a coherent whole.Isabel de Madariaga situates Ivan within the background of Russian political developments in the sixteenth century. And, with revealing comparisons with English, Spanish, and other European courts, she sets him within the international context of his time. The biography includes a new account of the role of astrology and magic at Ivan’s court and provides fresh insights into his foreign policy. Facing up to problems of authenticity (much of Ivan’s archive was destroyed by fire in 1626) and controversies which have paralyzed western scholarship, de Madariaga seeks to present Russia as viewed from the Kremlin rather than from abroad and to comprehend the full tragedy of Ivan’s reign.
This compelling biography is the first to encompass the entire life of Ivan the Terrible and to view him in the context of his own time. Notorious for a policy of unrestrained terror—and for killing his own son—his reign was devastating for Russia and her people. The book illuminates the reign and the politics, as well as Ivan’s marriages and disordered personality. "(A] significant biography of the 16th-century Russian czar. . . . Likely to become the definitive work on Ivan for some time."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Almost every page of (de Madariaga’s] magnificent biography is illuminated by the wisdom gained by its author from a lifetime of learning and reflection about the place of Russia in the wider world."— Orlando Figes, New York Review of Books "(The book ends with] a masterfully written conclusion both insightful and strangely moving. . . . De Madariaga addresses knowledgeable readers, but the beautiful prose of this great book will tempt all others. Highly recommended."—Choice  “A colossal achievement of magisterial scholarship” – Simon Sebag Montefiore