Ivan the Terrible’s Reign of Terror

Ivan the Terrible earned his nickname through acts so monstrous they shocked even medieval standards

of brutality. Russia's first tsar transformed from promising ruler into a paranoid

tyrant whose cruelty knew absolutely no bounds. In 1570 Ivan suspected the city of Novgorod

was plotting against him. He marched his army there and spent five weeks systematically

torturing and murdering between 30,000 and 60,000 people. Men were roasted alive over fires.

Women and children were tied to sleds and pushed into freezing rivers. Ivan personally

participated, watching victims drown while eating his meals riverside. His secret police

force called the Oprichniki wore all black and rode black horses with dog heads attached