Plots and Conspiracies: The Creation of Russia as We Know It
Volume 4 | Issue 2 - Days That Shook the World
Article by Richita Bhattacharyya. Edited and researched by Liam Brake.
To Michael Cherniavsky, ‘The image of the “Terrible Tsar” struck the imagination of his contemporaries with such force that it continued to tower in Russian consciousness until quite recent times’. However, what most people don’t know is that if it wasn’t for one day in the Tsar’s life all would have changed and Russia itself would be a completely different country to how we know it today. The Romanovs would never have come to power and the very fabric of time and maybe history would have been irreversibly altered.
When Ivan the Terrible, was the much anticipated son of Vasilly III and was proclaimed the Grand Prince of Moscow at birth. His father passed away when he was young and though his mother acted as regent for some time she passed away. Soon the guardianship of the future Tsar and his younger brother was handed over to the blood thirsty, money grabbing noblemen called the Boyars in Russia. Ivan faced much humiliation in his early life especially from the Boyars of the Shuisky and the Belsky clans. This explains his later hatred and repression of the Boyars in his rule.
When Ivan was 16 years old he ascended the throne and was the first ruler of Muscovy (as Russia was called then) to be titled Tsar, then spelt as Czar. His rule started off with a flourish. He drove the invading Tatars of his lands. He established law codes, a standing army, and he even started the first ever printing press in Russia. One of his greatest architectural achievements was his construction of the St Basil’s Cathedral. At this point of time he was known as one of the most enlightened and capable rulers the country had ever had.
In the year 1553, Ivan fell grievously ill, it was said he was on the point of death. It was at this time while in a delirium, he overheard two of his Boyars plotting to kill his son and take control of Muscovy once Ivan himself was dead. To the horror of the nobles not only did he survive the illness, but he emerged from it more suspicious and temperamental than before. Furthermore, his fits of rage normally controlled became impossible to leash and increased in violence. It was then when his reign of terror truly started and he earned the name Ivan the Terrible.
It is said by most historians that this was one of the primary events which changed the course of Russian history and how we viewed the country in particular. After that day he began to get more radical in his policies and as mentioned before his paranoia was unparalleled. His mental condition deteriorated to the point that he killed his heir, Ivan Ivanovich, in a fit of rage thus ending the house of Rurik and giving rise to the Romanov dynasty from the 1600s. Most likely the illness combined with hearing the nobles plotting unleashed the darker side he was controlling and mentally ruined him to the point he could hardly think beyond death and destruction. He also established the Oprichniki, the first police force of that time period which was used as an instrument of oppression and terror.
It would be prudent to state, that if he had not heard that conversation between those two Boyars that day then maybe his mental health would not have been affected so drastically. It is that incident more so than his wife’s death that brought about the extreme change of policies. If he had not heard the Boyars say what they did his temper would have still been controlled, he would not have killed his son. This would mean that Ivan V would have taken over and the Rurik house would have continued to rule. The Romanovs would not have come to power. This in and of itself would have far reaching consequences for Russia as Peter the Great would not have ruled Russia and neither would Tsar Alexander who was known for abolishing serfdom. Who knows what impact Russia would then have on the rise of the Bolsheviks and the First World War?
It is indeed quite astounding and interesting to note how one small incident can impact and alter a country and maybe even the world. How the predictable becomes unpredictable? There are several events that resulted from that one day, the most prominent being the death of the future Ivan V, as it led to the end of the Rurik house of Russia and the rise of the Romanov dynasty. They would rule for the next three hundred odd years before finally meeting their end during the Russian Revolution in February, 1917. Perhaps the end of monarchy in Russia could have been avoided if one fever riddled, delirious man with a paranoid brain had not heard two of his noblemen conspiring against him that one fateful day in 1553?
Additional Research
• The Michael Cherniavsky, referred to in the first sentence, was a Slavic historian writing in 1968.
• Ivan’s father died when he was aged 3 and his mother when he was aged only 8. His mother, Elena Glinskaya, who acted as his regent up to this point was believed to have been assassinated by poisoning.
• The result of Ivan’s more radical policies was waves of persecutions that particularly targeted princely clans of Russia, notably influential families. Ivan executed and exiled many prominent people.
• The abolition of serfdom described in the text was the point at which Russian serfs, peasants, were formally granted the rights of free citizens. Although this was limited, it occurred in 1861.