Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Western Sieve Episode three hundred and
Speaker 1: twenty four, Ivan the Terrible Part one. Now, before we
Speaker 1: even begin, I want to make one thing clear, Ivan
Speaker 1: the Terrible, Well, this guy absolutely lives up to his name,
Speaker 1: so much so that I'm not going to spend the
Speaker 1: next several weeks recounting every atrocity committed, every village mercilessly destroyed,
Speaker 1: every family murdered. There are just too many of those,
Speaker 1: and frankly, it doesn't add much to the narrative. The
Speaker 1: other thing I will say is that while I am
Speaker 1: not going to get into the gory details of much
Speaker 1: of this, these episodes are still probably not the best
Speaker 1: for kids, especially younger kids. The last caveat I'm going
Speaker 1: to make is I do not speak Russian. I am
Speaker 1: not well versed in many of these names. I'm going
Speaker 1: to do my best, and what I am going to
Speaker 1: try to do is limit the number of names to
Speaker 1: only those absolutely necessary to understand the flow of the story. Because,
Speaker 1: like we have recognized in many, many different cultures across
Speaker 1: the Western world, the House of the russ tends to
Speaker 1: reuse the same names over and over and over again.
Speaker 1: With all that being said, let's get into Ivan's father, Valissi,
Speaker 1: who died at the very tail end of our last episode. Now,
Speaker 1: when he passed, Ivan was all powerful even at three
Speaker 1: years old. A few days after his father's burial, he
Speaker 1: was invested with the powers of a sovereign of Russia
Speaker 1: by the boyars and the church officials. As a quick aside,
Speaker 1: the leader of the Orthodox Church of Moscow in the
Speaker 1: sources is referred to as the Metropolitan. I'll remind you
Speaker 1: as we go, but just remember that term metropolitan. It
Speaker 1: means something like bishop. I'm being a little loose with
Speaker 1: my facts here, but that's kind of the closest equivalent
Speaker 1: that I can give you. The total population of Russia,
Speaker 1: and I'm putting that in air quotes right now in
Speaker 1: the early sixteenth century was about eight million people. It
Speaker 1: stretched from the Arctic to the southern steppe, where you
Speaker 1: start to run into the various khanates that succeeded the
Speaker 1: Golden Horde. To the east, it was bordered by the
Speaker 1: Khanate of Hazan and to the west by Livonia, Lithuania,
Speaker 1: and Poland. Much of what is today Ukraine, including Kiev,
Speaker 1: was actually at the time in the possession of the
Speaker 1: Kingdom of Lithuania. By and large, young Ivan lived out
Speaker 1: his youthful life at court within the confines of the Kremlin,
Speaker 1: which by the way, functioned as both palace, fortress and
Speaker 1: government center. Life wasn't necessarily carefree. There was a lot
Speaker 1: of protocol to follow, especially around the more powerful Boyar families,
Speaker 1: of which they're about fifteen. They were the hereditary lords
Speaker 1: of Moscow after Ivan, who was the Grand Prince at
Speaker 1: this point. There are only two titles in those days,
Speaker 1: Veli khi Khinas, which meant grand Prince, and Kinnas, which
Speaker 1: meant prince or princess. Every boy are in titled to
Speaker 1: it used the second title. So there are a lot
Speaker 1: of princes and princesses in this story arc. I'm going
Speaker 1: to tell you that they are not by and large
Speaker 1: related to Ivan or to the royal house, just a title. Now.
Speaker 1: The Kremlin was designed to defend the Grand Prince more
Speaker 1: than anything else. The hallways were narrow, the ceilings were low,
Speaker 1: and every door was guarded. Every ruler of Moscow knew
Speaker 1: the biggest risk to his life came from those closest
Speaker 1: to them. Ivan was absolutely no exception here. Ivan spent
Speaker 1: most of his formative years with his mother Elena in
Speaker 1: the Tarim Palace. Her uncle Mikhail Glinski, was the most
Speaker 1: powerful man on the Regency Council and effectively ran Russia
Speaker 1: after Vassili's death. Glinski was utterly ruthless when he heard
Speaker 1: of a plot to place the hapless Yuri, Ivan's younger
Speaker 1: brother and who, as you may recall from the last episode,
Speaker 1: was bored with we would today say mental birth defects
Speaker 1: when they plan to place him on the throne in
Speaker 1: exchange for Ivan. Glenskey didn't take any chances. He clapped
Speaker 1: Yuri the young boy in chains, and he threw him
Speaker 1: in a jail cell. He died there two years later.
Speaker 1: There had likely never been any plot to put Yuri
Speaker 1: on the throne, but even the hint was too much
Speaker 1: for Glinski. Russia was and still is a very rough
Speaker 1: place to play politics. Glinsky himself did not last long
Speaker 1: after Princess Elena decided she wanted a new romantic partner,
Speaker 1: whom Golinsky opposed. Elena now wasted no time. She had
Speaker 1: Glensky summoned before the Privy Council and accused of wanting
Speaker 1: to rule Russia as a despot, He, like Yuri, was
Speaker 1: clapped at irons and tossed into a cell. He, like Yuri,
Speaker 1: was dead by fifteen thirty six. In fact, he outlived
Speaker 1: the prince that he imprisoned by only a few weeks.
Speaker 1: This now left Elena's consort, Prince Olensky in charge. Now.
Speaker 1: All the while, of course, Ivan continued to grow nervous, passionate,
Speaker 1: and somewhat easily excitable, and of course incapable of concealing
Speaker 1: his emotions. Child Ivan showed many of the characteristics he's
Speaker 1: going to reveal later. He was fascinated by church rituals, pilgrimages,
Speaker 1: sacred relics, and the idea of kingship. At an early age,
Speaker 1: he memorized long passages of the scriptures by heart. From
Speaker 1: his tutors. He acquired an absorbing interest in the sacred
Speaker 1: and ancient history. His heroes were men like David, Solomon, Augustus, Constantine,
Speaker 1: and Theodosius. The kings and emperors of Jerusalem, Rome and
Speaker 1: Byzantine interest him just as much, if not more than
Speaker 1: the list of grand princes of Moscow. His ancestors. The
Speaker 1: emperors of Byzantine to him were also his ancestors. And
Speaker 1: he could thus convinced himself that he was descended from
Speaker 1: a long line of royal personages reaching all the way
Speaker 1: back to King David himself. He was fascinated by the
Speaker 1: Russian chronicles, the sermons and the holmonies of the church fathers,
Speaker 1: Roman and Byzantine history. He walked with kings and saints,
Speaker 1: and quite frankly, knew very little about the lives of
Speaker 1: ordinary people. Then, rather abruptly, the regency came to an end.
Speaker 1: On April third, fifteen thirty eight, when Ivan was eight
Speaker 1: years old, Princess Elena suddenly died, likely of a heart attack.
Speaker 1: Her death shocked Ivan, but it seems to have been
Speaker 1: totally random. There are no suggestions of foul play in
Speaker 1: any of our sources, which is somewhat telling. As soon
Speaker 1: as she died, one of the boyars on the Privy Council,
Speaker 1: Vassili Shuski, seized power. He had Elena's old consort chucked
Speaker 1: into prison. Shushki treated Ivan very differently. He made it
Speaker 1: clear that the boy lived only so long as he
Speaker 1: did what he was told, kept his mouth shut. Needless
Speaker 1: to say, Ivan despised him. Vasili Shuski wasn't inexperienced in government.
Speaker 1: He was in his sixties. He was a soldier and administrator.
Speaker 1: He was a man of few words. In fact, they
Speaker 1: called him the silent one, silence being one of his
Speaker 1: most formidable weapons. He was totally without scruples, morality, and
Speaker 1: totally merciless. He had at one point the governor of
Speaker 1: Smolensk arrested and then hanged from the city walls when
Speaker 1: he thought he was colluding with the Grand Prince of Lithuania.
Speaker 1: One of his first tasks when he came to power
Speaker 1: was to open the prisons and release all those sentenced
Speaker 1: by Olena for treachery. Two months after her death, he
Speaker 1: married Anastasia, Ivan's first cousin, the daughter of his aunt.
Speaker 1: The princess had not the least wish to be married
Speaker 1: to this man, but he was the regent with the
Speaker 1: power of life and death of everyone, so she submitted.
Speaker 1: By marrying into Ivan's family, Veliskishuski was legitimizing his slow
Speaker 1: usurpation of power. The princess, by the way, was doubly
Speaker 1: royal because she was also the granddaughter of the Grand
Speaker 1: Prince Ivan the third and a former Khan of Kazan.
Speaker 1: Immediately after the marriage, Vasily Shuski moved with his new
Speaker 1: very young bride into the Kremlin Palace. Only three people
Speaker 1: remained close to Ivan. Ivan Belski was the most important
Speaker 1: Boyar to stay loyal to the young prince. In fact,
Speaker 1: Belski worked actively to bring down Shouski from within. First,
Speaker 1: he packed the Boyar council with his own supporters. His
Speaker 1: next step was to reduce Shushki's power to the extent
Speaker 1: that he was once again one of many regency members,
Speaker 1: not the leader. Then his final step was to execute
Speaker 1: a coup. It did not work. We have no idea
Speaker 1: as naside whether the young Ivan the fourth knew anything
Speaker 1: at all about this. Belski's revolt failed, mostly because he
Speaker 1: organized it so poorly. Belski tried to move against sue
Speaker 1: Huski when he was absent from Moscow. After the attempted
Speaker 1: coup fell apart, all of the conspirators were arrested and
Speaker 1: Belski found himself under house arrest. Then Belski got extremely lucky.
Speaker 1: Shuski abruptly died, apparently of natural causes. He was succeeded
Speaker 1: on the council by his brother, who annoyingly had the
Speaker 1: exact same name. This new Shouski, however, had a lot
Speaker 1: less ability. In fifteen forty, Belski escaped his home confinement
Speaker 1: and made his way to Ivan. Together with the Metropolitan,
Speaker 1: the lead Orthodox bishop of Moscow. The three stage a coup,
Speaker 1: and this time they were able to remove the new
Speaker 1: Shouski from power. Belski proved to be a moderate. He
Speaker 1: became the new regent, which pleased Ivan and decided he
Speaker 1: wouldn't punish Shuski, given that his fall from power was
Speaker 1: punishment enough. Ivan was now ten years old. What he
Speaker 1: had learned so far was that power was everything maintaining
Speaker 1: It was about stealth, surprise, and murder. These were lessons
Speaker 1: he learned well. Ever, since the year twelve twenty three,
Speaker 1: the Russians had been forced to deal with the Mongols
Speaker 1: the Golden Horde or some sech successor state. Only Novgorod
Speaker 1: had been untouched by the Mongol invasions, with the rest
Speaker 1: of Russia being reduced to some form of a client state.
Speaker 1: By the time of Ivan the Fourth, the only real
Speaker 1: remaining Mongol presence was to the southeast. These were the Tartars,
Speaker 1: sort of an ethnic mix between Mongol invaders and Turkic peoples.
Speaker 1: The Tartars still rated, sometimes extensively, into southern Russia and
Speaker 1: remained a major obstacle to further Russian expansion. Belski's rise
Speaker 1: to power somewhat ironically made the situation more acute for Ivan.
Speaker 1: Belski's younger brother Simeon had initially fled to Lithuania for
Speaker 1: reasons that are far from clear in the record, but
Speaker 1: now he found himself in the kart of the Tartar
Speaker 1: Khan and in fifteen thirty four started actively pushing the
Speaker 1: Khan to invade Russia. In July fifteen forty one, the
Speaker 1: Tartars crossed the Don River into Russian territory. Moscow was
Speaker 1: placed on high alert. Although Ivan was only a boy
Speaker 1: and could not direct the defense of the city per se,
Speaker 1: he remained an important figurehead. The people believed he was
Speaker 1: their direct connection to God, so it was important that
Speaker 1: he be seen as active in the defense of the city.
Speaker 1: When news reached Moscow that the Tartars had reached the
Speaker 1: Oka River not far from the city, Prince Dmitribelski was
Speaker 1: dispatched with an army to prevent the Tartars from crossing
Speaker 1: the order he was given read as follows quote. But
Speaker 1: if it should happen that the Khan succeeds in crossing
Speaker 1: the river, then you must hold fast for the sake
Speaker 1: of the Holy Churches and the Orthodox Christians, and fight
Speaker 1: the Tartars with God's help. I this is from Ivan,
Speaker 1: shall reward you and your children. And those of you
Speaker 1: whom God shall take will have their names entered into
Speaker 1: the Book of Life. And I shall give rewards to
Speaker 1: their wives and children. This proclamation, which at least officially
Speaker 1: came from Ivan himself, had the effect of showing Ivan
Speaker 1: as deeply concerned for the welfare for his army, and
Speaker 1: it boosted morale. So the army of Crimea reached the
Speaker 1: Oka River at three o'clock in the afternoon on July
Speaker 1: the thirtieth, fifteen forty one. The Tartar engineers had already
Speaker 1: laid down pontoons near a small town, and a massive
Speaker 1: crossing was about to take place when the Russian army
Speaker 1: suddenly appeared on the opposite bank. The Khan zayoup Gari
Speaker 1: set up his headquarters on a hill overlooking the river.
Speaker 1: Only the first detachment of Dmitribelski's army had reached the
Speaker 1: river bank. But they were so numerous that for a
Speaker 1: while the Khan thought he was confronted by the entire
Speaker 1: Russian army. It was a hot summer day, and were
Speaker 1: told the arms and armor of the Russians glintered in
Speaker 1: the sun. The Khan nevertheless prissed his advantage. His troops
Speaker 1: raced across the pontoons, and the Turkish guns he had
Speaker 1: brought with him opened up. The Tartar archers drew their
Speaker 1: bows and arrows fell on the Russians. The chronicle indicates,
Speaker 1: thick as rain. This relentless, massive assault seem to shudder
Speaker 1: through the Russian lines, which faltered and they were close
Speaker 1: to breaking. Remember this was only the tip of the
Speaker 1: Russian Iceberg. More and more Russian troops came up, and
Speaker 1: the line held. Soon the Russian heavy guns were answering
Speaker 1: the fire of the Turkish guns, and the Tartars were
Speaker 1: being forced off the north bank of the river. That night,
Speaker 1: the Khan held a council of war. The forces arrayed
Speaker 1: against him were clearly more than he expected. He became
Speaker 1: convinced that there was no way his army could successfully
Speaker 1: cross the river. Before morning. He had decided to break
Speaker 1: off the engagement. Before long, the whole of the Tartar
Speaker 1: army was fleeing south. Ultimately, Demise Tribelski decided to pursue
Speaker 1: them with only a token force. He feared an ambush,
Speaker 1: and it was generally the policy of the Russian army
Speaker 1: at this stage not to pursue a retreating army. Back
Speaker 1: in Moscow, with much of the army loyal, Toubelski and
Speaker 1: Ivan absent, Ivan Shuyski decided to attempt a coup. This
Speaker 1: plot called for the simultaneous arrests of Velski, the Metropolitan,
Speaker 1: and Ivan himself. It worked perfectly. In fact, when the
Speaker 1: Lithuanian ambassador arrived that March, he wrote back how surprised
Speaker 1: he was at the sudden and abrupt change in regent. Indeed,
Speaker 1: it was becoming increasingly imparent in Russia that coups were
Speaker 1: the order of the day. Ivan responded to all of
Speaker 1: this by behaving as he was expected to in public,
Speaker 1: while seething in private, making matters worse. Ivan Shusky treated
Speaker 1: Ivan the Fourth just as poorly as his brother had. Luckily,
Speaker 1: for our Ivan Shuski, like his brother before him, died
Speaker 1: pretty quickly. He died of natural causes. In May fifteen
Speaker 1: forty two, Ivan Belski unfortunately died in prison. That same month,
Speaker 1: Ivan Shuski was succeeded as regent by his brother Andrey Shuski,
Speaker 1: but this time Ivan had had enough. On December the
Speaker 1: twenty ninth, fifteen forty three, Andrey Shuski came to an
Speaker 1: audience with Ivan unarmed, without personal guards. Ivan did not
Speaker 1: need two chances. He ordered Shusky arrested and given over
Speaker 1: to the keeper of the hounds, where he was clubbed
Speaker 1: to death before his body was unceremoniously flung outside the Kremlin.
Speaker 1: Ivan the fourth was done being a puppet. That September
Speaker 1: he turned fifteen, and Ivan could now be formally invested
Speaker 1: as the Grand Prince of Moscow in his own right.
Speaker 1: Before he could, however, affairs in the south took over.
Speaker 1: It seemed likely the Tartars were going to try another invasion.
Speaker 1: Luckily for Ivan, the Tartar court was just as riven
Speaker 1: with factional intrigue as the Russian one. A pro Russia
Speaker 1: candidate emerged and, with Russian support, became khan, hence the
Speaker 1: Khanate of Kazan suddenly and once more became a Russian vassal,
Speaker 1: the threat for the moment was gone. Ivan finally reached
Speaker 1: Moscow on December the twelfth, fifteen forty six. At present
Speaker 1: his two uncles, both from the Glinsky family, were in charge,
Speaker 1: but everyone now agreed it was time for Ivan to
Speaker 1: be crowned. But crowned what. For As long as Moscow
Speaker 1: had existed, the ruler had been crowned Grand Prince. But
Speaker 1: now the ruler of Moscow also ruled Novgorod, extensive territories
Speaker 1: to the south and, through its vassal, the Khanate of Kazan,
Speaker 1: so the title of prince no longer seemed appropriate. Ivan
Speaker 1: was an emperor. It was a new caesar. Hence, when
Speaker 1: Ivan was crowned on January the sixteenth, fifteen forty seven,
Speaker 1: he was crowned the first ever Russian czar, a term
Speaker 1: derived from the word caesar. The association with the great
Speaker 1: and glorious Roman Empire was clear. From this point on,
Speaker 1: every Russian ruler up to Nicholas the Second would be
Speaker 1: crowned Czar even happily claimed this new title in his
Speaker 1: coronation speech, quote, Father, most Holy Metropolitan, by the will
Speaker 1: of our God, our ancestors, the grand Princes have from
Speaker 1: earliest times to the present day handed down the Grand
Speaker 1: principality to their eldest sons. Thus, my father, Grand Prince
Speaker 1: Velisi venage of all of Russia during his lifetime, endowed
Speaker 1: me with the Grand Principality of Vladimir and of Moscow
Speaker 1: and of Novgorod and of all Russia, and commanded that
Speaker 1: I should ascend the grand princely throne and be anointed
Speaker 1: and crowned with the Tsar's crown according to our ancient customs,
Speaker 1: and my father, the Grand Prince wrote about this in
Speaker 1: his testament. Therefore, our father, thou shouldst bless my ascension
Speaker 1: to the throne and pronounce me grand Prince and Tzar
Speaker 1: crowned by God end quote. Asar Ivan wasted little time
Speaker 1: in solidifying his dynasty. He married Anastasia Zacharina, the daughter
Speaker 1: of a powerful Boyar family, in February fifteen forty seven. Now,
Speaker 1: in that same spring, Moscow was hit by not one
Speaker 1: but two major fires. Like many European cities, but even
Speaker 1: more so, Moscow was a city built of timber. As
Speaker 1: a result, it was extremely susceptible to fires, and would
Speaker 1: be so throughout Ivan's reign. Honestly, fires will remain a
Speaker 1: problem in Moscow for about the next two centuries. On
Speaker 1: June the twenty first, fifteen forty seven, at ten o'clock
Speaker 1: in the morning, a fire began in the Church of
Speaker 1: Exultation of the Cross on the crowded Arbat Street, and
Speaker 1: within an hour the entire area beyond the Neglina River
Speaker 1: had gone up in total flames. A strong wind was blowing.
Speaker 1: The fire took the form of sheets of flame moving
Speaker 1: at will across Moscow, and when the wind changed directions,
Speaker 1: the fires and flames stormed across the Kremlin walls. The
Speaker 1: Tsar's palace even caught fire. His stables, armory, treasury all
Speaker 1: went up in flames. Within this treasury was kept the regalia,
Speaker 1: vast stores of gold, and the jeweled Cross, containing a
Speaker 1: fragment of the True Cross. The gold domed of the
Speaker 1: Cathedral of the Renunciation, which stood next to the treasury,
Speaker 1: caught fire and all of its treasures perished. Famous buildings
Speaker 1: within the Kremlin compound went up in flames. The people
Speaker 1: of Moscow were furious. They could not blame the Tsar,
Speaker 1: as he essentially descended directly from God to attack. The
Speaker 1: Tsar was to mount an assault on the Almighty, but
Speaker 1: they could blame his ministers, and in this case they
Speaker 1: blamed the Glinsky family. At this time, Mikhayo Glinski and
Speaker 1: his older mother, the Princess Anna Glinskaya, were living at
Speaker 1: their estates and out of reach, but Prince Yuri Glinsky,
Speaker 1: Mikhail's brother, had recently arrived in Moscow and was actually
Speaker 1: present on the square outside the cathedral. He was being
Speaker 1: accused of practicing magic against the people, as were all
Speaker 1: members of the Glinski family. He was recognized and fled
Speaker 1: for safety into the cathedral, hoping to receive sanctuary, but
Speaker 1: the crowd ran after him, murdered him, and dragged his
Speaker 1: body through the main gates of the cathedral and carried
Speaker 1: it triumphantly to the place of execution on the red Square,
Speaker 1: where it was exposed for everyone to see. In this way,
Speaker 1: the goal was to show that the accused had been
Speaker 1: properly executed for his crimes, but the chief target of
Speaker 1: the mob remained the Princess Anna Glinskaya. Ivan, however, hated
Speaker 1: the mob and detested the idea of mob violence. He
Speaker 1: wanted to control, and the mob represented the absolute absence
Speaker 1: of control. So for the first time in his reign,
Speaker 1: Ivan used duplicity to get what he wanted. He addressed
Speaker 1: the crowd directly. He told them he was not hiding
Speaker 1: the princess, which he was. The mob then dispersed. No
Speaker 1: sooner had it than Ivan had the ringleaders arrested and
Speaker 1: summarily executed. It was his second act of decisive ruthlessness.
Speaker 1: Now there are many portraits of a young Ivan, but
Speaker 1: there are a few miniatures that survive. They show a
Speaker 1: round face, curly haired youth laden down with crowns and jewels.
Speaker 1: In each of these, Ivan is surrounded by monks and
Speaker 1: church officials, with whom he seems to have spent a
Speaker 1: genuine amount of time with. The Tsar's principal adviser at
Speaker 1: this point was alexey Adishev. He presided over what was
Speaker 1: called the Chosen Council, a small deliver to body of
Speaker 1: men who effectively ran Russia during these years. And these
Speaker 1: were tough years for Russia overall. There were a series
Speaker 1: of bad harvest and tons of issues with the Crimean Tartars,
Speaker 1: who remained distinct from the Kannate of Kazan. Prince Dmitri
Speaker 1: Belski set out again to deal with the threat in
Speaker 1: January fifteen forty eight. The weather, however, was awful and
Speaker 1: the rains made it impossible to move the heavy artillery.
Speaker 1: It is a somewhat unique aspect of war in Russia
Speaker 1: and on the Eastern Step, that is easier to fight
Speaker 1: in the dead of winter or when the temperatures are
Speaker 1: such that moving artillery along frozen rivers is possible. In
Speaker 1: this case, though, the Russians were ultimately able to force
Speaker 1: a battle with the Tartars on the Plane of Arsk,
Speaker 1: which Belski won. It was the first true military achievement
Speaker 1: of Ivan's reign. While Belski was in the south, Kishev
Speaker 1: was working on major reforms for the state. After being appointed,
Speaker 1: Adishev had analyzed hundreds of petitions to the Tsar and
Speaker 1: realized there was a great deal to be done. His
Speaker 1: biggest push was to eliminate the great monastic states. These
Speaker 1: owned huge amounts of land and wealth. Adishev thought this
Speaker 1: was both an inefficient use of land and contrary to scripture.
Speaker 1: He suggested that they'd be broken up and their lands
Speaker 1: redistributed to the peasant class, which simply needed more land
Speaker 1: to survive. Likewise, the abuses of the boyar class needed
Speaker 1: to be curbed. The tsar needed to be responsive to
Speaker 1: his people, his peasant people, not the wealthy nobility. Here
Speaker 1: the concrete suggestions were that peasants be allowed to pay
Speaker 1: their taxes in grain rather than coin or cattle, that
Speaker 1: they be exempt from all state obligates if working for
Speaker 1: a lord, and that the landlords in those circumstances be
Speaker 1: responsible for paying the peasants taxes. Essentially, the peasants were
Speaker 1: working to improve the land on an a state, and
Speaker 1: if they were doing so, that should be their sole obligation.
Speaker 1: The goal was to improve the material welfare of the
Speaker 1: peasants while reducing the power of the boyars. Adishev also
Speaker 1: suggested banning the sale of liquor, which he felt was
Speaker 1: a drain on society. The fact that these reforms could
Speaker 1: be discussed at all suggests a decline on the part
Speaker 1: of the boyars and a rise in power for the czar.
Speaker 1: By fifteen forty nine, it was pretty clear that at
Speaker 1: least some rudimentary reforms were needed to keep going. Ivan's
Speaker 1: first major political convocation opened on February twenty seventh, fifteen
Speaker 1: forty nine. He started out by simply conceding that things
Speaker 1: had gone very wrong during his minority, but now he
Speaker 1: would act as an arbiter or judge in the event
Speaker 1: of a major dispute to ensure that justice was done. Likewise,
Speaker 1: not wanting to re litigate the past, Ivan decreed that
Speaker 1: the state should be wiped clean, effective immediately. However, when
Speaker 1: Ivan addressed the people, he called the Boyars quote unquote,
Speaker 1: rapacious and fabricators of false justice. This was clearly a
Speaker 1: pr move. Ivan wanted the people to believe he was
Speaker 1: on their side, while constantly reassuring the Boyars he was
Speaker 1: not going to go back and relitigate old grievances. Ultimately,
Speaker 1: Ivan had shown himself here to be a fantastic actor.
Speaker 1: He knew he could not be on the side of
Speaker 1: both the Boyars and the peasants. He knew he could
Speaker 1: not redistribute all the Church's lands it owned one third
Speaker 1: of the land in Russia, and he could not alienate
Speaker 1: the metropolitan because it was the church that gave him legitimacy.
Speaker 1: In the end, he certainly realized these grand, sweeping reforms
Speaker 1: would give way to smaller ones. Another reformer was Ivan
Speaker 1: periyastav Periyestav believed that it was Russia's divine mission to
Speaker 1: conquer the Tartars once and for all. He envisioned an
Speaker 1: imperial future for Russia and was the first to contemplate
Speaker 1: direct confrontation with the Ottomans. He wanted Ivan to pursue
Speaker 1: major military reforms and get the Boyars out of their
Speaker 1: traditional roles as relatively ineffective military leaders. Perostov's reforms were
Speaker 1: not very helpful, but they had the merit of offering
Speaker 1: practical solutions to practical problems. Neither Ivan nor the ruling
Speaker 1: Boyars were quite ready to reform the basic concepts of
Speaker 1: the state. The princely families remained enormously powerful, The pellety
Speaker 1: nobility received their land in titles at the pleasure of
Speaker 1: the czar, and the peasants were at the bottom, at
Speaker 1: the mercy of the landlords. Only the church was open
Speaker 1: to immediate reforms, and these could be brought about more
Speaker 1: readily because the Church was divided between a couple of
Speaker 1: different followers. In the end, the most vulnerable entity for
Speaker 1: reform was the church, and that was where Ivan struck.
Speaker 1: He didn't alienate it exactly, but he did curtail its
Speaker 1: land holding powers. He decreed that any lands which had
Speaker 1: been given to the church for the payment of a
Speaker 1: debt owed to the church would immediately revert to the
Speaker 1: government and be redistributed. The Church was also from this
Speaker 1: point forward barred from acquiring new lands. These reforms were
Speaker 1: designed to limit the power of the monasteries, but Ivan
Speaker 1: also wanted to improve the church. He instituted a requirement
Speaker 1: of universal education for all Russian cities. The Church would
Speaker 1: run these schools, and the idea was to produce in
Speaker 1: the long run, better educated priests, just like honestly the
Speaker 1: reformers were trying to do in Western Europe. Now next week,
Speaker 1: I even turned his attention to conquest, just as Periostav
Speaker 1: would have wanted in the meantime. If you're interested in
Speaker 1: more Western CIV, check out the links in the show
Speaker 1: notes for a free trial of Western CIV two point zero.
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