Speaker 1: It is Ryan Seacrest here. Everybody needs some variety in life.
Speaker 1: That's what I love about Chumpa Casino. They know how
Speaker 1: to keep things fresh and exciting. All their games are
Speaker 1: free to play at spin Slots, Bingo and Solitaire. You
Speaker 1: can claim free daily logging bonuses too, and they release
Speaker 1: new games every week. So spice things up with chumpacasino
Speaker 1: dot com. Now for your chance to redeem some serious
Speaker 1: prizes sponsored by chump A Casino. No purchase necessary VGW
Speaker 1: group void where prohibited by Law eighteen plus. Terms and
Speaker 1: conditions apply.
Speaker 2: Top reasons your career wants you to move to Ohio.
Speaker 2: So many amazing growth opportunities, high paying jobs and technology,
Speaker 2: advanced manufacturing, engineering, life sciences and more.
Speaker 3: You'll start to new heights.
Speaker 2: Just like the Wright brothers, John Glenn, even Neil Armstrong.
Speaker 2: Their careers all took off in Ohio, and yours can too.
Speaker 2: A job that can take you further and a place
Speaker 2: you can't wait to come home.
Speaker 3: To have it all in the heart of it all.
Speaker 2: Launch your search at Call Ohio.
Speaker 4: Hello, and welcome to Western SIV Episode three hundred and
Speaker 4: twenty six Ivan The Terrible Part three. After the death
Speaker 4: of Princess Anastasia, Ivan was a different person, and not
Speaker 4: for the better. After her death, the only restraining influence
Speaker 4: on many of Ivan's darker impulses was gone. Within ten
Speaker 4: days of her death, Ivan ordered the period of mourning
Speaker 4: over and launched himself headlong into an extended episode of
Speaker 4: drunkenness and oblauchery. Ivan had many weaknesses which success had
Speaker 4: thus far concealed. He wanted to appear strong, but in
Speaker 4: reality he was hopelessly timid. He saw enemies everywhere, perhaps
Speaker 4: as a consequence of the trauma he suffered as a boy,
Speaker 4: and struck out at anyone he thought might be even remotely.
Speaker 5: Opposed to him.
Speaker 4: He decided from this point forward he was going to
Speaker 4: live his own life. No one would tell him what
Speaker 4: to do. The concepts of sin and the punishment of
Speaker 4: an avenging God and an afterlife had concerned Ivan up
Speaker 4: to now, but no longer it did. He would live
Speaker 4: his life for his own hedonistic desires, and that was
Speaker 4: that he was, after all, the direct representative of God
Speaker 4: on earth. The first indication of this change was his
Speaker 4: choice for a second wife. Previously, Ivan had declared it
Speaker 4: a disaster for a Russian czar to marry a foreign princess.
Speaker 4: Now he did just that, choosing for his wife the
Speaker 4: beautiful young daughter of his step chieftain. And this was
Speaker 4: only the beginning. In November fifteen sixty two, Ivan decided
Speaker 4: to move against the Lithuanian town of Polosko. Was defended
Speaker 4: by only five hundred Polish troops and fell to the
Speaker 4: Russians without much difficulty. In March fifteen sixty three, Ivan
Speaker 4: got news that the Russian commander of the border town
Speaker 4: with Lithuanians was going to betray it back to their people.
Speaker 4: This was almost certainly not true, but Ivan's reaction was
Speaker 4: emblematic of his behavioral change. He executed the leader of
Speaker 4: the garrison and his entire family. Then he moved on
Speaker 4: and arrested and executed the entire extended family for no
Speaker 4: reason whatsoever. This included the murder of one of the
Speaker 4: most important Russian generals from the previous Crimean campaign, who
Speaker 4: had no involvement in the episode.
Speaker 5: In the end, over.
Speaker 4: Sixteen people were put to death. Such purges were previously
Speaker 4: unknown in Russia, but this would prove to be barely
Speaker 4: the tip of the iceberg, and the last day of
Speaker 4: fifteen sixty three the Metropolitan died, he had been a
Speaker 4: kindly man, very scholarly and genuinely pious, but somewhat weak.
Speaker 4: For twenty one years he had looked over the Russian Church.
Speaker 4: He carried out a series of reforms. In his lengthy
Speaker 4: will and last testament, which was read out during the
Speaker 4: funeral service held in the Cathedral of Annunciation, he forgave
Speaker 4: everyone and asked forgiveness from everyone, and he spoke of
Speaker 4: how weighed down by sorrows. He had hoped to be
Speaker 4: permitted to lay down the burdens of his office and
Speaker 4: retire to the peace of monastery, but Ivan never allowed
Speaker 4: him now. Honestly, overall, fifteen sixty three had been a
Speaker 4: pretty successful year for Ivan. There hadn't been any major
Speaker 4: battles after Pulusk. There were some skirmishes on the borders,
Speaker 4: but in reality it had been an unusually quiet year
Speaker 4: for him, and the death of the Metropolitan now put
Speaker 4: him in a position where he could appoint his own
Speaker 4: candidate if he wanted to. But behind closed doors it
Speaker 4: was a different story. In his drunken rages, Ivan was
Speaker 4: becoming increasingly murderous. Blood often float like wine and beer
Speaker 4: at his drinking parties which could last through the night.
Speaker 4: One day, a courtier called molsham Mitev was commanded to
Speaker 4: drink from a huge bowl of mead he had already
Speaker 4: drunk more than enough in In a loud voice, he heard
Speaker 4: himself declare, quote a cursed one talking to Ivan, you
Speaker 4: force us to drink mead mixed with the blood of
Speaker 4: our brothers the Orthodox Christians end quote. Ivan was so
Speaker 4: enraged that he immediately stabbed the man with the iron
Speaker 4: point of his staff, then ordered him to be dragged
Speaker 4: out of his sight and put to death. On another occasion,
Speaker 4: Ivan had been once more drinking and a variety of
Speaker 4: different mass clowns were present. Ivan, who was drinking heavily,
Speaker 4: put on a mask and began drinking with them, and
Speaker 4: all joined in him, except for one courtier, Prince Mikael Repinin.
Speaker 4: According to our sources, he was disgusted with Ivan's behavior
Speaker 4: that he would cavort with common people, he told the Tsarzoch. Momentarily,
Speaker 4: Ivan responded to the criticism by taking off the mask,
Speaker 4: throwing it at the man, and then ordering him dragged
Speaker 4: from the room and likewise executed. It seemed for all
Speaker 4: the previous years Ivan had been, you might say, straining
Speaker 4: at the leash. He wanted to exert his will, but
Speaker 4: every turn he found himself confronted by various powerful forces,
Speaker 4: his wife, the metropolitan, so.
Speaker 5: On and so forth.
Speaker 4: All these attempted to reduce him to the status of
Speaker 4: a constitutional monarch. He saw himself as an autocrat, ruling
Speaker 4: by imperial decree.
Speaker 5: Like God.
Speaker 4: His wishes should be instantly obeyed, his demands immediately accept
Speaker 4: his slightest whisper a law. He had conducted a profound
Speaker 4: study of the Old Testament, and that demonstrated to him
Speaker 4: the existence of divinely appointed rulers who took counsel from
Speaker 4: absolutely no one except God. Why should he listen to
Speaker 4: the advice of the boyars if he was divinely appointed?
Speaker 4: He hated advice, just as he detested the traditional functions
Speaker 4: of the court, which to create a balance of power
Speaker 4: between the czar and his boyars. What Ivan wanted above
Speaker 4: all was the freedom to rule as he saw fit
Speaker 4: without an interference of anyone, as a pure, absolute monarch.
Speaker 4: And so here is where the story admittedly gets weird.
Speaker 4: It's the winter of fifteen sixty four, and Ivan wants
Speaker 4: absolute authority, but that doesn't necessarily exist under the present
Speaker 4: rule Ussian system of government, so what he does in
Speaker 4: reaction is bizarre. Instead of just trying to reform the
Speaker 4: existing government structure to bring it more in line with
Speaker 4: his idea of absolute kingship, Ivan decides to create a
Speaker 4: parallel system of government that's going to run alongside the
Speaker 4: existing state. So in early fifteen sixty four, rumors start
Speaker 4: to permeate Moscow that Ivan intended to abdicate in favor
Speaker 4: of his ten year old son. He summoned the boyars
Speaker 4: and nobles into the Great Hall of the Kremlin, but
Speaker 4: then there was no abdication, far from it. In the
Speaker 4: speech that followed, Ivan did two things. First, in a
Speaker 4: rather lengthy diatribe, he rated everyone present for alleged acts
Speaker 4: of disloyalty. Second, he indicated that he would be going
Speaker 4: into exile. But what did that mean, Ivan would not say.
Speaker 4: Later he addressed the clergy and the nobles around the
Speaker 4: middle of November fifteen sixty four, and during the following
Speaker 4: days his actions grew increasingly ominous. He went around Moscow
Speaker 4: sort of just plundering icons and holy banners from the churches,
Speaker 4: all that was the most holy in Moscow he took
Speaker 4: for himself. But then on Sunday, December third, fifteen sixty four,
Speaker 4: about two weeks after the prior meeting with the clergy
Speaker 4: and the nobles, he summoned them again to discuss in
Speaker 4: the cathedral the plan for action. After the service, the
Speaker 4: Czar gave his blessing to the Metropolitan, the archbishops, bishops, priests, monks,
Speaker 4: princess boyars, and and so and forth that were all gathered.
Speaker 4: They all kissed his hand, and he made the sign
Speaker 4: of the crossover him. Then, without so much as another word,
Speaker 4: accompanied by his queen and his two sons, he turned,
Speaker 4: got in his sleigh and left. Stunned, the population watched
Speaker 4: as their czar rode out of Moscow without so much
Speaker 4: of an indication as to what he intended to do next.
Speaker 4: All I Evan had indicated was that he and his
Speaker 4: family were leaving. But how would Russia's government operate now
Speaker 4: without the Czar? The Czar, who had not abdicated his position,
Speaker 4: now living in exile, Ivan announced his intention shortly thereafter,
Speaker 4: And this, as I mentioned, is where things get a
Speaker 4: bit peculiar. To lead a new kingdom called the Oprinika,
Speaker 4: the name was derived from Slavic oprich, which means separate.
Speaker 5: So and again, just.
Speaker 4: He's a very terrible person, so just don't laugh at this.
Speaker 4: But Ivan essentially named his new kingdom separate land, right.
Speaker 2: Dum.
Speaker 4: Sure we could all laugh at it were it not
Speaker 4: for the reality that this bizarre and political and legal
Speaker 4: maneuver allowed Ivan to torture and murder with abandon even
Speaker 4: on the road to his new capital, which was not
Speaker 4: much more than an elaborate hunting lodge. Ivan decided to
Speaker 4: punish some of the boyars with him. He summarily dismissed
Speaker 4: them from their offices, stripped them of their robes, and
Speaker 4: ordered them to walk back to Moscow. He was sending
Speaker 4: a message even boyars with high administrative positions were easily expendable.
Speaker 4: Around the same time, Ivan sent a series of letters
Speaker 4: to Moscow. In these, he announced his intention of residing
Speaker 4: permanently at the hunting lodge Alexandra Sloboda, and of resigning
Speaker 4: rather than abdicating from the throne. One letter was addressed
Speaker 4: directly to the metropolitan the other to the people of Moscow.
Speaker 4: The complete text of these letters has not survived, but
Speaker 4: we know from contemporary sources that the letter to the
Speaker 4: Metropolitan was intended to be read by the Church hierarchy,
Speaker 4: the Boyars and members of the Tsar's court, and contained
Speaker 4: inevitable lists of attacks against them. He accused the church
Speaker 4: hierarchy of continuing to intercede for the lives of hated
Speaker 4: malefactors who deserve to be punished.
Speaker 5: Quote.
Speaker 4: Wherefore, the Tsar and Grand Prince, not wishing to endure
Speaker 4: these many acts of treachery, has abandoned the Czardom with
Speaker 4: a heavy heart, and now travels wheersoever God may lead
Speaker 4: him end quote. He reminded the Boyars that during his minority,
Speaker 4: they had committed many acts of treason and embezzled the
Speaker 4: state treasury. A lot of that was actually true. He
Speaker 4: accused them of failing in their duty to defend the
Speaker 4: Orthodox Christian Church against its former enemies, the Tartars, Lithuanians
Speaker 4: and Germans. In the end, Ivan was the same person
Speaker 4: that he had been years before. He just had a
Speaker 4: new legal loophole to do what he wanted. He would
Speaker 4: create a separate kingdom. He would retain all his powers,
Speaker 4: He would not abdicate. He would abandon Moscow and go
Speaker 4: wherever God directed him to go. He would resign from
Speaker 4: the government of Moscow and leave it in the hands
Speaker 4: of the men who remained, but only for so long
Speaker 4: as he saw fit, for he return and resume his
Speaker 4: powers whenever he wanted to. He wrote, quote, if God
Speaker 4: in the weather permit, I shall go to Alexandras Laboda,
Speaker 4: and I commit the Czardom into the hands of the traitors. Nevertheless,
Speaker 4: there may come a time Eyeshot once more demand the
Speaker 4: Tzardom and take it back.
Speaker 5: End quote.
Speaker 4: The intention of this letter was obvious to put his
Speaker 4: enemies on the wrong foot. He wanted to sow confusion
Speaker 4: into the ranks of the clergy and the boyars. He
Speaker 4: was both Czar and not Tzar. He had abdicated, but
Speaker 4: yet not abdicated. He was content that Russia should be
Speaker 4: ruled by traders, yet at a time of his own choosing,
Speaker 4: he could come back and wrest it back from them.
Speaker 4: By creating so much confusion, he was giving himself the
Speaker 4: maximum opportunity to maneuver. Although Ivan's letter to the people,
Speaker 4: which was similar, did not cause a rebellion against the Boyars,
Speaker 4: it did have the desired effect of throwing the people
Speaker 4: into dismay If Ivan's goal was to alienate the Boyar
Speaker 4: class while keeping the people on his side, it appeared
Speaker 4: to be working.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 4: Had he been more moderate and strategic in his approach,
Speaker 4: it might have all worked. But as we will see,
Speaker 4: that was not going to be his path moving forward.
Speaker 4: In response, in January of fifteen sixty five, the Boyars
Speaker 4: and Metropolitan decided to send Ivan a petition begging him
Speaker 4: not to resign, not to abandon them. It read as follows,
Speaker 4: with grave reluctance and sorrow in our hearts, we have
Speaker 4: learned from our great Lord, who merits every praise, that
Speaker 4: he is displeased with us, and especially that he is
Speaker 4: abandoning the Zardom and us we are but poor and
Speaker 4: inconsolable sheep without a shepherd, and the wolves, our enemies,
Speaker 4: surround us. We therefore request and beg him to see
Speaker 4: fit to change his mind. In the past nations have
Speaker 4: been conquered and left without rulers. But that a mighty
Speaker 4: sovereign should abandon his loyal subjects and his zardom needlessly,
Speaker 4: Such things are unheard of and not to be read
Speaker 4: in books. If the Csar knows of existence of traders,
Speaker 4: then he should proclaim their names, and they must answer
Speaker 4: for their crimes, for the Lord has the right to
Speaker 4: punish them and to pass exemplary sentences upon them. Should
Speaker 4: the Czar agree to hear our petition, we shall gladly
Speaker 4: submit ourselves to his will.
Speaker 5: End quote.
Speaker 4: Now a delegation went to Alexandra Saroda with this petition.
Speaker 4: All the approaches were guarded, and at the small village
Speaker 4: on the way of Solentino, the whole procession came to
Speaker 4: a halt while the guards sent messengers to discover whether
Speaker 4: or not Ivan was prepared to receive the petitioners. The
Speaker 4: message came back that he was only prepared to perceive
Speaker 4: the leading members. As a result, only seven or eight
Speaker 4: of the assembled dignitaries were permitted to make the rest
Speaker 4: of the journey. They spent the night in Sloantino and
Speaker 4: then rode the remaining twenty miles to Alexandra's. All the
Speaker 4: while under close guard. Ivan gave the petitioners a cold,
Speaker 4: formal and courteous reception. They were treated as though they
Speaker 4: were the ambassadors from a foreign state. Ivan listened to
Speaker 4: the long speeches on the manifest duty of the tsar
Speaker 4: to uphold orthodox Christianity. How, after all, could he do
Speaker 4: this if he was exiled from his people. If he abdicated,
Speaker 4: the true faith would be tainted with heresy, for he
Speaker 4: alone had the power to instill fear into the hearts
Speaker 4: of heretics. One of the men present the archbishop, repeated
Speaker 4: the argument that was contained in the petition. After all,
Speaker 4: if there were crimes and shortcomings committed by the people,
Speaker 4: then the Tsar should be empowered to set things right,
Speaker 4: either by acts of mercy or by employing the most
Speaker 4: terrible punishments. Having read the letter and listened to this plea,
Speaker 4: Ivan dismissed the petitioners and announced that he would have
Speaker 4: a decision in the morning.
Speaker 5: The following day.
Speaker 4: When the petitioners came back, Ivan was in a dark mood.
Speaker 4: He spoke of interminable rebellions, which were probably mostly in
Speaker 4: his head. Ivan told those assembled that he would return,
Speaker 4: but only under two conditions. One he must have the
Speaker 4: right to strike down anyone he considered a traitor, and two,
Speaker 4: he must have the right to form a separate kingdom
Speaker 4: with its own army, its own boyars, noble secretaries, and officials.
Speaker 4: For the first time, the petitioners heard the word Oprinika
Speaker 4: out of Russia would be carved a new kingdom reserved
Speaker 4: for his own use. Were his followers. The Olpriniki would
Speaker 4: be granted as states equal to their rank, and these
Speaker 4: estates would necessarily have to be taken from the present owners.
Speaker 5: There was no other way.
Speaker 4: All towns and provinces would be included in the Oprinika
Speaker 4: for the upkeep of his.
Speaker 5: Court and the court of his sons.
Speaker 4: The rest of Russia, which would be known and again
Speaker 4: I'm really bad at these names Zeminisha, which roughly translates
Speaker 4: to the dominion, would be ruled by the boyars, but
Speaker 4: only in obedience.
Speaker 5: With Ivan's wishes. Over the Opininiki.
Speaker 4: Ivan would rule directly and absolutely, with no restraint whatsoever.
Speaker 4: Now those assembled were relieved, they actually thought the conditions
Speaker 4: would be significantly worse. They enthusiastically accepted the idea and
Speaker 4: returned to Moscow, expecting Ivan to be not far behind them.
Speaker 5: Ivan, however, did.
Speaker 4: Not return to Moscow for around six weeks. When he
Speaker 4: did return, Ivan was physically changed, appearing to have lost
Speaker 4: considerable weight and hair. When Ivan did return, he continued
Speaker 4: to insist on this divided state theory. This made the
Speaker 4: operation of the the Russian state nearly impossible, but to
Speaker 4: Ivan it had one huge upside. He could keep everyone guessing.
Speaker 4: Since no one knew exactly who could do what. It
Speaker 4: kept Ivan in the place of ultimate authority. As I'm
Speaker 4: sure you've guessed, it did not take long for the
Speaker 4: reign of terror to begin. One leading prince and his
Speaker 4: seventeen year old son were arrested and executed within a
Speaker 4: few days of Ivan's return.
Speaker 5: No one knew why.
Speaker 4: Even today, historians have no idea what Ivan had against
Speaker 4: this man or his son. Regardless, Ivan had absolute authority,
Speaker 4: and so they both died. The hunting lodge at Alexandra's Leboda,
Speaker 4: which was about seventy five miles from Moscow by the way,
Speaker 4: remained Ivan's principal residence and capital. Here Ivan could live
Speaker 4: as he wanted, secluded and mysterious. Here he could operate
Speaker 4: without being observed. Ivan's court was much smaller here, but
Speaker 4: more responsive to his needs. Around six thousand boyars were
Speaker 4: interviewed and vetted for roles in this new administration. Perhaps
Speaker 4: a few hundred made the cut, but those who did
Speaker 4: were wildly rewarded. Boyars who previously owned little land found
Speaker 4: themselves in charge of massive estates.
Speaker 5: Being on Ivan's good side had its benefits. For now.
Speaker 4: Those on the Inner Council had the power of life
Speaker 4: and death. Their job was to ferret out traders, real
Speaker 4: and imagined, mostly the latter, as Ivan waited for the
Speaker 4: opportunity to have his vengeance on his imagined enemies. Hundreds
Speaker 4: of people had been rounded up by the Oprainiki, the
Speaker 4: people working in this new government, and led off to
Speaker 4: the prison chambers within Alexandros Leboda. Oftentimes, Ivan would make
Speaker 4: his way down to the torture chamber after dinner, where
Speaker 4: he himself would interrogate these victims and order those whose
Speaker 4: answers were unsatisfactory to be tortured. He seemed to take
Speaker 4: great pleasure in watching people in their agony. To foreign
Speaker 4: mercenaries who joined the Openingiki would later write quote Ivan
Speaker 4: was always gay and cheerful, and spoke excitedly when attending
Speaker 4: these interrogations and tortures end quote. Another observer, a German,
Speaker 4: a careful observer of the Czar and his behavior, wrote
Speaker 4: of Ivan and the dungeons quote the tyrant habitually watches
Speaker 4: with his own eyes those who are being tortured and
Speaker 4: put to death, as it happens frequently that the blood's
Speaker 4: spurts on his face. He is not the least disturbed
Speaker 4: by blood, but on the con he is exalted by
Speaker 4: it and shouts exuberantly goyda goida, which means Hurrah, Hurrah,
Speaker 4: and then those all around him shout yoida, yoida. But
Speaker 4: whenever the tyrant observes someone standing there in silence, he
Speaker 4: immediately suspects that he is sympathetic.
Speaker 5: To the prisoner.
Speaker 4: He asks why he is sad when he should be joyful,
Speaker 4: and then orders him cut to pieces. And every day
Speaker 4: people are killed at his orders.
Speaker 5: End quote.
Speaker 4: In the spring of fifteen sixty six, the kingdom was
Speaker 4: starting to get used to Ivan's arbitrary double jurisdiction experiment.
Speaker 4: It did not work well, but the country had enough
Speaker 4: resources that Russia did not collapse. All the while, Ivan
Speaker 4: continued to refine and embellish his ideas on the Opriniki.
Speaker 4: He was determined to push these ideas to the furthest
Speaker 4: limits and alien el to himself completely from his people.
Speaker 4: He was no longer in his own as the ruler
Speaker 4: of Russia, but only a segment of Russia that resembled
Speaker 4: the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle selected by him without
Speaker 4: any coherent boundaries. To be his own private domain, he
Speaker 4: had abandon the Kremlin palaces, deciding to build a new
Speaker 4: Alpernika palace nearby, just outside the Kremlin wall, in what
Speaker 4: he had declared to be the Alperanika region of Moscow.
Speaker 4: In May fifteen fifty six, the architectural plans were ready,
Speaker 4: and he gave orders for the new palace to be
Speaker 4: built in the quickest possible time. He expropriated whole streets
Speaker 4: of houses and tore them down, so it was that
Speaker 4: by the end of the year the palace was almost complete.
Speaker 4: The walls were eighteen feet high and formed a square
Speaker 4: whose sides measured eight hundred feet. There were three gates,
Speaker 4: each surmounted by carved emblems representing a double headed eagle
Speaker 4: between two lions. Exactly what he intended to convey by
Speaker 4: this new emblem wasn't but a German mercenary who described
Speaker 4: the palace at some length so the lions had wide
Speaker 4: open mouths. Perhaps the lions represented the spirit of the
Speaker 4: Opuniki roaring out. Now within this massive square were a
Speaker 4: debtor's prison kitchen cellars, bathhouses, ice houses, stables, and hundreds
Speaker 4: of administrative quarters. There was a small cottage built in
Speaker 4: one corner of the square just for Ivan to eat breakfast.
Speaker 4: The walls near the cottage were a little lower than elsewhere,
Speaker 4: so that more sunlight could come in and he could
Speaker 4: catch the morning breeze. Now that summer, Ivan found himself
Speaker 4: faced with an actual real plot. King Sigamundas Augustus, the
Speaker 4: present King of Poland, was trying to get as many
Speaker 4: Russian boyars as possible to defect. Given Ivan's increasingly erratic behavior,
Speaker 4: I suppose it wasn't exactly what you would call a
Speaker 4: hard cell. Seemingly to distract Russia from the situation within
Speaker 4: and along the border with Pole in Lithuania, Ivan decided
Speaker 4: to attack Lithuania again. But then he almost as quickly
Speaker 4: as he decided to invade, called off the invasion. He
Speaker 4: had not prepared well enough and the weather was poor.
Speaker 4: Plus King Sigismund was poised to invade, and Ivan's advisers
Speaker 4: told him the Russian troops would be better used against
Speaker 4: the polls on defense. Regardless as to the reason, and
Speaker 4: there's a lot of conflicting information in the sources. If
Speaker 4: I'm being honest, the invasion did not go forward. Now,
Speaker 4: before we get into the next stage of the story,
Speaker 4: let me dispel one myth.
Speaker 5: For a little while.
Speaker 4: It was in vogue for historians to defend Ivan in
Speaker 4: this line of logic, Ivan was pursuing a policy designed
Speaker 4: to end Boyar oppressions and fundamentally reduce the of the
Speaker 4: Boyar class. That argument simply isn't true. As we will see,
Speaker 4: Ivan was not pursuing any careful policy. He was murdering indiscriminately.
Speaker 4: Peasants suffered just as much as Boyar's. Ivan was no
Speaker 4: brilliant tactician. He was a bloodthirsty, paranoid maniac.
Speaker 5: End of story.
Speaker 4: All throughout that summer fifteen sixty six, the blood bath continued.
Speaker 4: Hired assassins flowed in and out of Ivan's hunting lodge,
Speaker 4: laden down with orders to kill those around. Ivan had
Speaker 4: but one job find victims, and they did it with abandon.
Speaker 4: The only real person who tried to oppose Ivan was
Speaker 4: the Metropolitan. He implored Ivan to stop the indiscriminate slaughter.
Speaker 4: Ivan respond it that these were all traders and that
Speaker 4: was why they were dying. The Metropolitan tried to hold
Speaker 4: a church synod to condemn Ivan's actions, but only one
Speaker 4: other bishop stood with him. Perhaps the other bishops were right.
Speaker 4: That November, armed guards broke into the cathedral as the
Speaker 4: Metropolitan was delivering Sunday's service. They read out a list
Speaker 4: of alleged crimes, declared the metropolitan unfit for his office,
Speaker 4: and dragged him out. He was the last metropolitan who
Speaker 4: would ever tried to stand up to Ivan. From this
Speaker 4: point forward, everyone kept their heads down. With the Metropolitan
Speaker 4: out of the way, there was nothing to hold back
Speaker 4: the absolute blood letting that followed. The purpose was to
Speaker 4: make everyone fear Ivan, and it worked. In September fifteen
Speaker 4: sixty nine, the Czar's second wife died. They had been
Speaker 4: estranged for the last several years of Ivan's life. Her death, nonetheless,
Speaker 4: seems to have made his behavior even more aberrant and unhinged.
Speaker 4: In fifteen sixty nine, Ivan turned against the people of Novgorod.
Speaker 4: Now there, the peasants had been totally loyal, but Ivan
Speaker 4: couldn't understand why they were more interested in trade than
Speaker 4: expanding the reaches of the Empire.
Speaker 5: Hence they needed to be punished.
Speaker 4: Ivan set out for Novgorod in October fifteen sixty nine,
Speaker 4: with around fifteen thousand men. The army avoided the main
Speaker 4: roads so no one within Novgorod could be warned. Anyone
Speaker 4: that the army came across as it marched were killed immediately.
Speaker 4: Now along the way, Ivan stopped at the town of Tivert.
Speaker 4: There he had a beef with the monastery and decided
Speaker 4: he would just punish everyone. Result, he demanded that every
Speaker 4: single family turn over any treasure that they had to
Speaker 4: the czar.
Speaker 5: Right now.
Speaker 4: Those who did not comply were treated as common criminals.
Speaker 4: In the end, about nine thousand men, women and children
Speaker 4: were rounded up and summarily executed alongside the Volga River,
Speaker 4: where their lifeless bodies were thrust through holes cut in
Speaker 4: the ice. From Tivere, Ivan continued murdering indiscriminately as the
Speaker 4: army marched. On January second, fifteen seventy, about two days
Speaker 4: from Novgorod, Ivan sent ahead an advanced guard. Their job
Speaker 4: was to secure the roads leading in and out of
Speaker 4: the city so that no one could leave from there.
Speaker 4: I even slowed down his approach to draw out the
Speaker 4: panic in the city. It did not reach Novgorod until January.
Speaker 4: The now for whatever reason, Ivan had decided that the
Speaker 4: Archbishop of Novgorod was essentially responsible for all of the
Speaker 4: city's quote unquote sins. He declared that the church would
Speaker 4: have to pay for its insolence. Every monk needed to
Speaker 4: come up with twenty rubles worth of goods or they
Speaker 4: would be clubbed to death. Hundreds of monks were beaten
Speaker 4: to death as they were clubbed on the very day
Speaker 4: Ivan arrived. The czar had little patience for such things.
Speaker 4: You either have the money or you didn't. But this
Speaker 4: was merely a prelude of what was to come. After
Speaker 4: several weeks of essentially besieging his own city, I even
Speaker 4: began interrogating the people inside about their neighbour's loyalty. It
Speaker 4: did not take long for even to get enough evidence
Speaker 4: to start a fresh wave of violence. He ordered a
Speaker 4: large wooden platform erected over the river. Accused men, women
Speaker 4: and children would be led up to the platform, their
Speaker 4: arms and legs bound, and then they were summarily pitched
Speaker 4: over into holes cut in the ice. His assassins waited
Speaker 4: below with axes. When someone bobbed at the surface, they
Speaker 4: were hacked to death. While this was the principal method
Speaker 4: of massacring the people of Novgorod. Ivan also had some
Speaker 4: merchants tied to stakes, where he used them as jousting practice,
Speaker 4: running them through with his own lance. Over twenty thousand
Speaker 4: people were slaughtered. Of these, historians believe Ivan killed twenty
Speaker 4: by his own hands. During the first week of February
Speaker 4: fifteen seventy, Ivan decided Novgorod had had enough. About one
Speaker 4: third of the population was dead, and all the city's
Speaker 4: wealth was now in Ivan's hands. Suddenly, in the early
Speaker 4: morning of February thirteenth, fifteen seventy, Ivan declared it was over.
Speaker 4: At sunrise, he ordered messengers to announce that, by the
Speaker 4: Tsar's orders, every single street in Novgorod had to send
Speaker 4: its leading citizen to him. Now, of course, there could
Speaker 4: be no question of disobeying his orders, and about sixty
Speaker 4: elders showed up, all considering themselves as good as dead.
Speaker 4: Clearly they thought there'd be another massacre, then another, and
Speaker 4: then another, so simply no one in Novgorod was left alive.
Speaker 4: To their surprise, they found Ivan in a very different mood.
Speaker 4: According to the chronicler, the Tsar looked upon them with
Speaker 4: merciful eyes and said quote men of Novgorod the Great,
Speaker 4: all those of you now remaining in this city, I
Speaker 4: pray you to beseech the all merciful, ever generous and
Speaker 4: most loving God and his pure Mother, and all the
Speaker 4: saints on behalf of our Zardom, and my children Ivan
Speaker 4: and Fiedor, and my Christ's loving army, so that our
Speaker 4: Lord may grant us victory over our enemies, whether visible
Speaker 4: or invisible. God shall judge the archbishop who is a
Speaker 4: traitor to me and also to you, and all his
Speaker 4: evil collaborators, and they will be held accountable for this bloodshed.
Speaker 4: But you must not grieve anymore, Go and be thankful.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 4: This was a totally self serving statement. It ignores the
Speaker 4: fact that the massacre was one one hundred percent Ivan's responsibility,
Speaker 4: and that all the enemies have been invisible. Unfortunately for Ivan,
Speaker 4: he had but one problem. He could not transport all
Speaker 4: his stolen wealth back to his hunting lodge. So in
Speaker 4: one last vindictive moment, he ordered all the goods that
Speaker 4: could not be carried jammed into several nearby warehouses. Then
Speaker 4: he ordered the warehouses burned to the ground. Anyone who
Speaker 4: tried to rush in and save their personal belongings was killed.
Speaker 4: Ivan's coffers swelled with the remaining loot. Back at his headquarters,
Speaker 4: he celebrated his quote unquote victory over Novgorod.
Speaker 5: In the end.
Speaker 4: Historians estimate, when you count the famine that followed the
Speaker 4: general massacre, around fifty thousand people in Novgorod died in
Speaker 4: the year fifteen seventy. If true, that is around eighty
Speaker 4: five percent of the total population. Next week we finished
Speaker 4: with Ivan and see how, somehow this all gets worse.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 4: As always, if you'd like to support the show, there's
Speaker 4: two key ways. The first is you can click on
Speaker 4: the link in the show notes to Western CIV. Two
Speaker 4: point zero and it is seven day for each try all.
Speaker 4: And the other is to just leave a rating or
Speaker 4: review on whatever platform you happen to be listening to
Speaker 4: at the time. It really is the best way to
Speaker 4: help new listeners find the show, and I thank you
Speaker 4: very much every single person who leaves a review. It
Speaker 4: really does.
Speaker 6: Help jump looking for excitement. Chumbu Casino is here. Play anytime,
Speaker 6: Play anywhere, Play on the train, play at the store,
Speaker 6: play at home, Play when you're bored, Play today for
Speaker 6: your chance to win and get daily bonuses when you
Speaker 6: log in, So what are you waiting for? Don't delay.
Speaker 6: Chumba Casino is free to play.
Speaker 7: Experience social gameplay like never before. Go to Chumbuck Casino
Speaker 7: right now to play hundreds of games, including online slots, bingos, lingo,
Speaker 7: and more. Live the Chemba life at Chemba Casino dot com.
Speaker 7: Bgwroom No parts necessary. Bid were prohibited by lossy terms
Speaker 7: and conditions.
Speaker 2: Eating plus top reasons your career wants you to move
Speaker 2: to Ohio. So many amazing growth opportunities, high paying jobs
Speaker 2: and technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, life sciences, and more.
Speaker 3: You'll soart to new heights.
Speaker 2: Just like the Wright brothers, John Glenn, even Neil Armstrong,
Speaker 2: their careers all took off in Ohio, and yours can too.
Speaker 2: A job that can take you further and a place
Speaker 2: you can't wait to come home to have it all
Speaker 2: in the heart of it all. Launch your search at
Speaker 2: call Ohio home dot com.