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After the death 23 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:34.120 of Princess Anastasia, Ivan was a different person, and not 24 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:38.120 for the better. After her death, the only restraining influence 25 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.719 on many of Ivan's darker impulses was gone. Within ten 26 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:45.760 days of her death, Ivan ordered the period of mourning 27 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:50.400 over and launched himself headlong into an extended episode of 28 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:55.439 drunkenness and oblauchery. Ivan had many weaknesses which success had 29 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:59.400 thus far concealed. He wanted to appear strong, but in 30 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:05.200 reality he was hopelessly timid. He saw enemies everywhere, perhaps 31 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:08.280 as a consequence of the trauma he suffered as a boy, 32 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:12.919 and struck out at anyone he thought might be even remotely. 33 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:13.800 Opposed to him. 34 00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:17.080 He decided from this point forward he was going to 35 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:20.800 live his own life. No one would tell him what 36 00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:25.520 to do. The concepts of sin and the punishment of 37 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.080 an avenging God and an afterlife had concerned Ivan up 38 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:32.759 to now, but no longer it did. He would live 39 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:35.840 his life for his own hedonistic desires, and that was 40 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:40.400 that he was, after all, the direct representative of God 41 00:02:40.439 --> 00:02:45.719 on earth. The first indication of this change was his 42 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:50.560 choice for a second wife. Previously, Ivan had declared it 43 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:54.879 a disaster for a Russian czar to marry a foreign princess. 44 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:58.680 Now he did just that, choosing for his wife the 45 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.520 beautiful young daughter of his step chieftain. And this was 46 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:08.120 only the beginning. In November fifteen sixty two, Ivan decided 47 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:12.120 to move against the Lithuanian town of Polosko. Was defended 48 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:14.759 by only five hundred Polish troops and fell to the 49 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:19.639 Russians without much difficulty. In March fifteen sixty three, Ivan 50 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:22.120 got news that the Russian commander of the border town 51 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:25.680 with Lithuanians was going to betray it back to their people. 52 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:31.840 This was almost certainly not true, but Ivan's reaction was 53 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:36.439 emblematic of his behavioral change. He executed the leader of 54 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:41.439 the garrison and his entire family. Then he moved on 55 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:46.000 and arrested and executed the entire extended family for no 56 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:51.240 reason whatsoever. This included the murder of one of the 57 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:55.800 most important Russian generals from the previous Crimean campaign, who 58 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:58.719 had no involvement in the episode. 59 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:00.000 In the end, over. 60 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:04.759 Sixteen people were put to death. Such purges were previously 61 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:09.639 unknown in Russia, but this would prove to be barely 62 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:12.960 the tip of the iceberg, and the last day of 63 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:16.680 fifteen sixty three the Metropolitan died, he had been a 64 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:20.800 kindly man, very scholarly and genuinely pious, but somewhat weak. 65 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:24.920 For twenty one years he had looked over the Russian Church. 66 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:28.800 He carried out a series of reforms. In his lengthy 67 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:31.160 will and last testament, which was read out during the 68 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:35.560 funeral service held in the Cathedral of Annunciation, he forgave 69 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:38.839 everyone and asked forgiveness from everyone, and he spoke of 70 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.160 how weighed down by sorrows. He had hoped to be 71 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:43.680 permitted to lay down the burdens of his office and 72 00:04:43.800 --> 00:04:47.040 retire to the peace of monastery, but Ivan never allowed 73 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:51.399 him now. Honestly, overall, fifteen sixty three had been a 74 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:54.800 pretty successful year for Ivan. There hadn't been any major 75 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:58.639 battles after Pulusk. There were some skirmishes on the borders, 76 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:02.560 but in reality it had been an unusually quiet year 77 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:05.279 for him, and the death of the Metropolitan now put 78 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:07.519 him in a position where he could appoint his own 79 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:11.319 candidate if he wanted to. But behind closed doors it 80 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:15.399 was a different story. In his drunken rages, Ivan was 81 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:20.680 becoming increasingly murderous. Blood often float like wine and beer 82 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:22.839 at his drinking parties which could last through the night. 83 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:27.879 One day, a courtier called molsham Mitev was commanded to 84 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:30.680 drink from a huge bowl of mead he had already 85 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.040 drunk more than enough in In a loud voice, he heard 86 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:38.160 himself declare, quote a cursed one talking to Ivan, you 87 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:40.639 force us to drink mead mixed with the blood of 88 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:44.959 our brothers the Orthodox Christians end quote. Ivan was so 89 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:49.399 enraged that he immediately stabbed the man with the iron 90 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:51.959 point of his staff, then ordered him to be dragged 91 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:56.480 out of his sight and put to death. On another occasion, 92 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:59.439 Ivan had been once more drinking and a variety of 93 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:03.920 different mass clowns were present. Ivan, who was drinking heavily, 94 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:06.480 put on a mask and began drinking with them, and 95 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:10.680 all joined in him, except for one courtier, Prince Mikael Repinin. 96 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:14.720 According to our sources, he was disgusted with Ivan's behavior 97 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:19.920 that he would cavort with common people, he told the Tsarzoch. Momentarily, 98 00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:23.600 Ivan responded to the criticism by taking off the mask, 99 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.639 throwing it at the man, and then ordering him dragged 100 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:30.920 from the room and likewise executed. It seemed for all 101 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:34.160 the previous years Ivan had been, you might say, straining 102 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:37.240 at the leash. He wanted to exert his will, but 103 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:42.439 every turn he found himself confronted by various powerful forces, 104 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:45.480 his wife, the metropolitan, so. 105 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:46.240 On and so forth. 106 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:49.000 All these attempted to reduce him to the status of 107 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:53.560 a constitutional monarch. He saw himself as an autocrat, ruling 108 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:54.680 by imperial decree. 109 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:55.720 Like God. 110 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:59.920 His wishes should be instantly obeyed, his demands immediately accept 111 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:05.839 his slightest whisper a law. He had conducted a profound 112 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.399 study of the Old Testament, and that demonstrated to him 113 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:13.079 the existence of divinely appointed rulers who took counsel from 114 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:18.319 absolutely no one except God. Why should he listen to 115 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:21.600 the advice of the boyars if he was divinely appointed? 116 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:27.720 He hated advice, just as he detested the traditional functions 117 00:07:27.720 --> 00:07:30.279 of the court, which to create a balance of power 118 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:34.319 between the czar and his boyars. What Ivan wanted above 119 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:36.879 all was the freedom to rule as he saw fit 120 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:41.759 without an interference of anyone, as a pure, absolute monarch. 121 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:48.759 And so here is where the story admittedly gets weird. 122 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.720 It's the winter of fifteen sixty four, and Ivan wants 123 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:59.720 absolute authority, but that doesn't necessarily exist under the present 124 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:04.360 rule Ussian system of government, so what he does in 125 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:09.800 reaction is bizarre. Instead of just trying to reform the 126 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:14.120 existing government structure to bring it more in line with 127 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:20.560 his idea of absolute kingship, Ivan decides to create a 128 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:26.240 parallel system of government that's going to run alongside the 129 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:33.399 existing state. So in early fifteen sixty four, rumors start 130 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:38.120 to permeate Moscow that Ivan intended to abdicate in favor 131 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:42.039 of his ten year old son. He summoned the boyars 132 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:46.320 and nobles into the Great Hall of the Kremlin, but 133 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:52.200 then there was no abdication, far from it. In the 134 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:57.120 speech that followed, Ivan did two things. First, in a 135 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:03.399 rather lengthy diatribe, he rated everyone present for alleged acts 136 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:08.320 of disloyalty. Second, he indicated that he would be going 137 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:15.000 into exile. But what did that mean, Ivan would not say. 138 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:18.639 Later he addressed the clergy and the nobles around the 139 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:22.399 middle of November fifteen sixty four, and during the following 140 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:26.799 days his actions grew increasingly ominous. He went around Moscow 141 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:30.759 sort of just plundering icons and holy banners from the churches, 142 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:35.200 all that was the most holy in Moscow he took 143 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:39.759 for himself. But then on Sunday, December third, fifteen sixty four, 144 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:42.679 about two weeks after the prior meeting with the clergy 145 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:46.159 and the nobles, he summoned them again to discuss in 146 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:51.320 the cathedral the plan for action. After the service, the 147 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:56.039 Czar gave his blessing to the Metropolitan, the archbishops, bishops, priests, monks, 148 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:58.759 princess boyars, and and so and forth that were all gathered. 149 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.399 They all kissed his hand, and he made the sign 150 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:06.360 of the crossover him. Then, without so much as another word, 151 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:11.159 accompanied by his queen and his two sons, he turned, 152 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:18.159 got in his sleigh and left. Stunned, the population watched 153 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:22.360 as their czar rode out of Moscow without so much 154 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:25.559 of an indication as to what he intended to do next. 155 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:30.159 All I Evan had indicated was that he and his 156 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:35.080 family were leaving. But how would Russia's government operate now 157 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:40.240 without the Czar? The Czar, who had not abdicated his position, 158 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:47.200 now living in exile, Ivan announced his intention shortly thereafter, 159 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.799 And this, as I mentioned, is where things get a 160 00:10:50.919 --> 00:10:56.399 bit peculiar. To lead a new kingdom called the Oprinika, 161 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:03.240 the name was derived from Slavic oprich, which means separate. 162 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:06.080 So and again, just. 163 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:10.879 He's a very terrible person, so just don't laugh at this. 164 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:16.759 But Ivan essentially named his new kingdom separate land, right. 165 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:18.399 Dum. 166 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:22.200 Sure we could all laugh at it were it not 167 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:26.080 for the reality that this bizarre and political and legal 168 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:32.840 maneuver allowed Ivan to torture and murder with abandon even 169 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.159 on the road to his new capital, which was not 170 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:39.600 much more than an elaborate hunting lodge. Ivan decided to 171 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:43.480 punish some of the boyars with him. He summarily dismissed 172 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:47.399 them from their offices, stripped them of their robes, and 173 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:51.480 ordered them to walk back to Moscow. He was sending 174 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:59.039 a message even boyars with high administrative positions were easily expendable. 175 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:04.120 Around the same time, Ivan sent a series of letters 176 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:08.039 to Moscow. In these, he announced his intention of residing 177 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:13.919 permanently at the hunting lodge Alexandra Sloboda, and of resigning 178 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:17.879 rather than abdicating from the throne. One letter was addressed 179 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:21.159 directly to the metropolitan the other to the people of Moscow. 180 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:24.960 The complete text of these letters has not survived, but 181 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:27.519 we know from contemporary sources that the letter to the 182 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.840 Metropolitan was intended to be read by the Church hierarchy, 183 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:35.080 the Boyars and members of the Tsar's court, and contained 184 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:39.360 inevitable lists of attacks against them. He accused the church 185 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:44.120 hierarchy of continuing to intercede for the lives of hated 186 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.879 malefactors who deserve to be punished. 187 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:47.320 Quote. 188 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:51.200 Wherefore, the Tsar and Grand Prince, not wishing to endure 189 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:54.679 these many acts of treachery, has abandoned the Czardom with 190 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:58.360 a heavy heart, and now travels wheersoever God may lead 191 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:03.559 him end quote. He reminded the Boyars that during his minority, 192 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:07.200 they had committed many acts of treason and embezzled the 193 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:10.600 state treasury. A lot of that was actually true. He 194 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.240 accused them of failing in their duty to defend the 195 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:18.320 Orthodox Christian Church against its former enemies, the Tartars, Lithuanians 196 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.960 and Germans. In the end, Ivan was the same person 197 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:23.919 that he had been years before. He just had a 198 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.720 new legal loophole to do what he wanted. He would 199 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:30.159 create a separate kingdom. He would retain all his powers, 200 00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:33.639 He would not abdicate. He would abandon Moscow and go 201 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:37.240 wherever God directed him to go. He would resign from 202 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:39.879 the government of Moscow and leave it in the hands 203 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:42.639 of the men who remained, but only for so long 204 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:47.039 as he saw fit, for he return and resume his 205 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:51.360 powers whenever he wanted to. He wrote, quote, if God 206 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:54.279 in the weather permit, I shall go to Alexandras Laboda, 207 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:58.440 and I commit the Czardom into the hands of the traitors. Nevertheless, 208 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:01.679 there may come a time Eyeshot once more demand the 209 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:03.120 Tzardom and take it back. 210 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:04.120 End quote. 211 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:07.919 The intention of this letter was obvious to put his 212 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:11.320 enemies on the wrong foot. He wanted to sow confusion 213 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.240 into the ranks of the clergy and the boyars. He 214 00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:18.639 was both Czar and not Tzar. He had abdicated, but 215 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:23.600 yet not abdicated. He was content that Russia should be 216 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:27.279 ruled by traders, yet at a time of his own choosing, 217 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:30.320 he could come back and wrest it back from them. 218 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:34.799 By creating so much confusion, he was giving himself the 219 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:40.320 maximum opportunity to maneuver. Although Ivan's letter to the people, 220 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:44.279 which was similar, did not cause a rebellion against the Boyars, 221 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:47.799 it did have the desired effect of throwing the people 222 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:53.360 into dismay If Ivan's goal was to alienate the Boyar 223 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:56.519 class while keeping the people on his side, it appeared 224 00:14:56.559 --> 00:14:57.080 to be working. 225 00:14:58.679 --> 00:14:58.799 Now. 226 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:02.559 Had he been more moderate and strategic in his approach, 227 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:05.879 it might have all worked. But as we will see, 228 00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:08.840 that was not going to be his path moving forward. 229 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:14.279 In response, in January of fifteen sixty five, the Boyars 230 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:18.720 and Metropolitan decided to send Ivan a petition begging him 231 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:23.159 not to resign, not to abandon them. It read as follows, 232 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.159 with grave reluctance and sorrow in our hearts, we have 233 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:29.639 learned from our great Lord, who merits every praise, that 234 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.440 he is displeased with us, and especially that he is 235 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:36.519 abandoning the Zardom and us we are but poor and 236 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:40.799 inconsolable sheep without a shepherd, and the wolves, our enemies, 237 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:44.519 surround us. We therefore request and beg him to see 238 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:48.159 fit to change his mind. In the past nations have 239 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:51.679 been conquered and left without rulers. But that a mighty 240 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:55.519 sovereign should abandon his loyal subjects and his zardom needlessly, 241 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:59.360 Such things are unheard of and not to be read 242 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:03.080 in books. If the Csar knows of existence of traders, 243 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:07.360 then he should proclaim their names, and they must answer 244 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:10.399 for their crimes, for the Lord has the right to 245 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:14.480 punish them and to pass exemplary sentences upon them. Should 246 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:17.799 the Czar agree to hear our petition, we shall gladly 247 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:19.919 submit ourselves to his will. 248 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:21.080 End quote. 249 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:27.799 Now a delegation went to Alexandra Saroda with this petition. 250 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:32.960 All the approaches were guarded, and at the small village 251 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.639 on the way of Solentino, the whole procession came to 252 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:39.759 a halt while the guards sent messengers to discover whether 253 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:43.759 or not Ivan was prepared to receive the petitioners. The 254 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:46.240 message came back that he was only prepared to perceive 255 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:50.159 the leading members. As a result, only seven or eight 256 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:53.159 of the assembled dignitaries were permitted to make the rest 257 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:57.000 of the journey. They spent the night in Sloantino and 258 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:01.480 then rode the remaining twenty miles to Alexandra's. All the 259 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:07.640 while under close guard. Ivan gave the petitioners a cold, 260 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:12.000 formal and courteous reception. They were treated as though they 261 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:16.359 were the ambassadors from a foreign state. Ivan listened to 262 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:18.880 the long speeches on the manifest duty of the tsar 263 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:23.480 to uphold orthodox Christianity. How, after all, could he do 264 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:27.359 this if he was exiled from his people. If he abdicated, 265 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:30.920 the true faith would be tainted with heresy, for he 266 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:34.480 alone had the power to instill fear into the hearts 267 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:39.599 of heretics. One of the men present the archbishop, repeated 268 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:42.599 the argument that was contained in the petition. After all, 269 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.279 if there were crimes and shortcomings committed by the people, 270 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:47.960 then the Tsar should be empowered to set things right, 271 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:52.000 either by acts of mercy or by employing the most 272 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:56.759 terrible punishments. Having read the letter and listened to this plea, 273 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.400 Ivan dismissed the petitioners and announced that he would have 274 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:01.640 a decision in the morning. 275 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:03.920 The following day. 276 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:06.920 When the petitioners came back, Ivan was in a dark mood. 277 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.279 He spoke of interminable rebellions, which were probably mostly in 278 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:16.000 his head. Ivan told those assembled that he would return, 279 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:19.519 but only under two conditions. One he must have the 280 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:23.039 right to strike down anyone he considered a traitor, and two, 281 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:25.720 he must have the right to form a separate kingdom 282 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:29.559 with its own army, its own boyars, noble secretaries, and officials. 283 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.519 For the first time, the petitioners heard the word Oprinika 284 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.960 out of Russia would be carved a new kingdom reserved 285 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:42.079 for his own use. Were his followers. The Olpriniki would 286 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:45.279 be granted as states equal to their rank, and these 287 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:48.920 estates would necessarily have to be taken from the present owners. 288 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:49.839 There was no other way. 289 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.920 All towns and provinces would be included in the Oprinika 290 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:55.400 for the upkeep of his. 291 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:56.839 Court and the court of his sons. 292 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:00.640 The rest of Russia, which would be known and again 293 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:05.200 I'm really bad at these names Zeminisha, which roughly translates 294 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:08.519 to the dominion, would be ruled by the boyars, but 295 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:10.680 only in obedience. 296 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:13.640 With Ivan's wishes. Over the Opininiki. 297 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:20.359 Ivan would rule directly and absolutely, with no restraint whatsoever. 298 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:26.079 Now those assembled were relieved, they actually thought the conditions 299 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:32.039 would be significantly worse. They enthusiastically accepted the idea and 300 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:36.559 returned to Moscow, expecting Ivan to be not far behind them. 301 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:39.240 Ivan, however, did. 302 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:43.720 Not return to Moscow for around six weeks. When he 303 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:48.799 did return, Ivan was physically changed, appearing to have lost 304 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:54.119 considerable weight and hair. When Ivan did return, he continued 305 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:58.680 to insist on this divided state theory. This made the 306 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:03.960 operation of the the Russian state nearly impossible, but to 307 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:09.480 Ivan it had one huge upside. He could keep everyone guessing. 308 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:15.000 Since no one knew exactly who could do what. It 309 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:20.680 kept Ivan in the place of ultimate authority. As I'm 310 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:23.359 sure you've guessed, it did not take long for the 311 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:27.519 reign of terror to begin. One leading prince and his 312 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:31.480 seventeen year old son were arrested and executed within a 313 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:32.839 few days of Ivan's return. 314 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:35.680 No one knew why. 315 00:20:37.079 --> 00:20:42.200 Even today, historians have no idea what Ivan had against 316 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:47.799 this man or his son. Regardless, Ivan had absolute authority, 317 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:53.319 and so they both died. The hunting lodge at Alexandra's Leboda, 318 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:56.079 which was about seventy five miles from Moscow by the way, 319 00:20:56.839 --> 00:21:01.559 remained Ivan's principal residence and capital. Here Ivan could live 320 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:06.480 as he wanted, secluded and mysterious. Here he could operate 321 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:10.559 without being observed. Ivan's court was much smaller here, but 322 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:16.079 more responsive to his needs. Around six thousand boyars were 323 00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:20.599 interviewed and vetted for roles in this new administration. Perhaps 324 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:24.200 a few hundred made the cut, but those who did 325 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:30.640 were wildly rewarded. Boyars who previously owned little land found 326 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:33.039 themselves in charge of massive estates. 327 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:38.519 Being on Ivan's good side had its benefits. For now. 328 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:42.440 Those on the Inner Council had the power of life 329 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:47.079 and death. Their job was to ferret out traders, real 330 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:52.480 and imagined, mostly the latter, as Ivan waited for the 331 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:56.920 opportunity to have his vengeance on his imagined enemies. Hundreds 332 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:00.400 of people had been rounded up by the Oprainiki, the 333 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:03.119 people working in this new government, and led off to 334 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:09.039 the prison chambers within Alexandros Leboda. Oftentimes, Ivan would make 335 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:12.240 his way down to the torture chamber after dinner, where 336 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:16.160 he himself would interrogate these victims and order those whose 337 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:21.079 answers were unsatisfactory to be tortured. He seemed to take 338 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:25.640 great pleasure in watching people in their agony. To foreign 339 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:29.960 mercenaries who joined the Openingiki would later write quote Ivan 340 00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:34.039 was always gay and cheerful, and spoke excitedly when attending 341 00:22:34.119 --> 00:22:40.960 these interrogations and tortures end quote. Another observer, a German, 342 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:45.359 a careful observer of the Czar and his behavior, wrote 343 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:49.680 of Ivan and the dungeons quote the tyrant habitually watches 344 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:52.039 with his own eyes those who are being tortured and 345 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:55.480 put to death, as it happens frequently that the blood's 346 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:58.359 spurts on his face. He is not the least disturbed 347 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:01.759 by blood, but on the con he is exalted by 348 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:06.519 it and shouts exuberantly goyda goida, which means Hurrah, Hurrah, 349 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:10.799 and then those all around him shout yoida, yoida. But 350 00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:14.559 whenever the tyrant observes someone standing there in silence, he 351 00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:17.480 immediately suspects that he is sympathetic. 352 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:17.519 To the prisoner. 353 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:21.079 He asks why he is sad when he should be joyful, 354 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:25.400 and then orders him cut to pieces. And every day 355 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:27.720 people are killed at his orders. 356 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:28.839 End quote. 357 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:33.680 In the spring of fifteen sixty six, the kingdom was 358 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.720 starting to get used to Ivan's arbitrary double jurisdiction experiment. 359 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:41.799 It did not work well, but the country had enough 360 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:47.400 resources that Russia did not collapse. All the while, Ivan 361 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:50.839 continued to refine and embellish his ideas on the Opriniki. 362 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:53.839 He was determined to push these ideas to the furthest 363 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:57.480 limits and alien el to himself completely from his people. 364 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:00.720 He was no longer in his own as the ruler 365 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:04.680 of Russia, but only a segment of Russia that resembled 366 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:08.319 the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle selected by him without 367 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:12.319 any coherent boundaries. To be his own private domain, he 368 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:16.319 had abandon the Kremlin palaces, deciding to build a new 369 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:20.440 Alpernika palace nearby, just outside the Kremlin wall, in what 370 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:24.160 he had declared to be the Alperanika region of Moscow. 371 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:28.759 In May fifteen fifty six, the architectural plans were ready, 372 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:30.640 and he gave orders for the new palace to be 373 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:35.359 built in the quickest possible time. He expropriated whole streets 374 00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:38.480 of houses and tore them down, so it was that 375 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:40.599 by the end of the year the palace was almost complete. 376 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:44.640 The walls were eighteen feet high and formed a square 377 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:48.799 whose sides measured eight hundred feet. There were three gates, 378 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:53.279 each surmounted by carved emblems representing a double headed eagle 379 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:58.240 between two lions. Exactly what he intended to convey by 380 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:03.000 this new emblem wasn't but a German mercenary who described 381 00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:06.039 the palace at some length so the lions had wide 382 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:10.279 open mouths. Perhaps the lions represented the spirit of the 383 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:17.279 Opuniki roaring out. Now within this massive square were a 384 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:22.200 debtor's prison kitchen cellars, bathhouses, ice houses, stables, and hundreds 385 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:26.720 of administrative quarters. There was a small cottage built in 386 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:30.839 one corner of the square just for Ivan to eat breakfast. 387 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:34.960 The walls near the cottage were a little lower than elsewhere, 388 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:37.160 so that more sunlight could come in and he could 389 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:41.960 catch the morning breeze. Now that summer, Ivan found himself 390 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:46.759 faced with an actual real plot. King Sigamundas Augustus, the 391 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:49.480 present King of Poland, was trying to get as many 392 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:55.400 Russian boyars as possible to defect. Given Ivan's increasingly erratic behavior, 393 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.079 I suppose it wasn't exactly what you would call a 394 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:02.640 hard cell. Seemingly to distract Russia from the situation within 395 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:07.200 and along the border with Pole in Lithuania, Ivan decided 396 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:11.799 to attack Lithuania again. But then he almost as quickly 397 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:15.960 as he decided to invade, called off the invasion. He 398 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:18.720 had not prepared well enough and the weather was poor. 399 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:24.359 Plus King Sigismund was poised to invade, and Ivan's advisers 400 00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:27.039 told him the Russian troops would be better used against 401 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:30.839