Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Western Siev episode three hundred and
Speaker 1: twenty seven, even the terrible part four. Early on the
Speaker 1: morning of July twenty fifth, fifteen seventy, a hand picked
Speaker 1: troop of Ivan's goons arrived on the Red Square and
Speaker 1: began to hammer twenty heavy steaks into the ground. Then
Speaker 1: logs were roped to the stakes in such a way
Speaker 1: that they formed a continuous horizontal line, each log touching
Speaker 1: the one to the next. Then they lit fires, and
Speaker 1: over each fire they set a cauldron of water, which
Speaker 1: was soon boiling. The people who had been walking about
Speaker 1: the Red Square were, of course alarmed. It was obvious
Speaker 1: that these preparations had only one purpose, more executions. Ivan
Speaker 1: rode up and down the streets of Moscow, telling his
Speaker 1: people they had nothing to fear, invited them to come
Speaker 1: to the Red Square, where he promised no harm would
Speaker 1: come to them. I would not have gone, but then again,
Speaker 1: I did not have Russian guards menacingly looking at me
Speaker 1: and my family. My guess is most people felt they
Speaker 1: had no choice. Eventually, the townspeople decided to send several
Speaker 1: older men. The sources indicate these men felt that they
Speaker 1: were close to death anyway, and so they had less
Speaker 1: to fear. Ivan received them warmly and indicated the people
Speaker 1: of Moscow had nothing to fear from him, and so
Speaker 1: reluctantly the people came to the square. Once they assembled,
Speaker 1: Ivan led out the prisoners he had been holding in
Speaker 1: the dungeons of the Kremlin. These were mostly lesser boyars
Speaker 1: and former merchants, all people Ivan had prejudged guilty of treason.
Speaker 1: These victims, about three hundred total, were led out into
Speaker 1: the square. Many had to be carried as their legs
Speaker 1: had been broken. They were then tied to the logs
Speaker 1: which had been prepositioned. Ivan rather unexpectedly, then ordered the
Speaker 1: release of one hundred and eighty four of these prisoners,
Speaker 1: whom he had judged less guilty, not innocent, just less guilty.
Speaker 1: The rest were not so lucky. Ivan had alternating cauldrons
Speaker 1: of boiling and freezing water poured on one man until
Speaker 1: his skin reportedly just melted off. The rest were stabbed
Speaker 1: and hacked to death, with Ivan reportedly gleefully joining in
Speaker 1: the executions, all the while the terrified population of Moscow
Speaker 1: stood by watching. Amazingly, this did not end Ivan's bloodlust.
Speaker 1: A few days after the massacre, he had the wives
Speaker 1: and children of the men executed club to death and
Speaker 1: their bodies tossed into the river. Amongst those that were
Speaker 1: dead were some of the higher ranking boyars of the administration. Finally,
Speaker 1: the reality became clear to everyone there were not really
Speaker 1: two governments. The power sharing concept had never been real.
Speaker 1: There was Ivan's government and then there was the false
Speaker 1: Russian government, which held no power. Unfortunately, Russia would soon
Speaker 1: learn that Ivan's government was much less adept at confronting
Speaker 1: very real enemies than massacring women and children. Early in
Speaker 1: September fifteen seventy, rumors reached Moscow of a large Tartar
Speaker 1: army on the move. Ivan himself made his way south
Speaker 1: to the Oka River with an army to investigate and
Speaker 1: prevent any further advance. Eventually everybody realized this quote unquote
Speaker 1: large Tartar force was little more than a scouting force
Speaker 1: of around six thousand men. Ivan remained on the river
Speaker 1: for a few days before returning to alexandros Levoda, his headquarters.
Speaker 1: But little did he or anyone else know that this
Speaker 1: scouting force was intended merely to test the Russian defenses.
Speaker 1: The Tartars were indeed planning a major invasion. The real
Speaker 1: army was one hundred and twenty thousand strong, and in
Speaker 1: April fifteen seventy one, it marched out of the Crimea
Speaker 1: with one goal, sack Moscow. On the march, the Khan
Speaker 1: met several disaffected Russian nobles fleeing south. They told the
Speaker 1: Khan that Ivan wasn't in Moscow, he was at Alexandros Laboda,
Speaker 1: and that the country was in the midst of a
Speaker 1: famine and in total disarray. There was little that could
Speaker 1: be done to stop the Tartar advance. Now, Ivan himself
Speaker 1: did not get news of the real invasion until it
Speaker 1: was far too late. Ivan might have had no issue
Speaker 1: murdering women, children and defenseless men, but he always had
Speaker 1: a real issue standing up to actual armies. He only
Speaker 1: paused for one night, gathering up all the gold and
Speaker 1: silver his men could carry, before fleeing to the north,
Speaker 1: abandoning Moscow to its fate. He fled all the way
Speaker 1: to the stronghold at Vlogoda, which was an impressive fortress
Speaker 1: surrounded by five hundred permanent musketeers. Even so, Ivan wasn't
Speaker 1: sure he was shape, so he had ships rapidly constructed,
Speaker 1: which would then transport himself, his two young sons, and
Speaker 1: his wealth, first to the White Sea and hence to England,
Speaker 1: where he hoped to seek refuge in the court of
Speaker 1: now Queen Elizabeth the First. The Tartars drove up from
Speaker 1: the south, their intention to destroy the city, acquire as
Speaker 1: much plunder as possible, and then return to their homeland.
Speaker 1: But in order to destroy the city they had to
Speaker 1: get to it, and Ivan Belski, and remaining still, took
Speaker 1: up positions with his army to the south of the
Speaker 1: river in an effort to try to defend There, he
Speaker 1: offered battle. There was some savage fighting, Belski himself was
Speaker 1: wounded and the Russians were forced back. Meanwhile, the Tartars
Speaker 1: pressed closer to the city, not only in the south,
Speaker 1: but also in the west, where an entire army crossed
Speaker 1: a ford of the river to attack a portion of
Speaker 1: the Kremlin, which they stormed and set on fire. There
Speaker 1: had been little rain for some weeks, and a strong
Speaker 1: west wind was blowing, and the flames soon spread across
Speaker 1: the kremlin. Moments later, nearly all the palaces and churches
Speaker 1: within the kremlin walls were on fire. The small wooden
Speaker 1: churches exploded, the iron girders supporting the palace melted away,
Speaker 1: the bell towers caught on fire, and the bells melted. Afterwards,
Speaker 1: the Russians remembered that all the church bells of Moscow
Speaker 1: were ringing, and that one by one the sound died away.
Speaker 1: On the morning of May twenty fourth, fifteen seventy one,
Speaker 1: the heart of Moscow perished in flames. Only a few
Speaker 1: charged buildings survived the fire by seemingly a miracle. Sixty
Speaker 1: thousand people, around half the population of Moscow, died. According
Speaker 1: to one chronicler quote, the entire city was burned down
Speaker 1: in three hours. The Khan left two days later, transporting
Speaker 1: another one hundred thousand captured Russian south, where they would
Speaker 1: flood the Ottoman slave markets. Ivan, realizing now that the
Speaker 1: Tartars were not after him, decided to return. Interestingly, he
Speaker 1: did not blame himself at all for the debacle. Instead,
Speaker 1: he blamed his own men, the Alpriniki. They had been incompetent.
Speaker 1: He felt they should have made some preparations to defend
Speaker 1: the city. Never mind the fact that he was the
Speaker 1: one in charge of the government. But that was in
Speaker 1: the past. The most urgent task now was the rebuilding
Speaker 1: of Moscow. But first he had to clear away all
Speaker 1: the dead bodies. It was important since it was high
Speaker 1: summer and nothing had been done in several weeks to
Speaker 1: remove them. Most of the survivors had fled in fear
Speaker 1: of pestilence. The rivers were choked with bodies, and there
Speaker 1: was more to come for Ivan now gave orders to
Speaker 1: throw all the dead bodies found in the ruins into
Speaker 1: the river. This was worse than the situation that had
Speaker 1: been before. With more and more bodies thrown into it,
Speaker 1: the Moskowa River was no longer a river. It's changed
Speaker 1: its course and the likelihood of disease only increased. The
Speaker 1: wells were dry, there was no fresh water, and the
Speaker 1: situation was desperate. Still, all the Muscovites who had fled
Speaker 1: were ordered back. People from far off towns and villages
Speaker 1: were ordered to go to Moscow to dig graves and
Speaker 1: help to rebuild the city. Masons, carpenters, and craftsmen of
Speaker 1: all kind were impressed into service and promised freedom from
Speaker 1: all taxes and custom duties. While the work was going on,
Speaker 1: it took four years to repair the damage. When the
Speaker 1: four years had passed. There was a new white wall
Speaker 1: of stone around the Kremlin, with essentially a new city
Speaker 1: of Moscow surrounding it. It was not long before Ivan
Speaker 1: began a purge of the Yappuniki. This time there were
Speaker 1: no public executions. Many were clubbed to death and their
Speaker 1: bodies disposed of in secret. Simultaneously, I even wanted to
Speaker 1: make sure that he could avoid another war with the Tartars,
Speaker 1: given that the first one had gone so poorly. Privately,
Speaker 1: he knew the price of peace would be the return
Speaker 1: of Kazan, and he hoped to avoid that as long
Speaker 1: as possible. Hence, when an ambassador from the Crimea arrived,
Speaker 1: I even refused to see him. At the same time,
Speaker 1: he prepared to sign a treaty of friendship with the
Speaker 1: Swedes and Livonia to avoid of two front war. Publicly,
Speaker 1: I even claimed that the reversals were all because of
Speaker 1: a general sinful nature of the Russian people, and God
Speaker 1: was punishing them for it. He promised soon that the
Speaker 1: Crimean Khan would be his vassal and that all the
Speaker 1: reversals of fifteen seventy fifteen seventy one would be forgotten.
Speaker 1: He was wrong. By fifteen seventy two, after negotiations failed,
Speaker 1: it was clear that the Khan would attempt another invasion,
Speaker 1: but this time it wasn't just going to be a
Speaker 1: mere sack and raid of Moscow. This time, he wanted
Speaker 1: to reduce Russia to a vassal state. Once again, Ivan
Speaker 1: wanted no part in the military defense of his own kingdom.
Speaker 1: He withdrew to Novgorod with all his treasure and his court,
Speaker 1: while dispatching one of the remaining Boyar princes with the
Speaker 1: army to the Oka River, promising him rich rewards if
Speaker 1: he turned back the Tartars, and a terrible torture and
Speaker 1: death for him and his family if he failed. Near
Speaker 1: the end of July, the massive Tartar army reached the
Speaker 1: Oka River and slipped past the Russians somehow, I'm honestly
Speaker 1: not sure how that could possibly happen, but it's what
Speaker 1: the sources indicate. The Russians quickly pursued, and the two
Speaker 1: sides bought a sort of pitched battle at a place
Speaker 1: called Melodi. I say sort of because it seems like
Speaker 1: and again the sources are a little confused here, but
Speaker 1: it seems like the Russians had time to set up
Speaker 1: some sort of rudimentary palisade before the Tartars attacked them.
Speaker 1: This mattered because it forced the cohns men to fight
Speaker 1: on foot, but they were much better when they fought
Speaker 1: on horsebacks, so they were suddenly at a disadvantage. It
Speaker 1: seems that the Russians managed in the midst of the
Speaker 1: fighting to sneak a force around the Tartar flank and
Speaker 1: then hit them in the rear. The Tartars broke and fled,
Speaker 1: and Moscow was saved from a second sack. It was
Speaker 1: a decisive victory and proved to be the last time
Speaker 1: the Tartars would attempt an invasion for the remainder of
Speaker 1: Ivan's reign. For the next three years after the Battle
Speaker 1: of Melodi, Russia was at peace, but Ivan's health continued
Speaker 1: to deteriorate. Though after Melodi, Ivan was less terrible, at
Speaker 1: least for a time. My guess is that there were
Speaker 1: simply less people to murder. Oftentimes now, instead of outright slaughter,
Speaker 1: Ivan simply confiscated everything a man had, sometimes including the
Speaker 1: clothing he walked into the room with. But there is
Speaker 1: another reason that there's a market decline in outright atrocities
Speaker 1: within Russia at the time, and that is because there
Speaker 1: were other external pressures on Ivan's kingdom. The Swedes started
Speaker 1: to become more and more of an issue in Livonia
Speaker 1: after fifteen seventy five, and as we will see, Lithuania
Speaker 1: was far from being an ally. When the Polish king
Speaker 1: died in fifteen seventy two, Ivan rather bizarrely put forward
Speaker 1: his own name as a potential candidate. Had he aggressively
Speaker 1: pushed his son instead, and he might have had a chance.
Speaker 1: But as always Ivan's decisions weren't driven by strategy. They
Speaker 1: were driven by fear, jealousy, and suspicion. In the autumn
Speaker 1: of fifteen seventy five, Ivan made what was one of
Speaker 1: the most bizarre decisions of a reign that is filled
Speaker 1: with already bizarre decisions. Quite suddenly, without warning, Ivan simply
Speaker 1: stepped down from the throne and gave a Tartar khan
Speaker 1: all the rights and privileges of a grand prince, and
Speaker 1: then he went on to set up his residence outside
Speaker 1: the Kremlin bounced that henceforth the former Czar Ivan the
Speaker 1: fourth would be known as Prince Ivan Muskofki. The man
Speaker 1: that he placed on the throne was sayin Balut Khan
Speaker 1: of Kosimov, a tiny, tiny, tiny Tartar enclave on the
Speaker 1: Oka River. Now a lot of ink has been spilt
Speaker 1: over the centuries trying to explain this decision. Perhaps Ivan
Speaker 1: was sick, Perhaps he genuinely wanted a break. I'm not
Speaker 1: sure I can say definitely. But to be clear, this
Speaker 1: wasn't an abdication. Ivan left power, but expressly with the
Speaker 1: proviso that he could reclaim it whenever he wanted. Stepping
Speaker 1: aside also allowed Ivan to continue to work in secret,
Speaker 1: which was the way he always liked to operate. Honestly,
Speaker 1: if I had to guess, I would say that this
Speaker 1: was just another effort to keep the Boyars off balance
Speaker 1: and see who might tip the her hand against him.
Speaker 1: After he stepped down, in late November fifteen fifty five,
Speaker 1: Ivan gave an audience to Daniel Sylvester, an Englishman sent
Speaker 1: by Queen Elizabeth to appease his wrath. Ivan had been
Speaker 1: extremely displeased with the result of embassies that he had
Speaker 1: sent to England. Elizabeth paid no attention at all to
Speaker 1: Ivan's suggestion that both sovereigns should agree to grant refuge
Speaker 1: to the other. In the event of an internal disorder,
Speaker 1: or rather, she offered him asylum but didn't request asylum
Speaker 1: for herself. Elizabeth had no intention of going to Russia.
Speaker 1: Ivan was infuriated by her lack of reciprocity, her assumption
Speaker 1: that she was in no need of his help. He
Speaker 1: therefore had made life very difficult for English merchants in Russia.
Speaker 1: But the audience with Sylvester was friendly. He discussed, among
Speaker 1: other things, the reason that led him to abandon the throne.
Speaker 1: Sylvester was an intelligent man. He knew and spoke rush
Speaker 1: and well, and he gives the impression of a man
Speaker 1: who quite accurately related what Ivan told him. Ivan explained
Speaker 1: that the real reason why he conducted these negotiations with
Speaker 1: Queen Elizabeth was that he highly foresaw the variable and
Speaker 1: dangerous estate of princes, and that therefore he had come
Speaker 1: to suspect quote his own magnificence end, quote, by which
Speaker 1: he meant that he had started to doubt whether he
Speaker 1: would long remain on the throne. He went on to say, quote,
Speaker 1: we have resigned the estate of our government, which hitherto
Speaker 1: hath been so royally maintained in the hands of a
Speaker 1: stranger who is nothing allied onto us our land or crown.
Speaker 1: The occasion whereof is the perverse and evil dealing of
Speaker 1: our subjects, who murmur and repine at us forgetting loyal
Speaker 1: obedience they practice against our person, the which to prevent
Speaker 1: we have given them over unto another prince to govern them,
Speaker 1: but have reserved in our custody all the treasure of
Speaker 1: the land was sufficient, train and place for our relief.
Speaker 1: End quote. One thing Ivan made abundantly clear to the
Speaker 1: Englishman he had kept his entire treasury intact. He alone
Speaker 1: possessed the wealth of the Russian Kingdom. That meant no
Speaker 1: matter his official title or lack thereof, Ivan was in
Speaker 1: full control. Now. In the summer of fifteen seventy six,
Speaker 1: Ivan made an ostentatious show of asking his pretend car
Speaker 1: this Tartar Khan, for forty thousand rubles and the right
Speaker 1: to command an army against of all foes, the Tartars.
Speaker 1: The sun was obviously granted, but there were no battles.
Speaker 1: Ivan took an army to the Oka River, where he
Speaker 1: spent what could only be described as a lovely holiday.
Speaker 1: When he came back that autumn, he had evidently had
Speaker 1: enough of this Sharad and took back power from the tar.
Speaker 1: It was a weird episode, but now was over. Ivan
Speaker 1: the Fourth was czar once more, but I'm not sure
Speaker 1: anyone was happy about that. In fifteen seventy seven, Ivan's
Speaker 1: armies stormed into Livonia. The kingdom was divided between north
Speaker 1: and south and totally unprepared for the attack. The Russians
Speaker 1: drove the Swedes in the north and the Poles in
Speaker 1: the south back, respectively. The conquest of Livonia had been
Speaker 1: one of Ivan's goals since his very coronation, and for
Speaker 1: once it seemed like it might be within his grasp.
Speaker 1: Before the year was out, everything but the towns of
Speaker 1: Riga and Reval fell into Russian hands. Riga remained under
Speaker 1: Polish control, and Revolt was still held by the Swedes.
Speaker 1: In the end, Ivan's victories proved hollow. He may have
Speaker 1: had a plan for conquest, oh but like so many
Speaker 1: failed conquerors, he had no plan for peace. His armies
Speaker 1: had devastated the countryside and done little more than breed
Speaker 1: the conditions for more conflict. By fifteen seventy eight, the
Speaker 1: Russians were on their heels everywhere towns and cities. They
Speaker 1: had taken rows and revolt. Supported by the Poles and
Speaker 1: the Swedes. Ivan attempted to send a massive army of
Speaker 1: eighteen thousand to put down the rebellions, but a huge
Speaker 1: combined force of Germans, Lithuanians and Swedes utterly destroyed it
Speaker 1: in battle. Around one third of the Russian army was
Speaker 1: totally lost. In the spring of fifteen seventy nine, Polatovsk,
Speaker 1: a city in Kievan, Russia, fell to the Lithuanians. Ultimately,
Speaker 1: Ivan had done little other than provoke a hornet's nest,
Speaker 1: and he was totally unprepared to respond. Worse still, Ivan
Speaker 1: didn't seem to care at all about the unfolding events well.
Speaker 1: Ivan presented himself as a man of majesty. He was
Speaker 1: becoming increasingly aware that the Livonian War had become a
Speaker 1: costly mistake, was draining Russia of manpower, its wealth, and
Speaker 1: its munitions. The landed gentry, who supplied the bulk of
Speaker 1: the army were ruined. The peasants were running away from
Speaker 1: the estates to avoid being taxed and conscripted. The entire
Speaker 1: social system was falling apart. By the winter of fifteen
Speaker 1: seventy nine, Ivan had come to the conclusion that the Church,
Speaker 1: which owned vast properties, must be made to turn over
Speaker 1: some of its wealth. He therefore some of the leading bishops,
Speaker 1: abbots and archbishops to a conclave in the Kremlin to
Speaker 1: decide how the wealth of the Church should be put
Speaker 1: into the service of the state. In an opening speech,
Speaker 1: Ivan spoke of the nation desperate need, its efforts to
Speaker 1: replenish the exhausted treasury, and the incessant dangers that confronted
Speaker 1: the country. Quote. He told them that which he was
Speaker 1: to say, the best known to themselves. He had spent
Speaker 1: the most part of his time wits vigor and youth
Speaker 1: warfaring for their wealth and safety, preservation and defense of
Speaker 1: his kingdoms and people. What dangers and troubles had passed
Speaker 1: was not unknown to them. Above many others, they apart
Speaker 1: to whom he makes his moan, have only reaped the
Speaker 1: benefit thereof by which his treasuries have been exhausted and
Speaker 1: theirs increased. Theirs, he means the church safeties, peace and
Speaker 1: tranquility preserved, and his lessened and daily endangered by foreign
Speaker 1: enemies and practices both at home and abroad, which he
Speaker 1: was very sensibly too acquainted with. How could he or
Speaker 1: they any longer subsist without there the Church's essential assistance.
Speaker 1: Their willingness must be the touchstone and trial of their fidelity,
Speaker 1: as well as their contemplations. Their pretended prayers prevailed not
Speaker 1: end quote. Now, the Church aimed to give up as
Speaker 1: little of its property as possible. Had it been more sensible,
Speaker 1: the Orthodox Church would have offered Ivan half maybe, or
Speaker 1: something else. It wasn't even close, though. As a result,
Speaker 1: Ivan reverted to the policies that he knew best. He
Speaker 1: summoned seven of the fattest monks he could find and
Speaker 1: threw them into a bear pit. Each was given a spear,
Speaker 1: but had no idea how to fight a bear. Each
Speaker 1: was mauled to death. Ivan let it be known that
Speaker 1: this was only the beginning. He proposed to burn seven
Speaker 1: more monks at the stake unless a full inventory of
Speaker 1: the church's wealth was forthcoming. Such an inventory was quickly
Speaker 1: drawn up. On January fifteenth, fifteen eighty, the Church council
Speaker 1: agreed to pay three hundred thousand marks into the Tsar's
Speaker 1: treasury to surrender all mortgaged lands in their possession, together
Speaker 1: with the patrimonial land of the princes, which had been
Speaker 1: purchased or bequeathed to the Church, and to acquire no
Speaker 1: further lands. Ivan's treasury was suddenly brimming over. But if
Speaker 1: the matter of the Church had been resolved, there was
Speaker 1: still the matter of the impoverished nobility, an issue honestly
Speaker 1: that Ivan himself had done much to create. I mentioned
Speaker 1: before under Ivan that Russia took its first steps towards
Speaker 1: imperial expansion. Now it took its first steps towards permanent serfdom. Normally,
Speaker 1: in late November, peasants were allowed to leave the service
Speaker 1: of their lord and hire themselves out for cash. All
Speaker 1: the death and destruction of the last three decades had
Speaker 1: left a relative dearth of workers. Hence the peasants could
Speaker 1: get a good wage if they were willing to travel
Speaker 1: and work. But the boyars could no longer afford this arrangement.
Speaker 1: Ivan sided with the boyars, perhaps for the one and
Speaker 1: only time, He decreed that peasants could not leave their
Speaker 1: lord's manor unless it was an emergency. It was the
Speaker 1: first step down a path that would lead to permanent
Speaker 1: and perpetual serfdom in Russia. But the issues facing Ivan
Speaker 1: predominantly remained in foreign affairs, King Stephen Bathory had now
Speaker 1: been elected both the King of Poland and the Grand
Speaker 1: Prince of Lithuania, and he intended to use his full
Speaker 1: might to destroy Ivan. During that summer, Ivan was in
Speaker 1: a state of panic. He knew the massive attack on
Speaker 1: Russia was being prepared, but he didn't know where the
Speaker 1: attack would come from. He was trying to get a
Speaker 1: truce on almost any terms he could. He invited King
Speaker 1: Bathory to send ambassadors to Moscow, but the king refused,
Speaker 1: saying that the Russian ambassadors must come to him. He
Speaker 1: laid down conditions the ambassadors must arrive in the city
Speaker 1: of Vilno during the five weeks beginning June fourteenth, fifteen eighty.
Speaker 1: Ivan replied that it would take five weeks for his
Speaker 1: ambassadors to reach the Lithuanian frontier, and many more days
Speaker 1: for them to reach Vilno. The king answered that this
Speaker 1: was a matter of indifference to him. After five weeks,
Speaker 1: he would be in the field with his army, and
Speaker 1: if they wanted to, they could find him there. Knowing
Speaker 1: that war was imminent, Ivan ordered inspectors to comb the
Speaker 1: land for nobles who had gone into hiding. Once found,
Speaker 1: they would be beaten and then sent under guard with
Speaker 1: guarantees of good behavior to Novgorod to serve in the army.
Speaker 1: In the end, King Bathory named his peace conditions. Ivan
Speaker 1: would have to seed all of Livonia plus Novgorod to him,
Speaker 1: otherwise would be war. Realizing that he had no choice,
Speaker 1: I even prepared for battle. But he still didn't know
Speaker 1: where the attack would come, and so I even scattered
Speaker 1: his troops in a dozen different locations all the way
Speaker 1: from Pistav to Novgorod and Slamensk on the western Diana River,
Speaker 1: and then put a few and a couple of remaining
Speaker 1: strongholds in Livonia, especially in northern Livonia, where he expected
Speaker 1: an attack from the Swedes. King Bartholomew sent a column
Speaker 1: of nine thousand men against Smolensk, but in the end
Speaker 1: that was only a feint. The real attack was directed
Speaker 1: at Lithuania and Livonia, and this was a long, securitous
Speaker 1: route through forest and marshlands. Some fifty thousand Polish, Lithuanian,
Speaker 1: German and Hungarian troops were quickly outside the walls of
Speaker 1: the town of Beliki Luki. Biliki Luki was defended by
Speaker 1: only six thousand Russians and its wooden outer walls and
Speaker 1: wooden watch towers were especially vulnerable to the flaming cannon
Speaker 1: balls used in the King's army. The Russians had just
Speaker 1: enough time to cover the walls with earth, but the
Speaker 1: king sent his men right up to the walls to
Speaker 1: remove the earth and then blew them up with charges
Speaker 1: of gunpowder. With the walls on fire, Bathory issued an ultimatum.
Speaker 1: If they laid down their arms and marched peacefully out
Speaker 1: of the city, their lives would be spared. Otherwise they
Speaker 1: would all be massacred. The defenders accepted the ultimatum and
Speaker 1: were beginning to march out when the Hungarian troops, fearing
Speaker 1: to be deprived of their legitimate booty, broke into the
Speaker 1: burning city and simply slaughtered everyone in sight. On September
Speaker 1: the seventh, fifteen eighty, Biliki Luki fell to the army.
Speaker 1: A month later, Bathory, who was unwell, ended the campaign
Speaker 1: and removed the Vino for the moment. The loss of
Speaker 1: this major and strategic town was a big enough blow
Speaker 1: to the Russians that he could accept it as a punishment.
Speaker 1: Battles and running skirmishes continued throughout the winter. The Swedes
Speaker 1: blockaded the fortress of Padis in northern Livonia. When the
Speaker 1: Russians surrendered, the Swedes slaughtered them all. Everyone knew who
Speaker 1: they were up against. They all knew what would happen.
Speaker 1: If the shoe was on the other foot, Ivan would
Speaker 1: kill them all. This was not a war for mercy.
Speaker 1: Ivan now realized that he was going to have to
Speaker 1: surrender all of Livonia. He was likely to lose it anyway,
Speaker 1: but it wasn't enough. Bathory still demanded now not only
Speaker 1: Novgorod and Smolensk, but in addition a four hundred thousand
Speaker 1: gold Hungarian ducat indegnity. Even had Ivan wanted to give
Speaker 1: all that up, he realized he couldn't and still keep
Speaker 1: his throne. Ivan, as a result, entered into negotiations with
Speaker 1: the Pope. He hoped Gregory the thirteenth would intercede on
Speaker 1: his behalf and force King Bathory to the negotiation table.
Speaker 1: For his part, Pope Gregory hoped he might get the
Speaker 1: conversion of Ivan and the Russian state to Western Catholicism.
Speaker 1: Both men were disappointed. In fifteen eighty one, King Bathory
Speaker 1: returned approaching Pistkov, one of the last Russian strongholds in
Speaker 1: eastern Lithuania. Ivan had a powerful garrison not far off
Speaker 1: at Novgorov, but if it attacked, it seemed even then
Speaker 1: that the city would fall. Then there would be absolutely
Speaker 1: nothing between King Bathriy and Moscow. Pisgof was a heavily
Speaker 1: fortified city with a solid garrison, but Bathory was determined.
Speaker 1: He had heavy artillery brought up to pound the walls.
Speaker 1: His army outnumbered easily the forty thousand Russians within the city.
Speaker 1: Bathory commanded at least one hundred thousand men, but the
Speaker 1: man in charge of Pistav, Prince Shuiski, knew it was
Speaker 1: in all or nothing situation. He fought heroically, as did
Speaker 1: the people of Pistav, including the women and children, who
Speaker 1: aided and often fought alongside the men. On September seventh,
Speaker 1: fifteen eighty one, Bathory ordered an assault on the walls.
Speaker 1: The fighting was absolutely vicious. The Russians lost eight hundred
Speaker 1: men but held out. According to our sources, King Bathory
Speaker 1: suffered three thousand men wounded or dead. On the following day,
Speaker 1: in a message shot by arrow into Piskov, King Stephen
Speaker 1: Bathory urged Prince Shuiski and his generals to surrender. He
Speaker 1: promised them extensive freedoms and privileges, the freedom to trade
Speaker 1: where they wished, the freedom to retain their ancient customs,
Speaker 1: their property, and their faith. Prince Shoski shot narrowback with
Speaker 1: an answer, what a wonderful way, by the way to negotiate, saying, quote,
Speaker 1: we do not betray Christ, nor the Czar nor the
Speaker 1: Fatherland end quote. Bathory threatened to destroy the entire population
Speaker 1: of piece CoV unless they surrendered. Shuski replied, quote, we
Speaker 1: fear no threats, Come and fight. The victory is in
Speaker 1: God's hands now. With all the advantages of a powerful,
Speaker 1: well trained army, heavy guns, fast stores of ammunition, and
Speaker 1: very good generalship, Bathory still failed to take piece CoV.
Speaker 1: Throughout September and October, he made repeated attempts on the city,
Speaker 1: digging nine separate tunnels under the walls and hurling countless
Speaker 1: fire bombs into the city, massing his cannon in the
Speaker 1: hope of breaching the walls and destroying the towers. On
Speaker 1: November two, fifteen eighty one, after five days of continuous
Speaker 1: bombardment through his entire army across the frozen river, in
Speaker 1: one last desperate attempt to capture the city, and then
Speaker 1: watched them straggle back over the ice. A month later,
Speaker 1: the king was still outside the city, hoping to starve
Speaker 1: it into surrender, although Pisgov held out. Ivan does not
Speaker 1: deserve any credit for this. Once more, he had been
Speaker 1: saved by his subordinates, who, I suppose, against all odds,
Speaker 1: had stayed loyal to him this entire time. Ivan had
Speaker 1: been at his fortress at Alexandra's Leboda. He was there
Speaker 1: when a deputation of nobles came and presented him with
Speaker 1: a petition. Now, of course these men were brave for
Speaker 1: just going. Ivan had a reputation for how he dealt
Speaker 1: with petitioners. They knelt before their czar and read out
Speaker 1: to them the following words. For three years, our enemies
Speaker 1: have been invading the fatherland, which is is our burden
Speaker 1: to defend. We are ready to shed our blood, lay
Speaker 1: down our lives, and sacrifice our property for the sake
Speaker 1: of the fatherland. Therefore, O Lord and Master, send your
Speaker 1: eldest son to war. Ivan did not react as the
Speaker 1: petitioners expected. He flew into an immediate rage. He ripped
Speaker 1: the crown off his head and threw it to the ground.
Speaker 1: He shouted that they were all traders, told them that
Speaker 1: they had to choose another czar since his son, the
Speaker 1: one who was referenced in the petition, was there. He
Speaker 1: believed that this was essentially a coup attempt. The men,
Speaker 1: of course, answered that they weren't traders. They didn't want
Speaker 1: Ivan to abandon the throne. They only wanted the prince
Speaker 1: to take the field and ideally lead them to victory.
Speaker 1: Apparently these men were able to leave his his presence
Speaker 1: without being punished, because we don't hear anything more about that,
Speaker 1: But the episode, unfortunately, was far from over. Several hours
Speaker 1: after the petitioners left, Ivan summoned his son before him.
Speaker 1: He screamed that the young man had committed treason. The
Speaker 1: prince responded he had done nothing wrong. All he had
Speaker 1: ever wanted was to help fight King Bathory, to defend
Speaker 1: the country. And now we come to the portion of
Speaker 1: the story that really sort of typifies Ivan's reign. He
Speaker 1: lunged at his son with his staff. One court official
Speaker 1: actually tried to hold him back and was struck in
Speaker 1: the face for his trouble. As he reeled backward, Ivan
Speaker 1: struck forward with the pointed end of his staff, stabbing
Speaker 1: his son in the shoulder. Before anyone else could intervene,
Speaker 1: Ivan smashed the prince with his staff over his head.
Speaker 1: The young man collapsed to the ground, blood pouring forth. Ivan,
Speaker 1: suddenly realizing what he had done, fell to his knees,
Speaker 1: begging forgiveness. His son's last words were quote, I had
Speaker 1: always been loyal. He lingered for three days, but the
Speaker 1: prince died on November nineteenth, fifteen eighty one. He was
Speaker 1: twenty seven years old. Three days after the death of
Speaker 1: the Prince, Ivan and his retinue set out for Moscow.
Speaker 1: They all wore black, and Ivan walked beside his son's
Speaker 1: coffin the entire way. At the funeral service in the
Speaker 1: cathedral of Michael, the Archangel, the Tsar threw himself against
Speaker 1: the coffin, uttering terrible cries. Before the coffin was sealed,
Speaker 1: a literal king's ransom of jewels was poured onto it,
Speaker 1: and every night twelve different citizens from Moscow kept a
Speaker 1: watch over the tomb. For many months, Ivan remained grief stricken.
Speaker 1: He barely slept and tossed so violently that he sometimes
Speaker 1: fell off the bed. To spend the rest of the
Speaker 1: night on the floor, shouting and moaning, and only becoming
Speaker 1: silent began he was exhausted. At such times, Attendance would
Speaker 1: spread the mattress on the floor and give him a pillow,
Speaker 1: and then, lying quietly, he would wait for the coming
Speaker 1: of the dawn. During those months, Ivan was afraid to
Speaker 1: show himself to the people. One day he announced to
Speaker 1: his boyars that God had so cruelly punished him that
Speaker 1: there remained nothing for him to do but leave the
Speaker 1: world and spend the remending days in a monastery. He
Speaker 1: had only one remaining son, feeded or Fidor, however from birth.
Speaker 1: You may remember, this had some sort of an affliction.
Speaker 1: I'm guessing for the sources it's some sort of mental handicap,
Speaker 1: but it's really unclear. Regardless, everyone agreed that Fyodor was
Speaker 1: incapable of governing, and so Ivan told the boyars that
Speaker 1: they had to choose a successor and immediately grant him
Speaker 1: the throne in Regalia. Of course, the boyars responded to
Speaker 1: this cautiously. They knew Ivan's temper, they knew his habit
Speaker 1: of suddenly announcing an abdication in order to just smoke
Speaker 1: out his enemies. They also knew that any successor would
Speaker 1: be confronted with extraordinary difficulties and dangers, so when they
Speaker 1: came back to Ivan later, they announced they didn't want
Speaker 1: a newsar, They just wanted Ivan. Ivan pretended to accept
Speaker 1: their petition reluctantly and decided to remain on his throne
Speaker 1: so for the rest of his life, which luckily for Ivan,
Speaker 1: wasn't long. Ivan was somber and given to sudden bursts
Speaker 1: of hysteria. It was around this time that Ivan began
Speaker 1: to compile his famous lists. These were full accounts, in theory,
Speaker 1: of all the people he had murdered. Now, look, there's
Speaker 1: no way that these lists were anything more than the
Speaker 1: names of the more notable boyars killed, plus just a
Speaker 1: massive estimate of all the peasants who had died at
Speaker 1: his hand. It would have been a major underestimate, of course,
Speaker 1: because Ivan didn't count all the indirect deaths he caused
Speaker 1: from the result of famine, disease, etc. Etc. Etc. Ivan
Speaker 1: took a huge amount of his wealth and divided it
Speaker 1: up between the various large monastic houses who were then
Speaker 1: supposed to pray for his soul. No indication any of
Speaker 1: that was successful by the way. No indication either, by
Speaker 1: the way, that said monasteries kept doing so much after
Speaker 1: Ivan's death. In the end of his life, Ivan the
Speaker 1: fourth would live another two and a half years, but
Speaker 1: frankly he seemed more like a man just waiting for death.
Speaker 1: He wanted to end the war Lithuania at virtually any cost.
Speaker 1: He could have sent a relief army to Piskov, but
Speaker 1: he didn't. With the aid of a papal mediator, I
Speaker 1: even hoped that King Bathriy would just accept peace terms,
Speaker 1: any peace terms, whatever they may be. The Lithuanians knew
Speaker 1: the real situation much better than Ivan. They are not
Speaker 1: especially impressed by the displays of the Russians, and so
Speaker 1: they made harsh demands. All of Livonia had to be
Speaker 1: surrendered by Russia. Henceforth, Polotovsk, Pilikiluki and the other important
Speaker 1: towns would be included within the empire of King Steithen Bathory.
Speaker 1: And in addition, they demanded a war indemnity of the
Speaker 1: four hundred thousand Hungarian gold crowns. Ivan hoped to retain
Speaker 1: Doorpot and some other towns, which would give him access
Speaker 1: to the sea. The papal mediator actually did a pretty
Speaker 1: good job. He pretended to be neutral and showed signs
Speaker 1: of favoring both sides, while demonstrating, of course, the inevitable
Speaker 1: partiality for Catholic Poland and secretly hoping to convert the
Speaker 1: Protestants of Lithuanian to Catholicism. These negotiations went on for
Speaker 1: about three weeks with little accomplished. But then suddenly something
Speaker 1: massive happened in Piskov. Prince Ivan Shuski, who had already
Speaker 1: sent out forty five different sorties in the hope of
Speaker 1: breaking the siege, but on January the fourth, fifteen eighty two,
Speaker 1: he gave orders for a forty sixth the biggest of all.
Speaker 1: His infantry and cavalry fought so ferociously that the Poles
Speaker 1: and Lithuanians concluded that the Russian army would simply never
Speaker 1: surrender this city. Prepared to sue for peace, they announced that,
Speaker 1: on the orders of King Stephen Bathory, they were breaking
Speaker 1: off negotiations. Now both sides here were bluffing. On January
Speaker 1: the fifteenth, fifteen eighty two, they agreed to a ten
Speaker 1: year truce on the condition that Russia seed the whole
Speaker 1: of Livonia to the Poles and Lithuanians. King Bathrie in
Speaker 1: the end waived that four hundred thousand gold indemnity and
Speaker 1: returned even Beliki Luki to the Russians, but kept pull
Speaker 1: a Tusk. With peace concluded in Lithuania, Ivan now had
Speaker 1: to deal with the two other threats to Russian stability,
Speaker 1: Sweden and the Nagai Tartars. He concluded a peace with
Speaker 1: Sweden in May fifteen eighty three, which allowed the Swedes
Speaker 1: to keep all the territory that they had taken in
Speaker 1: the preceding four years of raiding and conflict. Most historians
Speaker 1: believed that had Ivan simply allowed the Russian armies to advance,
Speaker 1: they would have won, but he wouldn't allow it. Instead,
Speaker 1: Ivan now at the end of his life, held out
Speaker 1: this bizarre hope that he might marry Queen Elizabeth I
Speaker 1: of England and use england perceived military might to destroy
Speaker 1: his enemies. It was a sign of just how unhinged
Speaker 1: the czar had become. Oddly enough, Russia expanded one last
Speaker 1: time under its first Tsar, Azar, who had no interest
Speaker 1: in further expansion. This time, the expansion was far to
Speaker 1: the east and distant Siberia. It wasn't Ivan that directed this.
Speaker 1: It was a merchant family, the Stroganovs. They already held
Speaker 1: land across the Earl Mountains. Originally they were merchants of Novgorod,
Speaker 1: but they became Russia's first large scale industrialists. They possessed saltworks, lumberyards,
Speaker 1: smithy's forges, trading in wood, iron, salt fish. As they
Speaker 1: moved eastward, Ivan granted them charters authorizing them to colonize
Speaker 1: unoccupied land and conquered territory previously occupied by the Tartars,
Speaker 1: Volgs and Ostiaks who lived there. They had their own
Speaker 1: private armies, their own fortresses, their own capital. There had
Speaker 1: been sporadic fighting between these Stroganov armies and the armies
Speaker 1: of Kuchmun, the Khan of Siberia, beginning in fifteen seventy three,
Speaker 1: and these became continual over the years. By fifteen eighty one,
Speaker 1: the Stroganovs determined that they would be best if they
Speaker 1: simply destroyed the Khan. It took an additional two years,
Speaker 1: but in the end the Stroganovs were able to eliminate
Speaker 1: the Khan, adding Siberia to Russia's domains. The whole affair
Speaker 1: had cost barely twenty thousand rubles. In terms of cost
Speaker 1: benefit analysis, it's probably one of the best deals in history,
Speaker 1: rivaling even the famed Louisiana purchase. With Siberia and Russian possession,
Speaker 1: the Orthodox Church wasted no time in sending ten priests
Speaker 1: to act as missionaries. None of this made I even happy.
Speaker 1: He was only fifty three years old in the winter
Speaker 1: of fifteen eighty three, but looked like a man in
Speaker 1: his eighties. His body was real with disease, his mind
Speaker 1: with regret. One day in early fifteen eighty four, Ivan
Speaker 1: watched a comet shaped like a fiery cross proceed in
Speaker 1: the sky over Saint Basils. His only comment was that
Speaker 1: it foretold his death, and the thought seemed to please him.
Speaker 1: He didn't need to wait long. Ivan the Fourth, Ivan
Speaker 1: the Terrible, died on March seventeenth, fifteen eighty four. Four
Speaker 1: regions were assigned to rule in the name of Ivan's son,
Speaker 1: Feodor and I mentioned before. Feodora was what we would
Speaker 1: call it to day, mentally challenged. In the end, he
Speaker 1: would reign for only fourteen years. His death would bring
Speaker 1: to the end of the Ruik dynasty and ushered in what
Speaker 1: is called the time of troubles in Russia, and we
Speaker 1: shall return to that, but it will be a story
Speaker 1: for another day. Ivan's body lay in state for two days.
Speaker 1: Hundreds came to see the man who could no longer
Speaker 1: hurt them. In nineteen fifty three, Soviet authorities opened the
Speaker 1: tomb of Ivan the Terrible. They found the remains of
Speaker 1: a tall, barrel chested man who had clearly suffered from
Speaker 1: some form of arthritis. They made a plaster cast of
Speaker 1: the solve for reconstruction. Then, in the presence of movie
Speaker 1: cameras that recorded the event for posterity, they placed the
Speaker 1: body back in the coffin, covered Ivan with sand, and
Speaker 1: sealed it. And so Ivan the Terrible has rested ever since.
Speaker 1: Next week, we're going to switch things up a bit.
Speaker 1: It's been quite a long time since I've done one
Speaker 1: of these, but I'm going to do a couple of episodes,
Speaker 1: very broadly, focusing on economic and technological changes that swept
Speaker 1: Europe in the period that we'd like to call the
Speaker 1: early modern history, beginning roughly around fourteen fifty and lasting
Speaker 1: through the start of the eighteenth century, which we haven't
Speaker 1: gotten to yet. But most of the changes precede that.
Speaker 1: I think that's important to recognize before we turn to
Speaker 1: our next and largest ever story arc for this podcast,
Speaker 1: which will be the Thirty Years War. If you're interested
Speaker 1: in supporting the show, there's two great ways to do so.
Speaker 1: One would be to check out Western SIV two point
Speaker 1: zero link in the show notes. You can get a
Speaker 1: free trial that's where we put a whole bunch of
Speaker 1: bonus materials. Plus you get early access to this feed
Speaker 1: with no ads, for one dollar a month. Or if
Speaker 1: you'd just like to give us a rating or a review.
Speaker 1: The more ratings and reviews that we have, the more
Speaker 1: people who can find the show, and it really does help.
Speaker 1: Next week we will begin our large overview and set
Speaker 1: the stage for the changes in the way people conceived
Speaker 1: of themselves as humans.