Ivan Vasiljevich the Terrible was born in 1530 and died in 1584. He was the son of the Grand Duke Vasili III. His mother Helena Glinsky was the daughter of a Luthuanian refugee who had found asylum in Russia. She was young, vivacious, intelligent, and beautiful. Vasili had married her after he tried to have an heir for 20 years with his first wife Salome. Vasili was in his 50's, and Helena was 20 when Ivan was born. Ivan …
showed first 75 words of 1365 total

showed last 75 words of 1365 total
…nothing could be done. With the death of Ivan IV and his son, Fedor, a half-witted man who liked the Church and ringing bells, ruled the country. (The first son, Dmitry had died.) Because of this tragedy, after Ivan's death in 1584, the country entered a time of troubles. He had left Russia without a strong ruler. Because of the troubles after Ivan's death, some people actually wished that Ivan was still there to rule them.