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==Concept of Tsar==
Ivan was the first true Russian Tsar and this was possibly his greatest achievement. Ivan believed in the divine right of Kings. This idea was inherited by Russian from the Byzantine tradition. However, Ivan was the first in many centuries to really seek to ensure that he did actually reign as God’s deputy and was unquestioningly obeyed<ref>Hunt, Priscilla. "Ivan IV's Personal Mythology of Kingship", Slavic Review, Vol. 52, No. 4. (Winter, 1993), pp. 769–809. </ref> This does much to explain his apparent unlimited cruelty. He saw himself as an instrument of divine punishment who was punishing sinners. In fact, he believed that by punishing them terribly in this life he may have been saving their souls. Ivan’s concept of the role of the Tsar was very influential. A Tsar was expected to be an autocrat and was entitled to order cruel punishments, furthermore there will was law. He made autocracy central to the Russian state. The authoritarian ideas of Tsar Ivan IV promoted a political culture in Russia that accepted and even welcomed autocracy and this has arguably continued up to the present. Moreover, his use of terror tactics to stay in power were emulated by many subsequent rulers including Peter the Great and Stalin. There are undoubted similarities between the persecution of Ivan and the ‘purges under Stalin in the 1930s’ <ref>Perrie, Maureen. The Cult of Ivan the Terrible in Stalin's Russia (New York: Palgrave, 2001), p. 115</ref>.
== ConquestConquests==Ivan changed the nature of the Russian army and was the first Tsar to establish a standing army. This was to revolutionize the strategic situation and directly lead to a series of conquest. Ivan was the first to introduce western military technology into Russia and this was one of his greatest innovations. Tsar Ivan IV was one of the greatest conquerors of his era. His professional army was able to conquer several Khanates. These Muslim kingdoms had terrorised Russia for many centuries and they had frequently raid the territory of Muscovy. These were often highly organized slave raids and many thousands of Russians often ended up in the slave markets of Astrakhan. The conquests of Ivan ended this and allowed the Russian lands to develop in relative peace. Furthermore, the annexation of the Khanates turned Russian into a huge Empire. For the first time since the Mongol invasion one Russian Slavic Ruler was the dominant political figure in the region and this has not changed to this date. Despite his reputation for brutality Ivan was actually quite tolerant and the many Muslims in his Empire soon came to accept his rule and became integrated into his state <ref> Troyatt, p. 234</ref>. Then there was his colonisation and conquest of Siberia and this allowed Russia to expand to the east and to exploit the many resources that changed the nature of Russia forever. It turned the new Russian Empire into a transcontinental power and both a European and an Asian power. The resources of Siberia were to help to turn Russia into a truly great power. Ivan’s military campaigns were not always successful and he made no significant gains in the west. However, important trade and cultural contacts were established that were important for the future development of the Russian Empire.
==The great failures of Ivan==
The Tsar’s ambitious plans and policies had exhausted Russia. The population had suffered greatly and the army could not recruit sufficient soldiers and the treasury was almost empty. Russia was a mighty power but it was also almost bankrupt and weak. After the death of Ivan, he was succeeded by his ineffectual son Feodor. Ivan had killed his heir in a fit of rage and this was to prove disastrous. Tsar Feodor was incompetent and was to die childless and this ended the Rurik Dynasty. The instability produced by an uncertain royal succession and a crippled economy resulted in internal instability which was soon exploited by Russia’s neighbors. This became known as the ‘Time of Troubles’ when the Russian Empire almost collapsed <ref> Troyatt, p. 314</ref>. The state was only saved by the emergence of the Romanov Dynasty. Many historians have argued that the root causes of the Time of Troubles were a result of Ivan’s policies.
