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==Introduction==
Ivan the Terrible is one of the best-known Russian Tsars and commonly regarded as one of the cruelest men in history. He has been portrayed countless times in books and movies. However, the legend that is Ivan the Terrible often obscured the historical leader, who was one of the most important figures in the history of Russia. He may have been mentally unstable and a brutal autocrat but he was a brilliant leader who modernized Russia and who also laid the foundations for the later Russian Empire. This article discusses the impact of Ivan the Terrible on Russia. It analyses his impact on the development of Russia as a state and as an Empire. The piece also discusses Ivan’s policy failures and tyranny which were to have very negative tragic consequences for the Russian people.
[[File: Hw-ivan4.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Ivan IV from a contemporary print]]
==Background==
Russia had been conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century and for many years they imposed a tribute system on the Russian princes. The Golden Horde as the Mongols were known dominated, Russia from their bases in Crimea and in the South of Russia. These years changed Russia and its culture. By the 15th century, the Khanate of the Golden Horde had broken up after a massive defeat by Tamerlane. However, the successor states of the Golden Horde dominated much of modern Russia. The weakening of the Mongols allowed the state of Moscow to emerge. Under a succession of Grand Princes the State of Muscovy, members of the Rurik Dynasty had been able to expand mostly at the expense of the descendants of the Mongols, the Tartars<ref> Madariaga, Isabel de. Ivan the Terrible. First Tsar of Russia. (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2005), p. 56</ref>. The state of Muscovy, centered on Moscow was in a precarious strategic position it was bordered by Tartars Khanates to the south and east. To the west was the huge kingdom of Poland-Lithuania. However, the State of Muscovy was able to command a large territory that was rich in resources and a large army. Under successive able Grand Princes’ it had dominates the other Russian princedoms and city-states such as Novgorod. However, many of these princes only were technically part of the state of Muscovy and the hereditary nobility often opposed the will of the Grand Princes and even intrigued with his many enemies. It was widely believed that the nobles or Boyars poisoned Ivan’s father and his mother the queen regent. The only national institution in the Russian lands was the Orthodox Church. At the time of Ivan’s birth, Muscovy was a sprawling but fragmented entity that covered large areas of central Russia.
