The first Russian Tsar, Ivan IV Vasilyevich, ascended the throne at a difficult time for the country. From the south, Russia was threatened by the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire, from the west by Poland and Lithuania, Sweden and the Livonian Order. The Kazan people raided Russian soil from the east. The king managed to cope with the challenge of hostile states. In 1552, Kazan was taken by storm, two years later the Astrakhan kingdom became part of the Russian state. In 1561, the Livonian Order, which had threatened northwestern Rus' for more than 300 years, ceased to exist. In battles with enemies, Rus' survived and increased its territory, annexing the North Caucasus, the Nogai Horde and the Siberian kingdom. And the first Tsar Ivan IV, for his victory over his enemies, received from the people the nickname “Terrible” - for the enemies of the Fatherland. A new book by the famous modern writer Valery Shambarov is about the glorious and heroic pages of Russian history of the 16th century.