The colorful figure of Ivan the Terrible has always attracted the attention of not only historians, but also literary and artistic figures. His whole life - from birth to death - was accompanied by riddles and secrets. Ivan the Terrible combined the makings of a major statesman and a despot; a subtle, eloquent writer - and an executioner. So who was he? Historians do not and cannot have an unambiguous answer to this question. One thing is obvious: since childhood, surrounded by flattery and embezzlement, admiration and palace intrigue, Ivan the Terrible nevertheless became more of a tyrant than a statesman. He was the first of the Russian rulers to identify himself with the state and therefore believed that contradicting the tsar was almost high treason. This is how he justified his own permissiveness.