Tsar Ivan the Terrible is perhaps one of the most controversial personalities in Russian history. A talented statesman, a wise reformer - and a bloody tyrant, a man who plunged his people into the chaos of monstrous repressions. What was he like, Ivan the Terrible, the founder of the Muscovite kingdom, a sovereign who had a great and very ambiguous influence on the course of historical events? What role did he play in the formation and decline of a powerful country? The famous historian, world-famous scientist, professor at St. Petersburg State University R. G. Skrynnikov offers answers to these questions in his new fascinating book.