Tsar Ivan the Terrible is one of the most controversial rulers 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 first crowned Tsar of All Rus', a sovereign who had a key influence on Russian history? What role did he play in the rise and fall of a powerful state and in the decline of the Rurik dynasty? The famous historian and world-famous scientist R.G. offers answers to these questions in his fundamental and at the same time fascinating book. Skrynnikov.