Ivan the Terrible

I am your god
as God is mine.
My throne is surrounded
by archangels
as is the throne of God.

Ivan IV
Also Known as “Ivan the Terrible”


A mere mortal would not refer to himself as a god. But Ivan IV, Russia’s first Tsar, considered himself far superior to all others.

He was not alone in such thinking. After the famous battle of Kazan, in which the Tsar and his forces defeated a longstanding enemy, the Russian people gave their leader a formidable nickname: Ivan Grozny. Translated into today’s English, Grozny means "terrible," as in awful. When the name was first given, however, Grozny meant “terrible,” as in dreaded or formidably awesome.

This is the awesome story of the terrible tyrant, Ivan IV, Tsar of all the Russians.