6. Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV, better known as Ivan the Terrible, became Russia’s first Tsar and forged his rule with blood and fear. He unleashed brutal campaigns of terror, most infamously the sack of Novgorod, where thousands were slaughtered to quash dissent. Ivan’s reign was marked by torture, mass executions, and paranoia, as he sought to eliminate real and imagined enemies. His merciless methods not only consolidated his power but also set a grim precedent in Russian history.
