6. Ivan the Terrible declared himself the Emperor of all of Russia at the age of just 16, and he was just getting started
At the age of just 16, Ivan IV of Russia, better known as Ivan the Terrible, declared himself Emperor (or Tsar) of all Russia. This meant that he wielded absolute power. And, despite being still a teen, he was not afraid to use it. Under him, Russia was transformed from an inward-looking Medieval state into a true empire. This was despite the fact that Ivan was indeed as ‘terrible’ as his moniker suggests, and his bad behavior started while he was still a young boy.
Born in Moscow in 1530, Ivan was just three years old when his father, Vasili III died. In accordance with the deceased ruler’s wishes, Ivan was named Grand Prince of Moscow and was destined to assume full power when he came of age. For a few years, Ivan’s mother ruled as his regent. But then, when her son was just eight, she was murdered with poison. The regency was then swapped between different noble families, while young Ivan grew up. By all accounts, he was an intelligent yet cruel boy. For instance, while he would read widely and study hard, he would also throw dogs and cats from the palace walls to see them suffer. As he grew older, he would also find joy in raising peasant villages, attacking poor men and raping their women.
At the age of 16, Ivan finally came of age. Rather than carrying on the tradition of ruling as Grand Duke of Moscow, he declared himself the Tsar of all of Russia, fashioning himself after the Caesars of ancient Rome. From the start, he was ruthless in keeping his rivals down. His cruelty was infamous. Enemies, real of imagined, would be hung, boiled alive or fed to packs of dogs. Obviously, it worked. When he died in 1584 at the age of 53, it was from banging his head on a stone floor after falling off a chair rather than being assassinated.
According to most historians’ assessments, Ivan never really matured as a leader after assuming total power while still a teenager. His economic policies almost ruined Russia, while his aggressive foreign policies cost countless lives. Today, however, some Russians still admire him, and some have even suggested he was not only a fine leader but also a saint.
