Ivan IV (Ivan The Terrible)

When people think of Ivan IV, they think of a mad man that had no mercy for anyone. It was hard to stop his horrible fits of cruelty and paranoia. That is when Ivan IV took the name of "Ivan the Terrible" from his bazaar behavior. He was one of the most ruthless tyrants in history. Yet for many people in Russia, he is a national hero, even thought he is a man of contradiction. …

…Russia. Finally, in 1572, the oprichnina was abolished. Ivan had many more fits of rage but the worst was in 1581 when he had a fit of rage and killed his own son Ivan. It happened when Ivan attacked his son's pregnant wife because she was not wearing the customary clothing for a pregnant woman. His son tried to defend his wife but Ivan swung a pointed staff at him and it killed him. Ivan died in 1584.