In October the city of Oryol (220 miles south of Moscow) erected the country’s first monument to Ivan IV, known as the Terrible, one of many Russian rulers who remain divisive figures today. RBTH remembers how he made it into the history books.
1. He was the first Russian tsar
In 1547, upon reaching adulthood, Ivan was crowned Tsar of All Russia. Before him all rulers of Muscovy were Grand Princes. Ivan was the first to appoint himself tsar, "Caesar," in the European tradition of "emperor," whose power comes directly from God.
Such a title gave Russia and its ruler significant weight in the eyes of European monarchs. Ivan the Terrible was recognized emperor by Queen Elizabeth I,
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