Filters:
Group: Bank of England (independent)
People: John II of Aragon
Topic: Burmese-Laotian War of 1581-92
Location: Liegnitz > Legnica Legnica Poland

The development of the tsar's autocratic powers …

Years: 1576 - 1587

The development of the tsar's autocratic powers reaches a peak during the reign of Ivan IV, and he becomes known as the Terrible (his Russian epithet, groznyy, means threatening or dreaded).

Ivan strengthens the position of the tsar to an unprecedented degree, demonstrating the risks of unbridled power in the hands of a mentally unstable individual.

Although apparently intelligent and energetic, Ivan suffers from bouts of paranoia and depression, and his rule is punctuated by acts of extreme violence.