860 - 1689 (Kievan Period) - History, Russia - Kings & Rulers - Biography
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Overview
The author of the best-selling Tolstoy, winner of France's prestigious Prix Goncourt, member of the Académie Française, and renowned expert on Russia paints yet another indelible portrait of one of Russia's imposing historical figures. Henri Troyat, author of acclaimed biographies of Catherine the Great, Tolstoy, and Turgenev, turns his attention to one of the most violent, demented rulers ever, Czar Ivan IV. Though this larger-than-life ruler inflicted torture on friends and enemies alike, destroyed villages and even killed his own son, he also forged what became 20th-century Russia.Editorials
Library Journal
So just how terrible was he? He wiped out entire cities and villages, leaving every inhabitant dead; he tortured his enemies and at times his closest associates; and he murdered his own son. Pretty terrible. Ivan believed he was a direct descendant of Caesar Augustus as well as being divine and was the first Russian to take the title czar. To his credit, however, his extreme methods instilled such fear in his subjects that his empire actually functioned well, and his zest for conquering land made modern Russia a large, powerful country. This 1984 title captures Ivan the IV in gory detail. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.Book Details
Published
April 19, 2001
Publisher
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Pages
288
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781842124192