History of Russia (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. TSARDOSI?THE REIGN OP IVAN THE TERRIBLE. Ivan IV. (1534-1581).?It must be admitted that, on the death of Vassily, the prospect that the system of rule he had established would have any continuance, was clouded by a great uncertainty. He had suffered domestic troubles. He got rid of his first wife, not without a resort to harsli and unjustifiable measures. His son by his second wife was, when he died, only an infant. The mother, who became regent, was a very unfit person to have charge of a lad upon whom, it seemed, that such a responsibility as awaited him would devolve. Happily, or unhappily, she also died when he was very young. The government then fell into the hands of a council of Boyards, whose self-seeking dissensions threw the country into great disorder. Every man was for himself, and outside enemies strove as they could to take avail of the opportunity. Prominent among them were the Lithuanians, now united with the Poles, whose demonstrations became more formidable, and also more successful, than they ever had been since the days of Alexander Nevsky. But the managing council cared for few of these things. So long as they could keep power in their own hands, and keep down alike the inquisitiveness of their ward and the discontent of the people, they were satisfied. In both instances it was a difficult task. It was especially difficult in the case of the young man they had to tutor, for Ivan IV.?Ivan the Terrible, as he came to be justlv called?was endowed with faculties which made Lira dangerous to deal with. -The manner in which his guardians dealt with himwas most unwise. His natural disposition was cruel. It was his delight to torture domestic animals, to ride over old women, to indulge in all manner of wild freaks. This disposition was encouraged, as...