Extra Credit Assignment 11: Comments on the Life of Ivan IV

Comments on the Life of Ivan IV             Reading the two sources (Bos, 2011; Robinson & Beard, 2005) of information about the life of Evan Vasilivich (known to the world as Ivan IV or Ivan the Terrible) brought me back to that time in history where there was great confusion, sorrow and darkness. It led me to a place where people in the streets go hungry, where families live in great fear while the homes of the royals, in this case the family of the Tsars (emperors) of Russia lived in prosperity and grandeur. It is unfortunate that a boy who would soon become a powerful leader would experience cruelty, which would then lead him into inflicting such cruelty to other people who trusted him and looked at him as a king, a son of God, a savior. But can one really blame Ivan IV for becoming what he is? Subjected to a life of power struggles, Ivan’s childhood was not normal. He was orphaned, and abused at such a young age, one might say he never had anyone who truly loved and cared for him. And without the right model for behavior, Ivan ...