Ivan the Terrible Ivan the Terrible was a cruel tyrant, who never knew the meaning of moderation; He drank too much, laughed too loudly and hated and loved too fiercely. And he never forgot anything. Ivan was definitely smart and despite his cruelty, his reign is known as one of the greatest rules in Russian history. In Russia Ivan was called "Grozny", which has always been translated to "the terrible", but actually means "the awesome". …showed first 75 words of 555 total…

…showed last 75 words of 555 total…to the verge of economic collapse. These factors, together with Tatar incursions, resulted in the depopulation of a number of Russian provinces by the time of Ivan's death in 1584. Nevertheless, he left Russia far more centralized both administratively and culturally than it had been previously. Ivan encouraged Russia's cultural development, especially through printing. He himself wrote well, most his surviving writings are mainly political, his choice of words and his biting sarcasm were very unprofessional.