January 16 1547 – Ivan the Terrible Takes the Crown of Russia

January 16 1547 – Ivan the Terrible Takes the Crown of RussiaRate this post Stepping up to the altar of the Cathedral of the Dormition, the 16-year-old Ivan Vasilyevic, Grand Prince of Moscow, assumed the throne on January 16, 1547. Known to history as Ivan the Terrible, he was the first to receive the title “Tsar of All the Russias” and would go on to turn Russia into a vast empire through nearly 40 years at the helm. Named Ivan IV at birth, he and his younger brother Yuri were orphaned at a young age — father Vasili III died of an infection in 1536 and mother Elena followed him […]