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Ivan IV

Ivan IV

1 9.1
A Russian ruler of the 1500s who was the first to be called tsar and acted cruelly
  • proper noun
: Iván IV
  • Ivan IV, known as Ivan IV the Terrible, centralized power in Russia during his reign.

Examples

  • By the seventeenth century, one observer claimed that the conquest of Kazan was the event that made Ivan IV a tsar and Muscovy an empire.

    Academic text (2007)
  • These activities closely resembled Ivan IV's departure from Moscow on his way to conquer Kazan, thus associating the ideas of military and religious conquest.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Ivan IV received a blessing from Gurii and then departed.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Makarii blessed Ivan IV's decision to attack the Khanate for "the holy churches and for Orthodox Christianity."

    Academic text (2007)
  • To further connect the military conquest to religious imperatives, Makarii employed Russian Orthodox rituals to support Ivan IV personally in 1552.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Ivan IV had compromised a conversion mission due to Muscovy's geopolitical insecurity, even while he supported the physical establishment of the Church.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Ivan IV himself highlighted the connection between Orthodox ritual and conquest by stopping in Vladimir and Murom for blessings at their cathedrals.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Similarly, Ivan IV ordered the foundation of Kazan's Bogoroditskii Devichii Convent in 1579 to house Kazan's Mother of God Icon.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The first monastery built in the region, the Zilantov Uspenskii Monastery, received Smolensk's miraculous Mother of God Icon as a gift from Ivan IV in 1552.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Under Ivan IV, the title of czar became a symbol of absolute authority in Russia.

Synonyms

Ivan the Terrible
vsIvan IV
6 8.4

The first ruler of Russia known for making the government strong and being cruel

is about centralizing power and ruthless policies rather than naming cruelty acts
8.3

The first ruler of Russia to take the title czar, ruling from 1547 to 1584

focuses on his centralization and ruthless policies not only on dates or names

Surface Forms

Ivan IV main

Morphology

Ivan + IV

The form 'Ivan IV' is compositionally a personal name plus an ordinal numeral, so a learner who knows 'Ivan' and 'IV' can infer it refers to 'Ivan the Fourth'. However the detailed historical information (that he was the first czar of Russia and his policies) is encyclopedic and not derivable from the constituents, making the expression only partially transparent.

Etymology

Ivan IV shows he was the fourth ruler named Ivan. He is often called 'Ivan the Terrible' because his harsh and violent rule made people afraid.