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Dec 3, 1533
Father Dies
In 1533, his father, Vasili III, the current Grand Prince of Moscow, died when Ivan was 3 years old, leaving his mother to rule as Regent until Ivan was old enough -
1538
Ivan's Mother Dies
Some time in 1538, Ivan's mother, who was ruling as regent, died. Some suspect it was poisoning, but after this, Ivan was crowned Grand Prince of Moscow while he was only 8 years old. Her death and the suspected poisoning by the Boyars led his hatred for them to grow -
Period: 1538 to 1547
Boyar's Try To Influence Ivan
Since he became the ruler, the wealthy upperclass families, called the Boyars, did their best to influence and control young Ivan, in many ways doing their best to make him their personal puppet, leading him to nurture a hatred for them. -
1547
Ivan Marries His First Wife
Two weeks after naming himself Tsar, Ivan married Anastasia Romanovna, his first wife and the one he loved the most. -
Jan 16, 1547
Ivan is Crowned Tsar
When he was 16, Ivan became the Tsar of all Russia, and switched from the title of Grand Prince to Tsar, which gave him an immediate power in Religion. Beginning of his "Good Period." -
1549
Established the Zemsky Sobor
In 1549, Ivan held the first Zemsky Sobor, which was the first Russian Parliament of the Feudal Estates type. -
1550
Edits the Sudebnik
In 1550, he added to and revised the Sudebnik of 1497, the code of laws which his people abided by. -
Mar 28, 1554
Ivan's Favorite Son is Born
Ivan's son, also named Ivan, is born from Anastasia, he will go on to be one of his fathers strongest supporters and his fathers heir, until his accidental death. -
May 31, 1557
Ivan's Actual Heir is Born
Feodor I is born, the only other surviving son of Ivan and Anastasia. He was not the brightest lad, but after Ivan killed his only other capable heir, he became the Tsar after his father's death, and ruled poorly and was very incompetent. He left the country without an heir when he died and this began the Times of Trouble. -
1560
Anastasia Dies
In 1560, Ivan's wife died and it was suspected to be a poisoning, losing her caused a serious change in his mental health. End of his "Good Period." -
Period: 1560 to
Ivan's "Bad Period"
During this time, after his wife's death, he became crazy. He assembled a private police force which he used to execute any who challenged his power, focusing mostly on the Boyar families which had tried to control him when he was younger, this lasted until his death. -
Dec 3, 1564
Ivan Leaves Moscow
Ivan left Moscow and threatened to not return, which would leave Moscow leaderless, until they agreed to give him absolute power over his people. They agreed and he created a territory in which he had absolute power over everything. -
Nov 15, 1581
Ivan Beats His Daughter in Law
When Ivan saw his second son's pregnant wife wearing clothing which Ivan deemed unconventionally light, he beat her and likely caused her miscarriage, which his son found out about. -
Nov 16, 1581
Ivan Kill His Son
When his second son confronted Ivan about beating his wife, they got into a heated argument in which Ivan ended up hitting his son in the head with a pointed rod. Although he immediately regretted it and prayed for a miracle the following days, his son still died 3 days later on November 19th.
