Ivan the Terrible: a Military History

Ivan the Terrible was the first tsar of Russia, and arguably its most infamous ruler. His reign of terror rivalled Stalin's, and he was responsible for establishing serfdom and devastating much of Russia. He was also the first Russian ruler to invade Europe, and his campaigns against the Livonian Confederation were initially very successful fuelling his dreams of a Russian Empire. However, as the tide began to turn against Ivan, he became increasingly paranoid and violent. It is thought that more than forty thousand were killed when the Russians sacked the town of Novgorod in 1570, and many were tortured and murdered in front of Ivan and his son. Ivan the Terrible describes the organisation and equipment of the tsar's army and the forces of his enemies, the Poles, Lithuanians, Tatars and Livoanian Knights. This is the first specialist study of Ivan the Terrible's military strategy to be published in English. 16 pages of plates