Ivan the Terrible was born on August 25, 1530. He was born in Kolomenskoye, Russia. Ivan was the son of Vasily III and his second wife, Elena Glinskaya. Ivan was three years old when his father died of a boil and inflammation on his leg that developed into blood poisoning. His father's request was that his son Ivan be proclaimed Grand Prince of Moscow. When Ivan was eight years old, his mother Elena Glinskaya died of poisoning. His letter said that he and his younger brother Yuri felt neglected and offended. On January 16, 1547, at the age of 16, he was crowned the cap of Maonomakh at the Dormition Cathedral. Ivan was the first to be crowned Tsar of All Russia. By being crowned he had a message to send to the world and to Russia, his message was that he was the only supreme ruler of the country. “The new title symbolized an assumption of power equivalent and parallel to those held by the former Byzantine emperor and the Tatar Khan, both known in Russian sources as Tsar. The political effect was to elevate Ivan's position. » The great fire of 1547 was...