Ivan the Terrible, Russian Ivan Grozny, byname of Ivan Vasilyevich, also called Ivan IV, (born August 25, 1530, Kolomenskoye, near Moscow [Russia]—died March 18, 1584, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow (1533–84) and the first to be proclaimed tsar of Russia (from 1547).

Why did they call him Ivan the Terrible?

Ivan IV Vasilyevich (August 25, 1530 – March 18, 1584) is known as Ivan the Terrible because of his cruelty. Because of such a by-name people suppose that he was no one but a tyrant. ... Sometimes history calls names so that it is impossible to judge somebody by his merits. Some kind of it happened to Ivan IV.

How terrible was Ivan the Terrible?

He had started as a reasonable ruler, but his escalating paranoia and the deterioration of his mental health from 1558 onwards turned him into a monstrous tyrant who left death, destruction and economic ruin in his wake. Yes, Ivan the Terrible truly was as terrible as his nickname suggests.