Was Ivan the Terrible really terrible?

Answer 1

No. He was no terrible. In fact before his death for many years he tried to get people to call him Ivan the Awesome. But we all know he failed, because....no one calls him that.

Additional Answer:

Ivan IV was terrible. He is remembered as perhaps the cruelest tyrant in Russian history. His Russian title, Gronzy, translates more closely into "the Awesome" but that does not mean he wasn't terrible as well. Some history books refer to him as Ivan the Dread rather than the Terrible.

When Ivan became a complete autocrat he tortured and executed nobles and clergy alike without trial if he thought they were against him. He created an elite military force who wore all black, rode black horses and used the symbols of a broom and a dog's head to show that they were there to sweep out all the dogs. And they weren't talking about the four-legged kind either.

This militia, called the oprichniki, tortured and executed thousands in Ivan's name and at his direction. The worst of this group's actions was the massacre of tens of thousands of Russians in Novgorod in 1569 because Ivan thought they were plotting with Poland against him.

Ivan later began executing members of that militia as well.

In one incident while in a rage killed his own son.

Ivan IV was "awesome" alright, but that was because he was so terrible. Revisionist history should not change that fact..