Guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

On February 3, 1565, Ivan the Terrible signed a decree on the oprichnina, thereby opening one of the darkest pages of Russian history. Initially, this rather innocuous term was used to refer to part of the state lands that were under the direct control of the king.

The guardsmen looked rather creepy: they dressed in dark robes, similar to monastic robes, and severed dog heads dangled around the necks of their horses. Another "trademark" of the devoted servants of Ivan the Terrible were brooms attached to a whip.

This symbolism was not accidental: the dog's head symbolized dog's devotion to the sovereign and the ability to properly “bite” all subjects he disliked, while the metaphorical broom was supposed to sweep unnecessary rubbish out of the hut called “Rus”.

Malyuta Skuratov

The name of this man has become a household name: this is how the most inveterate villains are still often called. Malyuta Skuratov was considered the main oprichnik of Ivan the Terrible, his most loyal servant, capable of committing any atrocities to the delight of the tsar-father. The real name of the famous murderer is Grigory Lukyanovich Skuratov-Belsky.

By the gentle nickname "Malyuta", according to one of the versions put forward by historians, he was awarded for his short stature.

Ivan the Terrible and Malyuta Skuratov. Source: wikipedia.org

German Heinrich Staden, who by the will of fate became one of the guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible, spoke rather unflatteringly in his memoirs about the state system in general and Malyuta in particular. “This one was the first in the chicken coop,” a foreigner wrote about Skuratov.

Afanasy Vyazemsky

After the tsar's conflict with Archpriest Sylvester and the okolnichy Alexei Adashev and the fall of the authority of the "Chosen Rada", Vyazemsky quickly gained confidence in Grozny. Athanasius became so close to Ivan IV that the latter agreed to take medicines exclusively from his hands. However, the music did not last long: Vyazemsky soon found himself in the center of court intrigues. In 1570 he was accused of treason and tortured mercilessly. It was during the cruel executions that yesterday's guardsman died.

Alexey and Fyodor Basmanov

For some "sovereign people" the oprichnina became a family affair. For example, Alexey Basmanov and his son Fyodor worked together for the benefit of Ivan Vasilyevich. According to the memoirs of the aforementioned Heinrich Staden, Grozny did "indulge in debauchery" with the younger Basmanov.

It is not known for certain whether all the words of the German can be trusted, but the testimony remains evidence, so such testimony cannot be ignored.

Ivan groznyj. Source: wikipedia.org

The opinions of other contemporaries about the Basmanovs were also quite peculiar. For example, Andrei Kurbsky, who is considered to be one of the first Russian emigrants, called Alexei "a maniac and a destroyer of both himself and the land of Svyatorussk."

Vasily Gryaznoy

"From rags to riches" - it was according to this well-known principle that Gryaznoy's career developed. According to the tsar himself, Vasily was "there is little that was not in the kennels" with Prince Peninsky in the provincial Aleksin. However, Gryaznoy was surprisingly lucky: the town entered the oprichnina possessions of Ivan IV, and the former servant of a lower rank was able to enter the sovereign's service.

Oprichnik. Source: regnum.ru

Since then, the affairs of Vasily Gryazny have gone up the hill. He became one of the favorite guardsmen of Grozny and began to create lawlessness together with Skuratov and Vyazemsky. But Ivan Vasilyevich rather quickly lost interest in Gryaznoy: when the former confidant was in captivity, the tsar did not even begin to ransom him.