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Ivan the Terrible

1530 CE – 1584 CE

Retrace Ivan the Terrible's life across the map — 10 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. Battle of the Neva1240 CE
   The Battle of the Neva was fought between the Novgorod Republic, along with Karelians, and the Kingdom of Sweden, including Norwegian, Finnish and Tavastian forces, on the Neva River, near the settlement of Ust-Izhora, on 15 July 1240. The battle is mentioned only in Russian sources, and it remains unclear whether it was a major invasion or a small-scale raid. In Russian historiography, it has become an event of massive scale and importance.
2. Siege of Kazan1552 CE
   The siege of Kazan or Fall of Kazan in 1552 was the final battle of the Russo-Kazan Wars and led to the fall of the Khanate of Kazan. Conflict continued after the fall of Kazan, however, as rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq, and a new khan was invited from the Nogais. This guerrilla war lingered until 1556.
3. Russo-Swedish War of 1554–15571554 CE
   The Russo-Swedish War of 1554–1557, considered a prelude to the Livonian War of 1558–1583, arose out of border skirmishes. It ended when the parties agreed on a truce in the Treaty of Novgorod (1557). The war ended inconclusively.
4. Livonian War1558 CE
   The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned the control of Old Livonia. The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.
5. Siege of Polotsk (1563)1563 CE
   The siege of Polotsk was the siege of the Lithuanian fortress of Polotsk that took place in the winter of 1562 and 1563. The siege is considered one of the largest campaigns of the Russian army in the 16th century. The fall of the city caused a resonance throughout Europe and raised the prestige of the Russian tsar. The siege is considered one of the greatest in the history of Russia before the Empire.
6. First Russo-Turkish War1568 CE
   The Russo-Turkish War (1568–1570) or Don-Volga-Astrakhan campaign of 1569 was a war between the Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire over the Astrakhan Khanate. It was the first of twelve Russo-Turkish wars ending with World War I in 1914–18.
7. Crimean-Circassian War1569 CE
   The Russo-Turkish War (1568–1570) or Don-Volga-Astrakhan campaign of 1569 was a war between the Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire over the Astrakhan Khanate. It was the first of twelve Russo-Turkish wars ending with World War I in 1914–18.
8. Massacre of Novgorod1570 CE
   The massacre of Novgorod was an attack launched by Ivan the Terrible's oprichniki on the city of Novgorod, Russia, in 1570. Although initially an act of vengeance against the perceived treason of the local Orthodox church, the massacre quickly became possibly the most vicious in the brutal legacy of the oprichnina, with casualties estimated between two thousand to fifteen thousand and innumerable acts of extreme, violent cruelty. In the aftermath of the attack, Novgorod lost its status as one of Russia's leading cities, crippled by decimation of its citizenry combined with Ivan's assault on the surrounding farmlands.
9. Siege of Polotsk1579 CE
   The siege of Polotsk was a siege by forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth under Stephen Báthory on the Russian-held city of Polotsk. Polotsk had been captured and heavily fortified by the Russians under Ivan the Terrible in 1563 because the river Daugava, which led to the key city of Riga, flowed through it. Hungarian soldiers, led by Caspar Bekes, Polish soldiers, led by Mikolaj Mielecki, and Lithuanian soldiers, led by Mikolaj Radziwill, converged at the Dzisna fortress, joined Bathory's men, and moved on to Polotsk, with a total force of about 42,000. Polotsk had three fortresses: the central one, nearby Strelec fortress, and the walled town of Zapolochie. The primary focus was on the central fortress: first with artillery, which failed because it only punctured the wooden walls, then with cannons, and eventually with fire. The Russians defended Polotsk with trenches and artillery, but after the Hungarian contingent captured Zapolochie, the Russians surrendered. After taking the city, Bathory's forces then moved to besiege Velikiye Luki.
10. Battle of Mogilev (1581)1581 CE
    The Battle of Mogilev took place on 27 June 1581 during the Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory. It was fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth led by Marcin Kazanowski and Krzysztof Radziwiłł against the Tsardom of Russia and Tatars led by Ivan the Terrible. After 7 hours of fighting on an open field, it resulted in a Polish–Lithuanian victory.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].