● Born on 25 August 1530-28 March 1584 in Kolomenskoye, Russia
● Ivan was the son of Vasili III
● Elena Glinskaya was his mother she acted as a regent, but she died of what many believe to be assassination by poison
● His Grandpa was Ivan the Great and he was Ivan the Terrible
● He became Grand Prince of Moscow at the age of 3 when his father died, but due to political intrigues going on at the time, he spent most of his childhood imprisoned in a dungeon while his mother managed affairs of state. Years later when his mother died of what many believe was a poisoning, he had reached the level of education necessary to become leader of the country.
● Ivan was a lonely kid who was for the most part neglected by his family, who were busy poisoning and stabbing each other. He spent his time reading voraciously and torturing little animals. Hobbies included drinking beer, playing the trombone, raping and killing people, and throwing pets out of the upper windows of the Kremlin.
2. "My Adult Life" - add interesting facts about growing up as a young adult. Marriage, families, work, travel - in bullet form
● Smart and a keen reader, early on Ivan started dreaming of unlimited power. In 1547, aged 16, he was finally crowned Czar of all Russia, the first ruler to officially assume the title. The young ruler started out as a reformer, modernising and centralising the country.
● He had his first rival executed at age 13. This execution effectively ended the political struggles within the Russian state that had persisted throughout his childhood.
● His father died at the age of 3 and his mother died at the age of 8
● Ivan had a poor health, he was largely ignored
● Everyone would do terrible things to him but he would become smarter and he would get revenge ● He had 7 wives and his first one was the