Daily Archives for 16 January 2014


January 16: “Ivan the Terrible” Made Czar

On 16 January 1547, Ivan IV Vasilyevich (aka “Ivan the Terrible”) was made czar to all of Russia. Since 1533, at the age of three, he had served as Grand Prince of Moscow. Very shortly after taking his reign, the Great Fire in 1547 created havoc, killing 2,700 to 3,700 people and displacing almost 80,00 […]