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Ivan the Great

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Monarch

The Resume

    (January 22, 1440-October 27, 1505)
    Born in Moscow, Russia
    Also known as Ivan III Vasilyevich
    Grand Prince of Moscow (1462-1505)
    First Russian ruler to style himself as 'tsar'

Why he might be annoying:

    He fought several battles against his brothers over his refusal to share his conquests with them.
    He reacted to the death of his son, Grand Duke Ivan, by having the son's physician beheaded (1490).
    He spent years vacillating over whether his heir would be Dimitri, his grandson and son of Grand Duke Ivan, or Vasily, the oldest son sired with his second wife.
    When he finally decided in favor of Vasily, he had Dimitri and his mother imprisoned.
    A historian wrote that his reign was 'a period of cultural depression and spiritual barrenness.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had to be hidden in a monastery and smuggled to safety when his father, Grand Prince Vasily II, was arrested and blinded by his cousin (1446).
    His facing down of the Great Horde at the Ugra River (1480) is regarded as marking the restoration of Russian independence after two and a half centuries of dominance by Mongols and Tartars.
    Through conquest and treaties, he more than tripled that amount of territory controlled by Moscow.
    He imported Italian architects and craftsmen to oversee building projects in Moscow, including strengthening the Kremlin walls.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 25 Votes: 96.00% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 253 Votes: 42.29% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1239 Votes: 42.13% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 724 Votes: 51.24% Annoying