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Ivan the Terrible
‘An eagle, many-winged, with lion’s claws, has fallen upon me. He has robbed me of three Cedars of Lebanon : my beauty, my wealth, my children. Our country is deserted, our city is in ruins, our markets are destroyed. My brothers have been carried to a place where neither our fathers, nor our grandfathers, nor our forefathers have dwelt. . . .’
Thus, by the mouth of one of her chroniclers, did Pskov, a free and republican town, absorbed, in the year 1510, into the new Muscovite Empire, lament her lost independence, her broken privileges, and her exiled sons. The father of Ivan the Terrible, Vassili Ivanovitch, had just passed by, had carried off the great bell which for centuries had called the townsmen to the viétchié—the popular meetings of the place—deported hundreds of families—quickly replaced by Muscovite immigrants—to the interior of his territories, and proclaimed the incorporation of the Republic with his State.
And this, in a then unknown corner of the European world, was the repetition, at short notice, of a chapter of European history. Thus, at Liège, in 1467, Charles the Bold had overthrown the famous perron, the ancient bronze column, at the foot of which, for centuries past, the people had been wont to make its laws and accomplish all the acts of its public life. Thus, too, at the same time, and hard by, Louis XL, striving with his vassals of Burgundy, Brittany, and Guyenne, was labouring to ‘réunir les fleurons ‘of the crown of France...
Thus, by the mouth of one of her chroniclers, did Pskov, a free and republican town, absorbed, in the year 1510, into the new Muscovite Empire, lament her lost independence, her broken privileges, and her exiled sons. The father of Ivan the Terrible, Vassili Ivanovitch, had just passed by, had carried off the great bell which for centuries had called the townsmen to the viétchié—the popular meetings of the place—deported hundreds of families—quickly replaced by Muscovite immigrants—to the interior of his territories, and proclaimed the incorporation of the Republic with his State.
And this, in a then unknown corner of the European world, was the repetition, at short notice, of a chapter of European history. Thus, at Liège, in 1467, Charles the Bold had overthrown the famous perron, the ancient bronze column, at the foot of which, for centuries past, the people had been wont to make its laws and accomplish all the acts of its public life. Thus, too, at the same time, and hard by, Louis XL, striving with his vassals of Burgundy, Brittany, and Guyenne, was labouring to ‘réunir les fleurons ‘of the crown of France...
622 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1904
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About the author
Kazimierz Waliszewski
194 booksKazimierz Klemens Waliszewski (1849–1935) was a Polish author of history, who studied in Warsaw and Paris, and wrote primarily about Russian history.
Born in Poland, but a long resident in France, Waliszewski wrote a detailed, scholarly works covering nearly three centuries of Russian history: from Ivan the Terrible to the end of the nineteenth century. He began research in 1870, and devoted over thirty years of work in libraries and archives in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, and Saint Petersburg. Several of his works written in French were translated into other languages. Waliszewski, also researched Polish history, and his book, Poland, the Unknown, offers a defence of the country's history against hostile Russian and German interpretations.
As a man of letters, Waliszewski expressed his intention to introduce Joseph Conrad to the Polish public in 1903, after the two had exchanged a number of letters.
Born in Poland, but a long resident in France, Waliszewski wrote a detailed, scholarly works covering nearly three centuries of Russian history: from Ivan the Terrible to the end of the nineteenth century. He began research in 1870, and devoted over thirty years of work in libraries and archives in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, and Saint Petersburg. Several of his works written in French were translated into other languages. Waliszewski, also researched Polish history, and his book, Poland, the Unknown, offers a defence of the country's history against hostile Russian and German interpretations.
As a man of letters, Waliszewski expressed his intention to introduce Joseph Conrad to the Polish public in 1903, after the two had exchanged a number of letters.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 15, 2021
Книга об истории с хорошим нарративом.
June 22, 2014
This book extensively and exhaustively explores the world of Ivan. It really leaves nothing out. For those who wish to have an in depth knowledge I recommend reading this book.
July 18, 2023
Interessante biografia di un personaggio che ha segnato un punto di svolta nella storia Russa.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews