ANST - FW: Musing on August 25th -- Ivan's Birthday Bash

Sat Aug 26 15:22:56 PDT 2000

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From: Ellsworth Weaver [mailto:astroweaver at yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2000 15:03
To: 2thpix at surfari.net
Subject: Musing on August 25th -- Ivan's Birthday Bash

Dear Folk,

Well, I don’t know about you but I am simply worn out from
celebrating
Ivan Glinsky‘s birthday. Ivan IV of Russia is also called "Ivan the
Terrible." Now I know you think "terrible" means he was yucky.
Although
that probably was the case, in Russian it meant more that he was a
kick-butt dude. Trust me on this.

Ivan was born August 25, 1530 in Moscow (pronounced "mosk-Va") to
Vasily III who was Grand Dukc of Moscow. Pappy Vasily passed on when
Ivan was only 3.  Although his mom tried to establish herself as
regent
and guide young Ivan, the rest of the Glinksy family were squabbling
and intriguing to get the throne.  Mom died in 1538 and Ivan was left
alone. He was a sickly kid with no one to tuck him into bed, no one
to
dry his tears, no one to really educated him. ‘Tis pravda (truth).

When he was 17 he was crowned as ruler—the first to have the title
Tsar
– and  married Anastasia Romanov. She was the first tie in then of
the
Romanov line which continued until 1917. Anastasia was a babe of
first
magnitude. After she died in 1560, Ivan remarried a few times but he
was never the broncing buck of the steppes like he was with his first
love. Sigh.

That first thirteen years of his reign can be considered the most
wonderful time in Russia’s history. He appointed folks to advise him,
started a national assembly, got the local governments to lighten up,
and actually enacted some laws which told the aristocracy "If you
want
to be treated as nobles, start acting that way." He annexed three
Tatar
states and assumed control of the Volga River and access to the
Caspian
Sea. Of course he had to do a tad of smiting. In 1552 he conquered
and
sacked Kazan, and in 1556 Astrakhan, having thus destroyed the
lingering power of the Golden Horde. Ivan's Tatar campaigns opened
vast
new areas for Russian expansion, and it was during his reign that the
conquest and colonization of Siberia began. He also established the
empire in Siberia and promoted trade with various European countries,
including England, France and Holland. He was noted for his highly
progressive administrative policies.

After Anastasia died, Ivan became someone completely different. The
period was marked by Ivan’s erratic and brutal behavior. He
surrounded
himself with drinking buddies who were after feathering their own
nests, not helping the country. In 1570 someone told Ivan that
Novgorod
folk were scheming against him. He ordered out the troops and had
them
kill thousands of the townsfolk.

Ivan ruled with a deep-seated paranoia and ruthlessness. One source
said that he gouged out the eyes of the architects who built St.
Basil's so that a cathedral of such beauty could never again be
created. The Tsar's power became absolute when Ivan the Terrible
succeeded in conquering the remaining independent principalities. He
confiscated the property of the boyars (ruling-class nobles) and
granted state property to those who served him. Since his bully-boys
were tenured to the state for life, their land grants became
hereditary. The state also assigned a master to the peasants who
worked
the lands around an estate; guess what, this paved the way for
serfdom.
Ivan the Terrible organized the Streltsy (members of the army elite)
to
govern his districts and the Oprichniki (the first police force) to
suppress boyar rebellions

In 1581 Ivan brought personal tragedy upon himself when, in a fit of
anger, he struck and killed his eldest and favorite son Ivan because
his son disagreed with him. Okay, he hit son Ivan with an iron rod.
That was very excessive and Poppa Ivan was sad and sickened by it.

When Ivan the Terrible died in 1584, he was succeeded by his son
Fyodor, who was not exactly the guy his dad (or even his brother)
was.
Fyodor was, to be polite, "feebleminded" and he left most of the
management of the kingdom to his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov. Of
course if you let folks take the reigns, they are not likely to want
to
give them up. It was not long before Godunov began to work to secure
the succession for himself. In 1591, he murdered Fyodor's younger
brother Dmitri.. When Fyodor died in 1598, Godunov was made Tsar, but
his rule was never accepted as entirely legitimate.

A couple of years later a pretender arose in Poland, claiming to be
Dmitri, and in 1604 he invaded Russia. Godunov died suddenly the next
year, and the "Time of Troubles" began. For the next eight years both
the first and a second false Dmitri laid claims to the throne, both
supported by invading Polish armies. By the way, the Polish armies
were
lead by King Stephen Bathory. Yes, that cousin of Elizabeth the Blood
Countess. See how all of this ties together?

Finally, in 1613, the Poles were ousted from Moscow, and the boyars
unanimously elected Michael Romanov, grandnephew of Ivan IV, as Tsar.
The Romanov dynasty was to rule Russia for the next 304 years, until
the Russian Revolution brought an end to the Tsarist state.

What have we learned from this? Some folks will even try to take
advantage of children? Don’t raise your hand to your child (it leaves
your groin unprotected)? Sometimes Godunov isn’t? (sorry) How about
the
love and council of a good woman makes all the difference? I know I
believe that.

When whomping up on the Poles or just brewing up some local
discontent
amongst your boyars, forward these onto whomever but leave my name
and
sig. attached. My Oprichniki know where you are living. Oh, a quick
thing: my column "Wrasslin’ with the Saracens" is going to be
published
in "The Clark Street Review," a real live magazine out of Colorado.
Neat!

Oh, Morgan Cain was the first one who emailed and  identified
"Sufficiently advance technology is indistinguishable from magic" as
being from Arthur C. Clarke. Good job.

Searching for my vodka remedy and Anastasia,
J. Ellsworth Weaver

SCA – Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS – Polyphemus Theognis of Athens
TRV – Sebastian Yeats

=====
SmileWeavers Astrology Charts & Interpretations
Modern & Medieval (but always discreet)
If you are interested, contact me at
astroweaver at yahoo.com or 805.473.8867

Read back issues of Musings at http://www.surfari.net/~2thpix/amuse/

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