The ‘Cruelithest Man Who Ever Lived’ Revealed After 440 Years: Scientists Reconstruct True Face of Ivan the Terrible – Russian Tyrant Who Boiled His Subjects ALIVE

By William On Jul 17, 2024

The cold gaze of Russia’s cruelest tyrant turns on us 440 years after his death, after scientists reconstructed his face from his skull.

Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar of Russia, transformed his country into an empire and extended its borders to the east, to Siberia, and to the south, to the Caspian Sea.

But he is most famous for his cruelty. His subjects were variously quartered, boiled alive, impaled, roasted, drowned under ice and torn apart by horses.

It is said that he even beat his own son to death. He was furious after being confronted about beating the prince’s pregnant wife, causing her to miscarry.

Despite all his infamy, the Tsar’s true face has been lost to history. A single faded engraving may be the only image of him from his lifetime.

The cold gaze of Russia’s cruelest tyrant falls on us, 440 years after his death, after scientists reconstructed his face from his skull

Ivan the Terrible, Russia’s first tsar, transformed his country into an empire, extending its borders east to Siberia and south to the Caspian Sea. But he is better known for his barbarity, which saw his subjects variously quartered, boiled alive, speared, roasted, drowned under ice, and torn apart by horses.

Who was Ivan the Terrible?

Ivan Vasilyevich, better known as Ivan the Terrible, was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and Tsar of All Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584.

During his long reign, Russia grew from a state into an empire, encompassing large areas such as Siberia.

Ivan the Terrible was the first ruler to be crowned Tsar of All Russia and was a fearsome leader – hence his name.

He gave the aristocrats considerable military power, creating the ‘hand-picked thousand’, but he was also known for his cruelty towards the upper classes.

For example, during the Novgorod Massacre, which lasted five weeks, Ivan sent the Oprichnina—a secret police force created to execute disobedient nobles and confiscate their property—to plunder and terrorize villages controlled by certain aristocrats.

Historical sources describe a complex personality: an intelligent and pious man who was prone to fits of rage, which resulted, for example, in the murder of his chosen heir, Ivan Ivanovich.

Historians have long debated Ivan the Terrible’s influence on Russia.

He made changes to the Russian government structure, including the creation of the Oprichnina. This curtailed the power of the boyars and allowed them to create a more centralized government, while ensuring a stable autocracy.

The acquisition of territory increased Russia’s power and trade with Europe, but also led to future wars, such as the conflict with Turkey.

His love of architecture and literature contributed to Russia’s cultural heritage, but his economic legacy is generally considered disastrous.

The Tsar raised taxes to cover military costs, but in his quest for expansion he drained the country of men and resources. This led to the Time of Troubles, with a famine that killed a third of the population, some two million people.

Now, for the first time in centuries, we can look at his icy visage after a scientific reconstruction of his face was made based on his skull.

The Tsar’s tomb was excavated in 1963 by the Soviet scientist Mikhail Gerasimov.

Cicero Moraes, lead author of the new research, said: ‘According to Dr Gerasimov’s study, it appears that Ivan led a disorderly life with excessive eating and alcohol abuse.

This must have worsened his condition in his last years.

‘This is in contrast to his appearance when he was younger, when he was described as tall, with beautiful hair, broad shoulders, strong muscles and a kindly face.

Interestingly, they found a large amount of mercury in his body, indicating suspected poisoning.

‘But given the customs of the time, it could also have been used as a treatment for a particular health problem.’

The final face is a combination of different approaches.

One method involved using data from living donors to determine the likely thickness of the Tsar’s skin at various locations on his skull.

Another technique used was anatomical distortion, where the face and skull of a living donor were digitally altered until they matched the dimensions of Ivan the Terrible.

“The final bust was a combination of all these data,” said Moraes, a Brazilian graphics expert, who called it a “strong and determined” likeness.

He continued: ‘It was a very interesting experience, because it was not just about approaching faces, but also about studying the history of the Tsar.

‘I found sources that confirmed the nickname ‘terrible’, and others with other evidence, indicating that the fame could have been exaggerated, for example by enemies and opponents.’

In 2017, using multispectral imaging, an image of Ivan the Terrible from his time was discovered on the cover of a book entitled The Apostle, published in 1564.

Although it is too faded to compare with the new reconstruction, Mr Moraes said the face he created matched well with an earlier reconstruction of Dr Gerasimov himself.

He said: ‘When I was done I compared the faces and although we used different approaches to composing the busts, the results were very similar.

‘They only differ in the lower lip and the chin.’

For the first time in centuries, we can see his icy visage after a scientific reconstruction of his face was made based on his skull.

Ivan the Terrible, who ruled as Ivan IV, was only three years old when he came to power after the death of his father.

His mother initially ruled as regent, but five years later she too would die – probably by poisoning – and the boy would become a pawn in the power struggle between competing noble families.

In remarks attributed to the Tsar, he says of that time that he and his brother lived like “vagrants and children of the very poorest.”

Apparently it was mainly animals that suffered the most. He is said to have pulled feathers from live birds and thrown cats and dogs out of windows.

But by age 13, he was ready to shake off his captors.

During a party in 1543, he had Andrei Shuisky – the power behind the throne – arrested and put to death. According to legend, he was torn to pieces by dogs.

A period of relative peace followed, but when he was in his thirties, Ivan IV was hit by a double blow of paranoia.

First his wife died in 1560, probably from poisoning.

Four years later, his good friend Andrei Kurbsky defected to the other side during a war against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Another technique used was anatomical distortion, where the face and skull of a living donor were digitally altered until they matched the dimensions of Ivan the Terrible.

Although it is too faded to compare with the new reconstruction, Mr Moraes said the face he created matched well with an earlier reconstruction of Dr Gerasimov himself

Ivan IV tried to abdicate, citing the treason of the aristocracy. However, the court could not rule without him and begged him to return.

As a prize, he demanded the right to execute suspected traitors and confiscate their property without interference.

He also ordered the creation of the oprichnina, a large part of Russia over which he could rule with absolute power.

Supported by his personal guard, the Oprichniki, he brutalized the area and executed anyone who fell victim to his paranoid zeal.

In 1570, the Tsar had 15,000 people murdered in Novgorod, Russia’s second city at the time. The massacre was so horrific that the city would never regain its leading position.

According to a legend, which may be apocryphal, he also blinded the architect who built St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, so that he would never be able to build anything as beautiful again.

He died in 1584 at the age of 53 during a game of chess and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral in the Russian capital.

After murdering his heir, Ivan Ivanovich, the Tsar was succeeded by his second son, Fyodor Ivanovich.

No longer interested in politics, Fyodor I left power to others and died childless. This ended the Rurik dynasty and plunged Russia into a period of crisis and lawlessness known as the Time of Troubles.

Mr. Moraes published his research in the journal OrtogOnLineMag.