Ivan Vasiljevich the Terrible was born in 1530 and died in 1584. He was the son of the Grand Duke Vasili III. His mother Helena Glinsky was the daughter of a Luthuanian refugee who had found asylum in Russia. She was young, vivacious, intelligent, and beautiful. Vasili had married her after he tried to have an heir for 20 years with his first wife Salome.
Vasili was in his 50's, and Helena was 20 when Ivan was born. Ivan had another brother Yuri born 18 months later.
The day of Ivans birth, August 25, 1530, was a joyful one. The Grand Duke ordered prison doors opened and chains of thousand…
