Reign of terror : Ivan IV / by Ruslan G. Skrynnikov ; translated by Paul Williams, for the Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Glossary -- Introduction: Ruslan Skrynnikov's kingdom of terror : a bibliographic note / Charles J. Halperin -- Original preface / Ruslan G. Skrynnikov -- The aristocracy and the Boyars -- Boyar rule -- The Moscow tsardom -- The Chosen Council -- The fall of Adashev -- The trial of the Staritskiis -- Boyar sedition -- The dispute with Kurbskii -- The establishment of the Oprichnina -- Banishment to Kazan -- The search for a compromise -- The "Boyar conspiracy" -- The rape of Novgorod -- The executions in Moscow -- The Oprichnina "paradise" -- The end of the Oprichnina -- The "court" and its demise -- Simeon Bekbulatovich -- The last crisis -- Russian culture in the sixteenth century -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Sources.

"Ruslan Grigor'evitch Skrynnikov unfolds the drama of terror under Ivan the Terrible and his oprichnina. He uses new kinds of evidence paying close attention to primary sources. The conflicts between Ivan and the gentry, the crushing of Novgorod autonomy, the ways in which Ivan interpreted his authority and sought to create an alternative base of power in a loyal body of henchmen-followers known as the oprichnina, the alienation of different groups in society from the government, the impoverishment and weakening of whole regions leading to the Time of Troubles are among the themes that Skrynnikov develops. The details of Ivan's confrontations with those he perceived as opponents, the forms of execution he inflicted on his enemies, the atmosphere of peril and suspicion that he created justify the description of his reign as one of terror, relevant of course to later periods of history with obvious echoes of the Stalinist period"--Provided by publisher.