Ivan Ivanovich (Son of Ivan IV)

Ivan Ivanovich (Ива́н Иванович) (March 28, 1554 - November 19, 1581) of the House of Rurik, was Tsarevich - the heir apparent - of the Tsardom of Russia, being the second son of Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanovna, and elder brother of Feodor.

The young Ivan was apparently just as cruel as his father, having accompanied him during the Massacre of Novgorod at the age of 15. For the whole five weeks, he and his father would watch the depredations of the Oprichniks with enthusiasm, and retire to church for prayer, apparently as a supplement to the pleasure derived from the killings.

Ivan is written to have once saved his father from an assassination attempt. A Livonian prisoner named Bykovski raised a sword against the elder Ivan, only to be rapidly stabbed by the Tsarevich.

At the age of 17, Ivan was betrothed to Eudossia Saburova, one of 12 marriage finalists rejected by his father. Due to her sterility, Ivan's father banished her to a convent. He later married Prascovia Solova, only to have the elder Ivan send her away for the same reason.At age 27, Ivan was at least as well read as his father, and in his free time, wrote a biography on Antony of Siya. His sadistic impulses remained, and he frequently overlooked the torture of prisoners with his father, as well as swap lovers. His third wife was Elena Seremetev, who was found to be pregnant on October 1581. His relationship with his father began to deteriorate during the later stages of the Livonian War. Angered at his father signing the Truce of Jam Zapolski, Ivan demanded to be given command of some troops to liberate Pskov. Their relationship further deteriorated when on November 15, the Tsar, after seeing his pregnant daughter in law wearing unconventionally light clothing, physically assaulted her. Hearing her screams, the Tsarevich rushed to his wife's defence, angrily shouting "You sent my first wife to a convent for no reason, you did the same with my second, and now you strike the third, causing the death of the son she holds in her womb". Eudossia subsequently suffered a miscarriage. The Tsarevich confronted his father on the matter, only to have the topic changed to his insubordination regarding Pskov. The elder Ivan accused his son of inciting rebellion, to which the younger Ivan denied, but vehemently stuck to the view that Pskov should be liberated. Angered, Ivan's father struck him on the head with his sceptre. Boris Godunov, who was present at the scene, tried to intervene, but received blows himself. The younger Ivan fell, barely conscious and with a bleeding wound on his temple. The elder Ivan immediately threw himself at his son, kissing his face and trying to stop the bleeding, whilst repeatedly crying "May I be damned! I've killed my son! I've killed my son!" The younger Ivan briefly regained consciousness and said "I die as a devoted son and most humble servant". For the next few days, the elder Ivan prayed incessantly for a miracle, but to no avail. The Tsarevich died on November 19, 1581.

References

* Troyat, Henri "Ivan le Terrible". Flammarion, Paris, 1982
* de Madariaga, Isabel "Ivan the Terrible". Giulio Einaudi editore, 2005