After reading the first-hand account of Heinrich von Staden, here are the questions I have:
- How often did Ivan IV ride out with the Oprichniki?
- Why did he allow for the burning of churches if he was a holy man?
- Why were all the places he slept all burned afterward?
- On pg. 153 it mentions “Aleksei [Basmanov] and his own son [Fedor], with whom the Grand Prince indulged in lewdness were killed.” What exactly does von Staden mean by “lewdness?” Was he implying that Ivan IV was bisexual?
I was intrigued by question 3 of this post. It seems that Ivan is keen to destroying things that have perhaps peaked in beauty, service, ext…Like in the case of St. Basils Cathedral, where the creators of the elaborate church had their eyes poked out. Ivan clearly has a big head as well, suggesting that the places he sleeps are so worthy afterward, that no one must ever sleep there again.