1565 The beginning of the oprichnina

450 years ago, on February 15, 1565, Tsar Ivan IV, returning from Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda to Moscow, announced that he was once again taking over the reign so that he would be free to execute traitors, put them in disgrace, deprive them of their property “without dokuki and sadness on the part of the clergy and establish an "oprichnina" in the state. This meant the allocation of part of the land in the kingdom exclusively for the needs of the royal court, its employees - nobles and troops. Initially, the number of guardsmen was one thousand nobles and boyar children. The word "oprichnina" comes from the old Russian word "oprich" - "except", why the guardsmen were also called "kromeshniks".

As an oprichnina "abbot", the king performed a number of monastic duties. So, at midnight everyone got up for the midnight office, at four in the morning - for matins, at eight mass began. The tsar set an example of piety: he himself called for matins, sang in the kliros, prayed fervently, and read the Holy Scripture aloud during the common meal. Then he gave orders for torture and executions. People were executed without trial, on denunciations and slander under torture.