Ivan was a man of huge contradictions--a man of God who personally tortured his victims and beat his own son to death; a despot who often behaved like a coward; a man who believed himself chosen to save the souls of his people, but who brutally put thousands to death in carefully orchestrated purges. Yet in Russia, many still see him as a national hero, the Tsar who expanded the Russian empire, who fostered mercantile relations with Western Europe, and who strengthened the Orthodox Church's position in Russia as never before. This fascinating account winds through these contradictory views and paints a remarkable portrait of one of history's most fascinating characters.