Ivan The Terrible: The System Of The Oprichniki

199 Words1 Pages
Ivan was the one who started Russia’s tradition of an autocracy. Religion under Ivan the Terrible was strictly controlled and enforced. People were forced to be, or convert to, orthodox catholicism. People were to follow the laws of the church. Ivan formed his own personal force of secret police called the Oprichniki. The job of the Oprichniki was to track down and kill anyone who opposed the tsar. After the death of Ivan’s wife, the Oprichniki would be ordered to slaughter entire towns. The system of the Oprichniki was specifically designed to go against the Russian nobles. Ivan wielded control over the nobility who still held private lands by requiring them and their personal soldiers to serve in the army. By forcing them into a service class,