Muscovy under Ivan the Terrible. Testimonies of the German - royal oprichnik

The German adventurer, who lived in Moscow Russia in the 16th century, left rare historical evidence. His notes, found in the archives only in the twentieth century, largely changed their previous ideas about the era of Ivan the Terrible. They are especially valuable by the fact that the author was a direct participant in the events, served as a royal operator, was in the midst of what was happening and even, according to his statement, personally met with the sovereign. Von Staden gives a description of the administrative structure of Muscovy of those times, its judicial system and troops. It gives a list of the most important “chancellers” - orders, vividly and figuratively reproduces the principles of their functioning, calls the names of the most influential princes and boyars at that time. Moscow and the Kremlin characterizes in sufficient detail, and its description of the Oprichny Court, which lasted less than five years before in 1571 was completely burned by the Crimean khan, is truly unique