Man's Inhumanity - Ivan The Terrible

In 1555, Ivan The Terrible ordered the construction of St Basil's Church in Moscow. He was so pleased by this piece of work by the two architects, that he had them blinded so they could never create anything more beautiful.

He was known to throw cats and dogs out of the windows, and in 1581 Ivan beat his pregnant daughter-in-law for wearing immodest clothing, causing a miscarriage and killed his own son in the fight that followed.

Your scribe cannot help thinking that Russia must have breathed a collective sigh of relief when he died in 1584, probably poisoned by mercury.