About the book: 2008 / Vasily III and his son Ivan IV the Terrible. Their fates to this day raise many questions among scientists... How did it happen that Vasily III was the first crowned hostage of a large boyars? Why did his marriage with Solomonia Saburova end in a scandalous divorce and marriage to Elena Glinskaya? How did Ivan IV the Terrible combine the features of a talented statesman, a wise reformer - and a bloody tyrant who plunged his people into the chaos of monstrous repressions? Answers to these and many other questions are suggested in his fascinating book by the famous historian, world-famous scientist, professor at St. Petersburg State University.