Ivan the Terrible - A Good Reign Gives Way to a Bad

This clip, from the documentary Ivan the Terrible, is part of the series The Most Evil Men in History. In it, we learn more about the difficult years of Ivan IV's reign. Feeling unwell, he began to use mercury. He thought it would help him feel better.

As years passed, Ivan Grozny was granted more and more power. He also formed his own police force, called the Oprichniki. Dressed as monks, these men (often thugs) wore black garments and rode black horses. Their job was to sniff out terror, but historians tell us they caused more terror than they prevented.