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was not always known as being terrible. When first reigning as Czar over Russia, he was a normal leader. It was after the five scars marking his journey through life that he had a mental breakdown and went out of control. Ivan was only three years old when his f ....

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.... held the responsibility of "taking care" of Ivan. During his childhood, Ivan would live in constant fear of them. Ivan's first sign of mental and emotional illness came while he was a teenager. He loved to torture animals, often throwing them into the Moscow city walls, yet he spent hours in church. Two major events took place at the age of 17. In December of 1546, Ivan made an announcement in the presence of the Metropolitan Makari and the Boyars. He said, "By the mercy of God and his pure Mother, by the intercession of the great miracle workers Petr, Sergei, and other Russian wonder workers in whom I put my trust, and with your blessing, Holy ....