led because he blamed them for his daughters' deaths, even though they had no connection to them whatsoever. On January 19, 1563, Ivan got into an argument with Prince Ivan Shakhovskoy and struck him with his mace. This blow proved fatal, and this was the first person Ivan killed with his bare hands. Two deaths in the family had a tremendous impact on Ivan. On May 4, 1563, the Tzarevich Vasily died when he was just over two months old. On November 23, 1563, Ivan's brother Yury died at age 31. A boyar named Kurbsky began writing to Ivan, criticizing him, calling him a madman, and telling him that he was basically going to hell for all of the murders he had committed. This began a series of exchanges between the Tzar and Kurbsky, and surprisingly Kurbsky never was prosecuted for his criticism. Over time, Ivan began to formulate a plan to produce a separate kingdom for himself, called the Oprichnina. He had new ministers and servants, called oprichniki, who would be ferocious and obedient to his every order. They wore black gowns, rode black horses, carried around brooms to signify that they intended to "sweep away all treachery," and tied dogs' heads to their saddles or under the horses' necks to indicate their devotion to destroying their enemies. Meanwhile, Ivan had decided to make Alexandrove Sloboda his permanent residence and central location of the Oprichnina, claiming he would go wherever God wished him to go. Whole towns would be included within the Oprichnina for the upkeep of the court. The rest of Russia was called Zemshchina, and it would be ruled by the boyars in accordance with his wishes. He would rule directly and absolutely over the Oprichnina. Ivan's thirst for blood was peaking. Hundreds of people were arrested by the oprichniki and taken to prison. After dinner, he would go interrogate the victims and ordered them tortured, watching the whole time completely delighted. Sometimes he killed with his own...
