8. Ivan the Terrible
Under the reign of Ivan IV Vasilyevich Russia was transformed from a small state into an empire. His reign lasted from 1533 to 1547. Ivan was prone to bouts of rage. In one such rage he murdered his own son. Ivan claimed to be a descendant of Mongol, and he took power when he was only three years old after his father died from blood poisoning. When he was suspicious that a region called Novgorod in his empire wanted to defect he sent his armies in. Some estimates claim that 60,000 people died in the battle.
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