Ivan the Terrible Ivan the Terrible 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 father, Vasili III, died in 1533. Since he was too young to reign, his mother Elena was made regent on his behalf. This was surprising because she was a woman, a commoner, and a foreigner by birth. Anxious to avoid a civil war, it was the older prelates of the church who supported Elena's regency. Elena herself had no illusions about her position, and she feared for t