What's An Oprichnik?

Summarized (super exhaustive) books and websites into easy to read bullet points :D

Just scroll through and at least appreciate the work put into this BIG project :) Thanks...

So... What is an Oprichnik?

This is all about one part of Russia's fascinating history: The Oprichnina... This is when Tsar Ivan the Terrible went a little bananas (maybe more than a little) and created a secret army that got so big, it became a blindly loyal soldier-based Russian culture, saturated in myth, who tore down the existing royalty from their place, and struck fear into the heart of every Russian

[ I didn't draw this... or anything in this article -- see sources ]

I attempted to answer the following questions (in this order):

What were the called? Who started it and why? How did one become an Oprichnik? How many were there? What did they look like? What did they do? What weapons/ items did they use? What would it be like to encounter one? How did they end? How did they influence others?

Well... Here it is :) Enjoy!

. . .

OPRICHNIK

1565 - 1572 (Russia)

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a) Images

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b) A Note on Names

Names can sometimes be confusing when reading this article --  this section is to clear up any misunderstanding, and ultimately help the reader better understand the information compiled in this article:

• Oprichnina - period of Russian history 1565-72 (often referencing specific land sectioned off by Tsar Ivan the Terrible)

• Select land had secret police, mass repressions, public executions, & confiscation of land from Russian aristocrats

• Oprichnik - an enforcer, protector, & police for Tsar Ivan IV; governing the oprichnina

• Oprichniki - plural form of Oprichnik (2+ Oprichnik are referred to as Oprichniki)

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1) Name

• Russian police / police force

• (historically) The first Russian police force

• Oprichnik (op-reach-nick or op-rich-nick) or plural Oprichniki (op-reach-nick-ee or op-rich-nick-ee)

Collectively:

• (plural) Oprichniki -- multiple soldiers

• (nicknamed) Tsar’s Dogs

Members:

• (plural) Oprichniki

• (singular) Oprichnik

• (nicknamed) Tsar’s Dogs

* From obsolete oprich (Russian “apart from”, “except of”)

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2) Background: Ivan IV

• 1553 Ivan near-fatally ill

• [date] wife Anastasia dies

• Suspects nobles poisoned her and

• Plot to remove him from throne

• Changed personality drastically

• Oppressed & killed many hereditary nobility

• 1564 secretly left Moscow

• Declared renouncing throne

• Population called for return in panic

• Held lengthy discussions

• Ivan agreed return

• Only on own terms:

• Absolute power

• Punish seemingly disloyal

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3) Creation: The Oprichnina

• 1565 Ivan returned to Moscow

• System called Oprichnina (separate estate) established

• Active 1565-1572

• Select Russian territories/cities separated from the realm

• Zemschina - the area still continued under existing gov.

• Administered by Oprichnik [see below]

• Oprichniki became Ivan’s most loyal soldiers

• Oprichniki played central role in plan

• Elite group

Roles of Oprichniki:

• Precise role unclear

• Roles changed over time

• Few contemporary records exist

• Main objective: destroy opposition of Tsar

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4) Outcome: Oprichniki as Reflection of Ivan

• Ivan becoming more erratic:

• Drunken feasts followed by frantic prayers & fasting in remote monasteries

• Alternated between savagery & piety

• Unpredictable

• Often sent monasteries great memorial payments & treasure

Fits of rage:

• Oprichnik kill mercilessly

• Uncontrollable cruelty

Bouts of religious humility:

• Oprichniki act as monks

• Established a religious order

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5) Qualifications: Becoming Oprichniki

• Hand picked by Ivan

• Drawn mainly from lower military & societal levels

• [speculation] To avoid royalty/ upper class seeking Ivan’s power

• Each member questioned:

• Past was reviewed

• History of loyalty

• Devout to Ivan

• Numbers grew from 1000 to 6000 during Ivan’s reign

• Rewarded with land, property & payments

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6) Appearance

• Dressed in all black

• Mostly Russian

• Included some foreigners

• [speculation] Likely male

• Cold, hardened faces

• [speculation] Arrogant/ deserving demeanor

• Because riches & land were handed to them

• Lead lives of luxuries

• Were above the law

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7) Class: Roles of Oprichniki

• Precise role unclear

• Roles changed over time

• Few contemporary records

• [note] Little known about differences between classes

• [speculation]

Soldier:

Riders

• Rode black horses

Foot Soldiers

Monk:

Akin to modern militant Orthodox Christian chaplains

• During period of piety Tsar endowed new monastic order

• [speculation] Form of Orthodox Christianity

• Because Tsar claimed Christianity

• Drew brothers from the Oprichniki

• Oprichniki not corrupted church of sadistic monks

• Some accounts falsely claim this

• Power now interwoven in church & state

• Further blurred organisation's role

Bodyguards:

• [speculation] Always ready to react (quick reaction)

• Based on nature of their job

Nobility:

• New hand-picked nobility

• Replaced former boyars

• Because assassinations attempted of Tsar by former boyars

Police:

• Enforced Tsar’s laws & commands

Bureaucrats:

• Governed land

• Reigned with procedural correctness of Tsar

• Often at expense of people's needs

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8) Items & Weaponry

Items:

• Rode black horses

• Carriages were black

• Wore dog head emblems

• (possibly--rarely) Carried severed dog’s heads

• Symbolic - sniffing out treason

• Biting/ nipping at enemy’s heels

• Wore broom emblems

• Carried brooms

• Symbolic - sweeping away Tsar’s enemies

Weapons:

• Kolontar'

• Sleeveless tunic of chain armor

• 2 halves (front & rear) iron buckles buttoned sides

• Large horizontal metallic plates fastened into chain armor netting

• Included spinal plates -- less & thinner

• Hem - forearm plate armor

• Dagger

• Blade - Steel or iron

• Wooden handles

• Curved blades

• Often hidden in right boot

• Broadsword

• Blade - Steel or iron

• Carried in velvet (sometimes animal skin) scabbards

• (if metal used) Scabbard made with iron

• Sabre

• Single-edged curved blade

• Blade - Steel or iron

• Typically slashing weapon

• Some [see picture] back near tip were extended & sharpened

• Allowed secondary, low quality thrusting capability

• [speculation] (rarely) Double edged blades

• Used for thrusting

• Scabbard hung from belt by 2 rings

• Carried in animal skin or velvet scabbards

• Made with/of iron

• Decorated with intricate gold or silver

• Knout (whip)

• Heavy scourge-like multiple whip

• Usually had many rawhide thongs attached to long handle

• Sometimes metal wire or hooks incorporated

Variations (lengths are approximate):

• Lash of rawhide 16 in long

• Attached to wooden handle 8.5-9 in long

• 3 lashes each attached by a metal ring

• End attached few inches of hard leather

• Ended in beak-like hook

• Many thongs of skin

• Skins braided with wire

• Ended in loose wired ends

• Like cat-o-nine tails

• Great Knout

• Handle 24 in long

• Flat leather thong twice handle length

• Middle had large copper or brass ring

• End affixed hide strip ending in point

• Point soaked in milk & dried - to harden

• Bardiches (long poleaxe) akin to halberd

• One of the shortest type of polearms

• Relied more on weight of heavy blade than swinging for damage

• Blade commonly 2ft long

• Shape varied greatly

• Most often long cleaver-type blade

• Attached with 1 or 2 sockets [picture has 2]

• Wooden shaft

• Rarely longer than 5ft

• Spear

• Pole weapon

• Thrusting (melee weapon) or throwing (called javelin)

• Wielded with either 1 or 2 hands

• Wooden shaft

• [speculation] Steel or iron head

• Bow of juniper or birch & tendons (6+ ft)

• Worn over left shoulder & on horses left

• Arrows of cane, reed, birch, apple-tree, or cypress

• Worn over right shoulder & placed on horses right

• Naluch' (bow case) & quiver often of skin

• Decorated with sewing

• Precious stones

• Velvet or brocade

• Arbalests (crossbow with winding crank)

• Inferior to bows firing power

• Greater impact

• Mostly rider weapon

• Bolt (small arrow shot from crossbow)

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9) Oprichnik: Encounter

• Loyal to Tsar

• Answered only to Ivan & their commanders

• Executed anyone who displeased Ivan

• Top priority was kill traitors

• Could not be paid off

• Unstoppable

• Achieved motives despite overwhelming odds

• Violently took lands and riches

• Could kill whomever they wished

• Had free reign of Russia

• Stories & facts of exploits equally grotesque and outlandish as legends

• (mostly) Loose Christian beliefs

• When Tsar was present made Oprichniki perform Christian rituals

Methods of Killing:

• Did not act in pure orgy of bloodshed

• Everything done in calculating & cruel manner

• Often took prisoners & interrogated for leads

• Exploited others fear seeking info

• Impalement

• Mutilated

• Whipping

• Torture and rape was common

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10) Mythology

• Oprichniki often described semi-mythically

• Image of black clothed investigators with unaccountable power effectively haunting

• Spread terror

• People even feared their name

• Feared saying Oprichnik

• Like dark omen summoning them

• Achieved motives despite overwhelming/ impossible odds

• [speculation] One reason why they were seen as demons or blessed by the devil(s)

• Created climate of fear & murder

• Cruel & brutal punishments created nightmarish mythology

• Enhanced by monastic connections

• [speculation] This bridged killings with religion & spirituality

• Killings seen as dark sacrifices

• Bloodthirsty

• Mindless, heartless killing machines

• Prince Kurbsky fled Muscovy 1564: “Children of darkness...hundreds and thousands of times worse than hangmen.”

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11) History: Oprichnik in Action

• Lost influence of nobility

• People more compliant than ever

• Greatest killing 1570 massacre

• Wealthy city of Novgorod

• Its people suspected of treason

• Tsar believed planned to ally with Lithuania against him

• Ivan personally led Oprichniki

• City was ravaged

• Thousands murdered

• Used forged documents to hang, drown, or deport citizens

• Simultaneously destroying (burning) & plundering buildings & the countryside

• Estimated deaths vary between 15,000 and 60,000

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12) The End of the Oprichnik

• Oprichniki began destroying itself

• Like most organizations ruling through terror

• Many internal quarrels & rivalries

• Oprichniki leaders began accusing each other of treason

• Zemschina (existing gov.) officials slowly replaced Oprichniki

• Many leading families attempted to join Oprichnina

• Sought protection through membership

• Oprichnina failed to defend country from Asianic groups

• Including Mongols, Turks, & modern Ukranians

• Ivan abolished group 1572

• Ivan tried reintegration of Oprichnina

• Created similar bodies throughout his life

• Constant gov. changes created internal chaos

• Skilled & peasant classes began leaving

• None became as notorious as the oprichnina

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13) Influence

• Despite any benefits oprichnina will always be remembered as a time of terror.

• *Benefits: centralising political power, restructured wealth, etc.

• 1859 tragedy The Oprichnik (Russian: Опричники)

• Historical drama novel

• By respected playwright Ivan Lazhechnikov

• 1874 opera “The Oprichnik” or “The Guardsman”

• By Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• Set in Ivan’s court during the oprichnina times (1565–73)

• Based on Lazhechnikov’s The Oprichnik [see above]

• 1911 painting “Oprichnik”

• By Russian painter & graphic artist Apollinary Vasnetsov

• Specialized in scenes from Moscow medieval history

• Depicting city street & people fleeing in panic from the oprichniki

• 1922 - 1953 Joseph Stalin inspired by & praised the oprichnina

• Especially its role in damaging the boyar (upper class) aristocracy

• And enforcing central government

• 1954 - 1991 the KGB in Russia formed

• 'Original' Russian secret police

• Oprichnina was ancestor of KGB

• 2006 novel Day of the Oprichnik (Russian: День опричника, Den' oprichnika)

• By Russian writer Vladimir Sorokin

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c) Sources:

“Prominent Russians: Ivan IV the Terrible” on russiapedia.rt.com by  [link]

The European Dynastic States by Richard Bonney 1991

“The Oprichnina of Ivan IV - Part 1: The Creation of the Oprichnina” on europeanhistory.about.com by Robert Wilde 2001 [link]

“...Part 2: Terror and the Oprichniki” [link]

“...Part 3: The End of the Oprichnina” [link]

Ivan the Terrible: First Tsar of Russia by Isabel De Madariaga 2005

Tchaikovsky: The Man and his Music by David Brown 2010

Apollinary Vasnetsov by Yekateri Vasnetsova 1980

“Knout” on wikipedia [link]

“Medieval Weapons and Armour: Bardiches” on medievalwarfare.info [link]

“Russian Armors X-XVII Centuries: The Missile Weapon” on cross-dream.info [link]

“Russian Armors X-XVII Centuries: Swords and the Sabre” on cross-dream.info [link]

“Russian Armors X-XVII Centuries: Kolontar’ XIV Century” on cross-dream.info [link]