Oprichnik

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
This article has been tagged since February 2007.

Oprichnik (опричник) was a member of a private army (Oprichniks) devoted to the service of tsar Ivan the Terrible during the oprichina times (1565-1573).

The Oprichniks were responsible for the torture and murder of many innocent people in Russia. Guided by Ivan, they laid waste to civilian populations. It is said that they dressed all in black and bore the insignia of a dog's head and a broom. Also, they used to ride black horses in order to inspire terror. The dog symbolized their loyalty to the tsar (Oprichniks were sometimes called "Tsar's Dogs"), and the broom meant that his enemies would be swept away.

When Ivan declared himself as the hand of God, 300 of the Oprichniks were selected to be his personal monks that lived within Ivan's castle. Every night at 3 am these Oprichnik monks would attend a sermon given by Ivan himself before the morning's ritual executions. The Oprichnik monks would lead an ascetic lifestyle, like the monks they emulated, but there would be rash outbreaks of vile cruelty and debauchery.

In the infamous Novgorod incident, the Oprichniks massacred 1500 or more innocent "big people" (nobles). The real figure is unknown.