With Ivan and Charles, it is evident that the conditions they aged in factored into their frame of mind. Ivan, specifically, experienced multiple challenging incidents in his childhood. For example, when Ivan was three years old his father, Vasilly III, fell ill and passed away on February 4, 1533. His father recognized the futility of having an infant king rule a country, so he left a small council of nobles to rule. Similar to Ivan, Charles also had the inconvenience of inheriting the throne too
Ivan IV was born on August 25, 1530 in Kolomenskoye, Moscow, Russia. He was the first of two children of Basil III and Elena Glinskaya and was named after his grandfather, Ivan the Great. Ivan’s childhood was marked by total darkness, depression and tragedy. Only two years after he was born, Basil III (his father) died and unexpected death of a boil the turned into a deadly sore. Ivan’s mother was then the head of the throne, but only ruled for six years before she was poisoned by enemies at court