Muscovy under Ivan the Terrible eyes of foreigners. Petrov V.

The book includes descriptions of Muscovy made by foreigners who, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, were in different ways in Russian land. Some of them arrived of their own free will - in search of wealth, on trade business or with diplomatic orders, others fell as captives, but managed to get a job and made a quick career. Someone donkey in Russia for a long time, someone's stay was short. Among them, the British are the navigator Richard Chelesler and diplomat Gils Fletcher, representatives of noble lifland clans - royal negotiators Johann Taube and Elert Cruise, servant and translator of the personal doctor of Ivan the Terrible German Albert Schlichkiting and another German - adventurer Henry Staden, who became the tsarist guide. Their descriptions are biased, sometimes one -sided, but together they make up the most valuable source of information about the Russian life of the second half of the 16th century. Each testimony was preface to the first publication in Russian.