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Oprichnina facts for kids

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Khudiakov-Oprichniki
The Oprichniki and the Boyars, by Vasily Khudyakov

Oprichnina (опричнина) is a state policy used by Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible between 1565 and 1572. The origin of its name is old Russian опричь, what means 'apart', 'except', or 'special'. Oprichnina included secret police, mass repressions, public executions, and confiscation (taking somebody's property) of land from the boyars. It was created because Ivan didn't trust the boyars (Russian feudal aristocrats) anymore.

Oprichnik by Vasnetsov
"The street in the town": people fleeing at the arrival of the Oprichniki, inspired by the opera The Oprichnik by Tchaikovsky, painted by Apollinary Vasnetsov in 1911
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