Ivan IV of Russia struck his son and heir Ivan Ivanovich during a heated argument in November 1581. The blow caused fatal head injuries. Ivan held his dying son for three days, screaming and weeping. His son died in his arms. Ivan never mentally recovered. He died three years later, having destroyed his own succession. The moment was captured in 1885 by Russian painter Ilya Repin in a painting so disturbing that when it was displayed in St Petersburg a man attacked it with a knife. The painting still hangs in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow today.
INTERESTING FACT The Russian government attempted to have the painting removed from public display in 2013, arguing it misrepresented Ivan’s character. The request was denied. In 2018 a man entered the gallery and attacked the painting with a metal pole, shattering the protective glass and damaging the canvas. It has since been restored. It remains on display.
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