Podcast Summary: “Acontece que no es poco | La boda de Iván el terrible”

Podcast: Todo Concostrina – SER Podcast
Host: Nieves Concostrina
Date: February 2, 2023

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nieves Concostrina explores the life and legacy of Ivan the Terrible, the notorious first Tsar of Russia, using the occasion of his first wedding anniversary (February 3, 1547) as a narrative starting point. With her signature wit and sharp perspective, Nieves links Ivan’s “rehabilitation” in contemporary Russia under Putin to current political trends, drawing provocative comparisons between historic cruelty and modern authoritarianism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ivan the Terrible: A Symbol for Russian Power

• Nieves introduces Ivan IV as “malo, malísimo,” emphasizing his reputation for cruelty and tyranny.
• She explicitly connects Ivan’s notoriety to modern parallels in Russian leadership, notably Vladimir Putin:

  “Nuestro protagonista es un tipo que más que malo era terrible… Fue el primer zar de Rusia, Iván el Terrible. Así que este acontecido va a dejar todo perdido de sangre.” (00:57)

• Nieves underlines that Ivan is easily recognized in portraits for his menacing expression, rivaled perhaps only by Pope Julius II.

2. Political Revivals: Ivan the Terrible and Putin

• The discussion links the “rehabilitation” of Ivan’s image in 2016–2017 Russia to the broader context of resurgent authoritarian nationalism.
• Stalin tried to rehabilitate Ivan, but it’s under Putin’s regime that actual monuments and public honors emerged:

  “El primero que quiso recuperar el culto a Iván el Terrible fue Stalin… Y con Putin se ha reactivado el culto…” (01:53)

• Nieves compares this with troubling trends in Spain, recalling how names of Francoist warships associated with atrocities have also been restored to public spaces.

Notable Quote

“Sería como poner una estatua Hitler.” — B (04:07)

3. Recent Statues and Renamings

• 2016: Russia authorized a statue to Ivan in Oriol—the first monument of its kind.
• Shortly after, “Avenida Lenin” was renamed “Autopista Iván el Terrible” in Moscow.
• July 2017: Putin himself unveils a statue of Ivan in central Moscow.
• Nieves underscores the symbolism of these acts—a deliberate restoration of brutal, autocratic models.
• She makes a pointed connection to former Spanish PM José María Aznar, who praised Putin and, by extension, his imperial ambitions regarding Ukraine.

  “En 2016 el Ministerio de Cultura ruso aprobó que se alzara el primer monumento… Fíjate que solo es casualidad que tres meses antes… Aznar volviera de su visita privada a Putin…” (05:28)

4. Ivan’s Early Life: Roots of a Tyrant

• Ivan’s childhood marked by trauma:
  • Became Grand Prince of Moscow at 3 after his father died.
  • His mother was poisoned by boyars (Russian nobles) when Ivan was 8, leaving him isolated and abused by power-hungry aristocrats:

    “Aquí es cuando al parecer empezó a torcerse el chaval, porque fue un niño maltratado… lo castigaban, pasaba hambre y frío, pasaba miedo… se volvió un sádico…” (09:10)

  • Early signs of sadism: torturing animals, later executing people by ordering them thrown to hungry dogs.

5. The Origin of the Tsar Title

• Ivan, originally “Prince of Moscow,” declared himself “Tsar” at 17, urged on by advisors invoking fictitious links to the Roman (Byzantine) emperors:

  “Lo de zar en eslavo es tsar… deriva de la palabra césar.” (10:50)

• This established the term “czar” (or “tsar”), marking the start of Russian imperial autocracy.
• The alignment between Russian church and state—begun under Ivan—endured until the 1917 Revolution, with Nieves noting the current re-cementing of church and state ties under Putin:

  “Putin no es comunista. Putin es el nuevo zar.” (12:32)

6. Ivan's Marriages: Violence and Politics

• Ivan married eight times—the first, Anastasia Romanovna, is considered especially important.
• Nieves notes, with dark humor, that Henry VIII pales in comparison for matrimonial mayhem:

  “Con Iván el Terrible ha dejado a Enrique VIII… en todo, todo. En decapitaciones, en esposas, en todo.” (02:59)

• Breakdown of wives’ fates:
  • Anastasia: “tuvo la enorme suerte de morirse por su cuenta… a la que al parecer quiso y con la que terminó de desequilibrarse cuando la mujer se murió” (12:58, 13:23)
  • Two Anas: Sent to convents.
  • Three Marías:
    • One poisoned,
    • Another drowned for not being a virgin,
    • Third survived Ivan (he died first).
  • Marta: Beaten to death.
  • Basilisa: Also relegated to the convent.
• Ivan selected wives via public “belleza” contests among boyar daughters:

  “Reunía a 800 a 1, a 200. Y de esa primera selección elegía 24, luego las dejaba en 12 y al final elegía una, que era justo la que deseaba no haber nacido.” (13:40)

7. Ivan’s Legacy: Autocracy, Violence, and Inspiration for Dictators

• Ivan’s relevance for modern Russia lies in his creation of an absolutist state—a model admired by both Stalin and Putin.
• The episode closes on the idea that the cult of Ivan is not about ideology, but about an enduring, fanatical nationalism:

  “Por eso le admiraba tanto Stalin y le admira tanto Putin. No es una cuestión ideológica, es una cuestión de fanatismo nacionalista.” (14:59)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On historical revisionism:

  “Lo importante es que tú estés desinformado para que te comas el bulo.” — Nieves (07:25)

• On Ivan’s childhood traumas:

  “Fue un niño maltratado… empezó a tener desequilibrios mentales. Se volvió un sádico, un absoluto sádico.” — Nieves (09:10)

• On the rehabilitation of tyrants:

  “Eso es de estar también enfermo de maldad.” — Nieves, on Russia’s cult to Ivan (02:36)

• On religious-nationalist alliances:

  “La Iglesia ortodoxa cristiana rusa, ha apoyado y defendido a muerte siempre a los zares con uñas y dientes... La unión de los zares y la Iglesia permaneció como un todo hasta 1917…” — Nieves (11:49)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:36: Introduction of the topic; Ivan the Terrible as focus, connection to Putin
• 01:53: “Rehabilitation” of Ivan’s image in Russia under Putin
• 04:05: Comparison to honoring Hitler; public monuments and memory
• 05:28–07:07: Political context, parallels with Spanish history, Putin and Crimea
• 09:10: Ivan’s troubled childhood and roots of his cruelty
• 10:45: Creation of the title “Tsar”; state and church alliance
• 12:58–14:59: Ivan’s wives and the rituals of violence; link to his legacy and admiration by dictators

Tone and Style

Nieves’s narration is marked by irony, biting humor, and sharp historical critique. Her language blends colloquialisms (“Esto tiene WhatsApp también”), sarcasm, and candid analogies, making dense history approachable and thought-provoking.

Summary prepared for listeners who want a clear, lively digest of the episode and its historical resonances without wading through the advertisements or unrelated segments.