Description
Ivan the Terrible is believed to have killed his son during a family feud after Ivan Jr.'s pregnant wife walked past the Tsar in a robe. This was because showing the Tsar his underwear was highly offensive.
Another account claims that a political disagreement between the two men was the real reason. Ivan the Terrible swung his staff and accidentally hit his son's head before desperately trying to stop the flow of blood, but all to no avail.
Twenty-seven-year-old Ivan was the only sane heir to the throne, his younger brother Fyodor was considered mentally ill. The image shows Ivan Jr. at death's door, forgiving his father for solemnly lashing out by holding the shoulder of a distraught Ivan the Terrible with his right hand.
For lack of evidence, historians have difficulty clarifying the reason behind the son's death, but thanks in part to Ilya Repin's famous painting, most observers conclude that his father was responsible.