The helmet of Ivan the Terrible: To the problem of Cyrillic inscription
This article examines the helmet of Ivan the Terrible of the Ruriks dynasty (now kept in Stockholm) which has long been one of the most famous and actually not well studied pieces of armour that has come down to us. Between the two ornamental bands, arranged around the crown, a narrow inscription in the Old Russian language runs as follows: “SHELOM OF PRINCE IVAN VASILYEVICH THE SON OF GRAND PRINCE VASILY VASILYEVICH OF ALL RUSSIA”. The words indicate that the helmet belonged to Ivan the Terrible and are considered the first key characteristics to denote its attribution. The author pays attention to the issues of dating, provenance, commission and possible historical circumstances referring to this piece of armour. The conclusion is made that the only possible emergence of the helmet is in the period between 1530 and 1533, when Ivan was given the title prince under his father, the Grand Prince Vasily III. However the helmet is not a child’s one and could not be made for the small Ivan; besides, Vasily III was not art and part in commissioning the item. Having analyzed the epigraphic evidence of the inscription and the specifi city of the title of Ivan in it, the author discredits the hypothesis set forth by S. N. Bogatyrev who insists that the helmet belongs to “dynastic Helmets of Heirs” to legitimize the enthronement.