The 48 Laws Of Power

boyars

wouldbeabletorollbackthedukes’

gains,

wrestcontrolofthe

state.
andhumiliatethe

royalfamily.

Awareofthese

dangers,young

Helenatumecltohertrustedfriend

PrinceIvan

Obolensky

to

help

herrule.Butafterfive

years

as

regent

she

suddenlydied——poisonedby

a

member

ofthe

Shuiskyfamily,

the

most

fearsome

boyar

clan.The

Shuiskyprinces

seizedcontrolofthe

govern-

mentandthrew

Obolensky

in

prison,

wherehestarvedtodeath.Atthe

age

of

eight,

Ivanwasnowa

despisedorphan,

and

anyboyar

or

family

mem-

berwhotookaninterestinhimwas

immediately

banishedorkilled.

AndsoIvan

roamedthe

palace,hungry,

ill

clothed,

andofteninbid

ing

fromthe

Shuiskys,

whotreatedhim

roughly

when

they

sawhim.On

some

daysthey

wouldsearchhim

out,

clothehimin

royal

robes,

handhim

a.

scepter,

andsethimonthethrone——akindofmockritualinwhich

they

lampooned

his

royalpretensions.

Then

they

wouldshoohim

away.

One

evening

severalofthemchasedthe

Metropolitan———the

headoftheRussian

chu;rch—through

the

palace,

andhe

soughtrefuge

inIvan’s

room;

the

boy

watchedinhorrorasthe

Shuiskys

entered,

hurled

insults,

andbeatthe

Metropolitanmercilessly.

Ivanhad

one

friendinthe

palace,

a

boyar

namedVorontsovwhocon»

soledandadvisedhim. One

day,

however,

as

he,Vorontsov,

and

the

newest

Metropolitan

conferred

in

the

palacerefectory,

several

Shuiskys

burst

in,

heat

up

Vorontsov,

andinsultedthe

Metropolitanbyhearing

and

treading

onhisrobes.Then

they

banishedVorontsovfromMoscow.

Throughout

allthisIvanmaintainedastrictsilence.Tothe

boyars

it

seemedthattheir

plan

hadworked:The

young

man

hadturned

intoa

ter-

rifiedandobedientidiot.

They

could

ignore

him

now,

evenleavehim

alone.Butonthe

evening

ofDecember

29,I543,Ivan,

now

thirteen,

asked

PrinceAndrei

Shuisky

tocometohisroom.Whenthe

prince

arrived,

the

roomwasfilledwith

palaceguards.Young

Ivanthen

pointed

his

finger

at

Andreiandorderedthe

guards

to

arrest

him,

have

him

killed,

and

throw

his

body

tothebloodhoundsinthe

royal

kennel.Overthenextfew

days

IvanhadallofAndrei’scloseassociatesarrestedandbanished.

Caught

off—

guardby

hissudden

boldness,

the

boyars

nowstoodinmortalterrorofthis

youth,

thefutureIvanthe

Terrible,

whohad

planned

andwaitedforfive

years

toexecutethisoneswift

and

boldact

thatwouldsecurehis

power

for

decadestocome.

Interpretation

The

worldisfullof

boyars--men

who

despiseyou,

fear

your

ambition,

and

jealouslyguard

their

shrinking

realmsof

power.

Youneedtoestablish

your

authority

and

gainrespect,

butthemomentthe

boyars

sense

yourgrowing

boldness,

they

willacttothwart

you.

ThisishowIvanmetsuch

a

situation:

He

lay

low,

showing

neitherambitionnordiscontent.He

waited,

andwhen

the

timecamehe

brought

the

palaceguards

overtohisside.The

guards

hadcometohatethecruel

Shuiskys.

Once

theyagreed

toIvan’s

plan,

he

struck

withthe

swiftnessof

a

snake,

pointing

his

finger

at

Shuisky

and

giv-

ing

himnotimetoreact

Negotiate

witha

boyar

and

you

create

opportunities

forhim.Asmall

ciry,

he

.\'t0p]7ed

a

pzzsx»

iuggentleman.“Ilnllrz,

myfriend.’

Who

is;Ihc

richestmamintown?

"

“Poor

c:mmr_vman:’

Don’;

yrm

know

Hyon»

SKI,

themillionaire?IIi,\-

glirrering

tile-ronfzed

house

piercedby

(welw

gate.\‘

is

just

over

there.

Huh

Srceng

benthis

steps

sotherichmanIt

house.

Having

entcrezl

the

biggate.

he

flung

the

guesr-roam

door

open

andadzlreryedthe

/wrt:"IneedI

0.000

yangforrrapimlformy

¢:omm('rr‘.iaiI)u.~'inc.-s

andIwon!

you

to((1114

methe

fllrlnry.

”

"/ilrigfzr,

sir.Where

.\'IU!II

[rendthe

m()ney.‘7"

“

Tothe

xlaimng

Market

incan-,

nfa

mumm-

xionmerchant.

"

“Verywell,

xix.Iwill

drawon

Kim,

who

(losesthe

bigger!

czwnzmisrirznbusiness’in

the

/ltrséng

Mar/mt.

You‘II

get

the

monrey

(here.

"

"Good-bye,

sir."

V/honHuh

Sm.’/‘lg

was

gone,

alltheother

gucsrr

inthemom

asked

Byfzn-.c.riwhy

he

gave

sonmclz

nmnev

In

12

bcggurliirestranger

whose

family

namewas

unknowntohim.But

therichman

rrrplir.-41

withu

rrmmpharztfacn.‘

“Even

though

hewar

in

ragged

(‘Ir/Ihei,

he

.rpukr’r:lr:m'1y

to/he

point

without

bermying

shameor

infsrirzriry.

unlikei-ommmz

people

whowanttoborrow

moneyfor

1!baddebt,

Suchtimunasheis

ritlmrmador

self-

rorzfidmr

in

doing

business.But

judging

from

hisiiacmrlers

(’_VvL\'

amt

booming

voicehe

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