14. Tsar Fyodor I of Russia was so obsessed with church bells that he earned the name ‘Fyodor the Bellringer’
Tsar Fyodor I was most definitely not his father’s son. He was the son, and heir, of Ivan the Terrible. Fyodor inherited his crown in May of 1584. And from the start it was clear that he wasn’t really up to the job. He was far from ruthless or ‘terrible’. In fact, he was the quiet, retiring type. And he much preferred indulging his unique obsession to ruling over Russia. Indeed, so central was this obsession to Fyodor’s character that it led to him being given one of the most colourful nicknames in history: Fyodor the Bellringer.
Fyodor was a sickly child. This, combined with the fact he grew up afraid, living in the shadow of his infamous father, meant that he was extremely pious from an early age. The future Tsar would shut himself away for days at a time, praying and reading the Bible. When he became the ruler of all of Russia in 1584, he remained as pious as ever. But now he was able to travel freely across Russia. According to some, he was on a mission to visit every Orthodox church in the land – and ring the bells of each one.