A Comparative Study of Ivan the Fourth and Alaafin Sango of Oyo Empire

Abstract

The reign of Ivan the 4th and the legendary Sango, 3rd Alaafin is of great importance to the historical world, Sango, a powerful king in Yoruba Land, known as a king of thunder because he spat fire from his mouth whenever he was angry. He ruled powerfully and successfully. According to a myth however, it was a defeat in a magical contest that led Sango to leave Oyo and hung. On the other side, I shall take a critical and careful look at the Ivan the IV or Ivan the Terrible as fondly called, tsar of Russia from 1530-1584. When he held sway, he established a tradition of absolute rule; he was ruthless and merciless following childhood abuse and repression, Ivan destroyed his rivals and claimed the throne of Tsardom. He beat back the last of the Mongols, provided some large territorial expansion, and centralized the bureaucracy. Ivan