IC: Zweihänder in the reign of Ivan the Terrible
In reply to Alcuin (msg # 1):
I presume you mean Oprichniki (опри́чнина), the guard corps and secret police established by Ivan the Terrible? Oprichnina (опри́чнина) refers to the state policy enacted by Ivan to root out and destroy those disloyal to him, chiefly amongst the boyars (aristocracy). They were akin to the Okhrana of the Romanov dynasty, the Red Terror-era Cheka, and the Great Purge-era NKVD... responsible for oppressing, terrorizing, and executing alleged threats to 'state security' (those suspected of disloyalty to the supreme leaders of those times, guilty or no).