Lost Library of Ivan the Terrible

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Lost Library of Ivan the Terrible" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Lost Library of the Moscow Tsars, also known as the "Golden Library", is a library speculated to have been assembled by Grand Duke Ivan III (the Great) of Russia (r. 1460–1505) in the 16th century. It is also known as the Library of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), who is credited with the disappearance of the library. The lost library is thought^{[by whom?]} to contain rare Greek, Latin, and Egyptian works from the libraries of Constantinople and Alexandria, as well as 2nd-century CE Chinese texts and manuscripts from Ivan IV's own era. The library has been historically located^{[by whom?]} as being underneath the Kremlin, and has become a source of interest for researchers, archaeologists, treasure-hunters, and historical figures such as Emperor Peter the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. Under Ivan IV's rule (1533-1584), tales of the library grew.

Legends associated with the library include:

• The collection formed part of the dowry of Sophia Palaiologina, the second wife of Ivan III (married in 1472) and a member of the last Byzantine imperial dynasty.
• Ivan IV cursed the library before his death, causing blindness to those that came close to locating the books.
• Ivan attempted to have scholars translate the ancient texts in order to gain knowledge of black magic.