This is an excellent and much needed study of the importance and influence of warfare on Ivan and Muscovy during this reign. The style is very readable. The author provides an unusual amount of detailed information about the armies including their strengths and commanders, the campaigns and battles, the diplomatic activities and grand political strategies. His own evaluations are clearly presented and cogently expressed. The bibliography and notes indicate a broad reading and assembling of information from many sources, Russian, Polish, German and English.

Epilogue - One of the best aspects of this book is that the author analyses and comments on policies and events throughout. But in this epilogue he goes even further. He evaluates Ivan's military policy under three topics: results of his Eastern Policy, results of his Western Policy, and results of his military policy for his own country (in other words the impact internal to Russia). He judges the Eastern policy was successful, Kazan and Astrakhan along with a huge, valuable territory were added to the domain and the threat from these Tatar khanates was ended. Policy toward Crimea also was successful, despite setbacks such as the burning of Moscow, and the fortified frontier was moved significantly to the south. The evaluations of Ivan's Western policy by later historians have been more controversial. Dr. Filjushkin presents some of these alternate arguments and provides his own assessment of the gains and losses for all the participants. The Livonian Order of course disappeared. Poland and Sweden were big winners. Denmark lost out. The Holy Roman Empire lost its eastern appendage. The author settles with the view that Muscovy at least gained diplomatic experience as well as more significant military skills. Ivan's military policies at least prepared the way for his successors, in particular Peter I.

Xenophon Group International (xenophon-mil.org) Review by John Sloan