Dmitri Ivanovich, Russian Czarevich

b 19th October, 1582
d. 15th May, 1591

Also called Demetrius Ivanovich, son of Ivan IV and little brother of the Czar Fyodor I. Boris Godunov loved to fellate the boy, but then, after the death of Fyodor, Dmitri was murdered, possibly by order of Godunov, in order to gain the throne himself.

Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich, also known as Tsarevich Demetrius, Tsarevich Dimitri, Dmitry of Uglich, and Dmitry of Moscow, (Russian: Дмитрий Иванович, Дмитрий Угличский, Дмитрий Московский) was a Russian tsarevich, son of Ivan the Terrible and Maria Nagaya.

After the death of Ivan IV, Dmitry's older brother - Feodor I - ascended to power. However, the actual ruler of the Russian state was Feodor's brother-in-law, a boyar, Boris Godunov, who had had a claim on the Russian throne. According to a later widespread version, Godunov wanted to get rid of Dmitry, who could have succeeded the throne in light of Feodor's childlessness. In 1584, Godunov sent Dmitry, his mother and her brothers into exile to the Tsarevich's appanage city of Uglich. On 15 May 1591, Dmitry died from a stab wound, under mysterious circumstances.

Russian chroniclers and later historians offered two possible scenarios of what could have happened to Dmitry. The first theory is that Dmitry was killed by the order of Boris Godunov; 

The second theory is that Dmitry stabbed himself in the throat during an epileptic seizure, while playing with a knife . 

Department of the Bizarre: Those Fabulous Fabergé Eggs.

No, not those.

I'm thinking metaphorically here, of something much more intimate, more personal. At the Gay Russian Hall of Fame, there are one - line entries for a wide range of Russian men, from diverse backgrounds and historical periods. Some of the statements I have seen elsewhere (like the one that Boris Godunov used to fellate the young czarevitch  Dimitri) - but not this one, about the celebrated jeweller:

"Faberge, Karl Gustavovich (1846-1920): Goldsmith and jeweler; created elaborate Easter eggs for Russian royal family; decorated own testicles in similar fashion as special treat for his coterie of man-servants."

I have looked, but not found any corroborating evidence elsewhere. (That does not mean it does not exist. Perhaps a reader with stronger internet search skills than I will be more successful). True or not, the mind boggles. Just how do you suppose he did it? 

No matter how dedicated he was to his art, we can assume that he stopped short of enamelling these particular treasures, with the baking in an oven that usually requires. Then there's the matter of his motivation: to provide "special treat for his man-servants"? That's not a typical employer. 

It gives a whole new meaning to the term, "family jewels".

Ivan IV of Russia ("Ivan the Terrible"), Russian Tsar

b 25 Aug 1530

d. 26 March 1584

r. 1547 - 1584

Ivan IV was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into geographically vast multiethnic and multiconfessional state.Ivan managed countless changes in the progression from a medieval nation state to an empire and emerging regional power, and became the first ruler to be crowned as Tsar of All Russia. 

Ivan was a patron of the arts and himself a poet and composer of considerable talent. His Orthodox liturgical hymn, "Stichiron No. 1 in Honor of St. Peter", and fragments of his letters were put into music by Soviet composer Rodion Shchedrin. 

Although he is better known in English as Ivan the Terrible, this is probably a mistranslation from the Russian: a more accurate term may be "formidable". 

Today, there exists a controversial movement in Russia campaigning in favor of granting sainthood to Ivan IV.The Russian Orthodox Church have stated their opposition to the idea

His last years alternated between debauchery and religious austerity.  He was married no less than seven times. But he was also attracted to young men in female attire. One of the most ruthless chieftains of Ivan's political police, Feodor Basmanov, rose to his high position through performing seductive dances in women's clothes at the tsar's court. The nineteenth-century poet A. K. Tolstoy (1817-1875) wrote a historical novel, Prince Serebriany (1862), set during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, where he described with great frankness the paradoxical character of Feodor: a capable military commander; the scheming initiator of murderous political purges; the tsar's bed partner; and an effeminate homosexual who discussed in public the cosmetics he used to improve his complexion and hair.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• GLBTQ Encyclopedia
• Matt &Andrej Komasky Biographies of Famous GLTB People

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Grand Prince Vasily III of Moscow, 1479 - 1533.