In “Deadliest Warrior: Ivan the Terrible vs. Hernan Cortes,” two of the 16th century’s greatest and most ruthless conquerors are matched against one another. This combat was determined by psychological traits as much as weapons.
Ivan the Terrible, who certainly lived up to his name for his love of torturing people to death, wielded a match lock firearm, a curved saber-like sword, and a battle axe while wearing plate and chainmail armor. Cortez had an arquebus, a straight sword made of Spanish steel, a multipurpose polearm weapon, and a steel breastplate.
The tests determined that the Russian firearm was superior to the Spanish version because it could be reloaded more rapidly. Also, the ancient weapons could be accurate while in the hands of an expert, with a punch that could penetrate one target and take out another behind it.
The Russian curved sword was superior while wielded on horseback while the Spanish straight sword shined while used on foot.
The Russian battle axe was big, but also heavy and unwieldy, tiring the man using it. The Spanish pole arm, with its various ways to kill a man, was lighter and more versatile.
The Spanish breastplate was better able to deflect blows, even that of a Russian battleaxe, while the target was galloping past on horseback.
The combat was determined, though, more by the fact that Ivan the Terrible, though he did turn the Grand Duchy of Moscovy into the Russian Empire, was insane. He was bipolar and used mercury to treat back pain, which had the side effects of frying his brain. Cortez was no prize in the sanity department, but his cruelty tended to be more calculated, inspired by his single-minded desire to extract gold from the Aztecs.
In any event, the combat showed why crazy people make bad leaders. Ivan is shown to make some erratic and counterproductive decisions. The scenario starts with Ivan and his Russians pulling apart a man with horses, which happens as the battle begins in earnest. Cortez, on the other hand, shows himself to be cool and collected in the middle of the battle. So, despite the fact that most of the Russian weapons were superior, Cortez came out on top for the majority of the 5,000 simulated battles.
Source: Deadliest Warrior: Ivan the Terrible vs. Hernan Cortez, TV.Rage