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The Romanovs. The Real History of the Russian Dynasty. Episodes 1-4. — Transcript

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0:00[Music]
0:21[Music]
0:27quite honest trade customer that never
0:31seen so many nobles they were n boys
0:33from the National Assembly in Moscow
0:35come to beg the great nun Martha to
0:39allow her son to take his rightful place
0:41as the next Czar of Russia
0:44[Music]
0:48Michael Romano is the only one who
0:51hadn't stained his cocaine during the
0:53Time of Troubles he was their only hope
0:58if he refused
1:00Aniki would return Russia they said
1:05could not endure such grief again
1:08[Music]
1:21[Music]
1:30in 1598 is our Fyodor son of Ivan the
1:34Terrible died childless he was the last
1:38of the Rurik dynasty rulers of Russia
1:40for more than 700 years
1:42his younger brother Dmitri had died
1:45seven years earlier in suspicious
1:47circumstances the National Assembly
1:50elected Boris Godunov as the next saw
1:52wood arrival soon emerged an imposter
1:55claiming to be the last czars dead
1:57younger brother this so-called false
2:00dmitri seized the throne and married the
2:03polish noblewoman Larina mashek within a
2:07year the false Dmitri was slain in a
2:09palace coup and marina fled Moscow in
2:12exile she recognized a second false
2:14dmitri as her husband and bore him a son
2:17even
2:18[Music]
2:21Russia was leaderless and Sweden and
2:24Poland took advantage of her weakness
2:26attacking on two fronts Russia lost
2:32Corellia Novgorod and Smolensk amid the
2:35anarchy and devastation only 10% of
2:38Russian lands were still being farmed
2:40famine and fear stormed the land without
2:43a strong legitimate ruler it seemed the
2:46Russian state would soon cease to exist
2:49[Music]
2:54towards the end of the brutal winter of
2:561613 delegates of the country's National
2:59Assembly traveled to Moscow where they
3:01would decide the fate of the motherland
3:09[Music]
3:13the Zemke sabor or National Assembly was
3:17Russia's Parliament of the 16th and 17th
3:19centuries brought together to advise on
3:21the most important political issues in
3:241613 the Assembly had about 1,000
3:28delegates drawn from the nobility clergy
3:31merchants and free townsman the decisive
3:38vote was held on March 3rd after lengthy
3:42debate the sixteen-year-old Michael
3:44Romanov was elected Tsar Michael's
3:49father was Fyodor Nikita - Romanov
3:51cousin of Tsar Feodor the son of Ivan
3:54the Terrible this gave him a strong
3:56claim to the throne when Boris
4:00Goodenough took the throne he saw
4:01Michael's father as a potential threat
4:03and forced him to become a monk under
4:05the name of Phil aret Michael's mother
4:08zenya became a nun taking the name
4:10Martha Villa retros to the rank of
4:15Bishop was imprisoned by the poles while
4:17on a diplomatic mission his polish
4:20captors didn't bother to inform him that
4:21his son had been made Tsar of Russia
4:26[Music]
4:33the people of Moscow meanwhile were
4:35informed at the National Assembly's
4:37decision through public announcements in
4:39Red Square michael feodorovich Romanov
4:42it was declared was the new sovereign of
4:45the Grand Duchy of Muscovy and Czar of
4:47all the Russia's
4:52[Music]
4:55Michael had grown up amid the 15 year
4:57anarchy known as the Time of Troubles
4:59when he was just four he was taken from
5:02his parents and sent to the country
5:04later his mother came to take Michael
5:07back and together they went to live a
5:09quiet life in the apat EF monastery 200
5:13miles northeast of Moscow
5:17[Music]
5:23hoarse and exhausted ambassadors bearing
5:27the holy icon of Our Lady of sin Fyodor
5:29spent hours persuading the Romanoff's to
5:32accept power
5:35finally he consented
5:37[Music]
5:45after many years of lawlessness and
5:48violence a new Tsar ascended to the
5:50Russian throne michael feodorovich
5:54Romanov founder of the Romanov dynasty
5:57by God's will
5:59Tsar and ruler of all Russia
6:03[Music]
6:12the coronation of czar Michael the first
6:15was held on July 22nd 1613
6:24[Music]
6:32chapter one Michael the first
6:34feodorovich there was no going back for
6:43Michael Romanov he ascended the steps of
6:45the Cathedral of the Assumption the son
6:47of a noble and descended them as czar
6:50the state he was to rule was on the
6:55verge of collapse
6:56so the Youngs are followed his intuition
6:59and ruled not as an autocrat but in
7:01consultation with his advisors on his
7:06initiative the National Assembly which
7:09had formally met once every few years
7:11began to meet more regularly to offer
7:13him advice
7:16despite the expectations of many Michael
7:19didn't become a puppet of the noble
7:21factions at court
7:22he remained his own man biding his time
7:25when one Dutch visitor suggested that
7:28Michael should take firm measures
7:30against his enemies he answered don't
7:32you know that our Russian bears never
7:34hunt in the first year of life they only
7:37hunt when they are older Michael faced
7:45three rival claimants to the throne to
7:48the north a Swedish King Carl Philip to
7:51the west the Polish Prince Vlad Aswath
7:54and in the south a three year old even
7:58son of marina Manisha and the second
8:01false dmitri the boys claim was upheld
8:04by three thousand cossacks led by the
8:07adventurer even Zaretsky but their
8:10followers soon deserted their cause and
8:12he and the boy were handed over to the
8:14tsar soldiers and brought to Moscow to
8:17meet their fate the executions took
8:24place in front of a huge crowd by the
8:26city's Surikov gate the Dutch traveller
8:30Elias hitman remembered it for the rest
8:32of his life
8:35zorroski was impaled on a stake then
8:39Dimitri's son was brought out the
8:42snowstorm was blowing wet snow slapping
8:45the boy on the face he kept asking where
8:48are you taking me
8:49those carrying the child kept him calm
8:52and brought him like a lamb to the
8:54slaughter to the gallows poor boy was
8:58hanged as a thief the Tsar's enemies
9:04could have used the boy to foment Civil
9:07War
9:07costing Russia back into the Time of
9:09Troubles Michael would take any measure
9:14no matter how brutal to prevent that
9:20anarchy had been avoided but war seemed
9:23inescapable Swedish troops were
9:26besieging the scoff three hundred and
9:28sixty miles west of Moscow Michael
9:31ordered his diplomats to negotiate peace
9:33at any price in 1617 the Treaty of stub
9:37off was signed and the city of Novgorod
9:40and surrounding lands were returned to
9:42Russia the next threat was a Polish army
9:46advancing on Moscow led by Prince Vlad
9:48Aswath in person the poles reached the
9:51walls of the Kremlin itself the Citadel
9:54at the heart of the city
9:59[Music]
10:02Russian spies learned that the poles
10:04were digging a mine under the power back
10:06gate but the Tsar ignored the pleas of
10:09his advisers and refused to abandon the
10:11city
10:17weighing on his mind was not just the
10:19fate of the city but a personal dilemma
10:22polls still held his father prisoner
10:26ichael knew if he left Moscow he would
10:29lose the throne if he lost the throne he
10:33would never see his father again on
10:42December 1st 1618 Poland and Russia
10:45signed the troops of Delina region from
10:50the asthma teacher knock-off was
10:52returned but many issues remained
10:54unresolved Smolensk remained under
10:57Polish control and Prince Vlad Aswath
11:00refused to renounce his claim to the
11:02Russian throne
11:04[Music]
11:07but Russia was exhausted by war it
11:10desperately needed peace a breathing
11:12space and time to rebuild however the
11:17treaty was a personal triumph for
11:19Michael under its terms all prisoners
11:22taken during the Time of Troubles were
11:24to be returned amongst them
11:27his father it was nine years since their
11:32separation
11:32Michael had always looked up to his
11:35father and tried to emulate him now he
11:38was finally to be reunited with this
11:40legendary figure the Metropolitan Bishop
11:43Villa ret
11:46[Music]
11:50the father could see that his son had
11:52become a real Tsar of Russia God's
11:55chosen ruler ten days later the Tsar
11:59made his father patriarch of Moscow the
12:02head of the Russian Orthodox Church from
12:05henceforth they would rule together as
12:07father and son the influence of the
12:15Tsar's mother the once all-powerful
12:18great nun Martha began to wane she no
12:21longer had any say in affairs of state
12:23and had less and less access to her son
12:29the Tsar was now in his twenties four
12:32grown man
12:36accordingly it was announced that by
12:38God's will the great rulers are Michael
12:40had reached the age of adulthood and the
12:43time had come for him to take a wife
12:46[Music]
12:47the Czar's mother had found a bride for
12:50her son but Michael made his own
12:52decision years ago during his exile he
12:55had fallen in love with masha clop of
12:57her the daughter of one of his Guardians
12:59and promised to marry only her
13:02the Tsar's decision was announced that
13:05his bride-to-be was found rooms within
13:07the palace the seljuq Hoff brothers
13:11relatives of the Tsar's mother were put
13:14in charge of her safety but just before
13:16the wedding Masha
13:18suddenly fell dangerously ill the palace
13:22was alive with rumor and suspicions the
13:25soldier coughs summoned the best foreign
13:27doctors who announced that a terrible
13:30disease was devouring the royal bride
13:32from within and no cure was possible
13:35[Music]
13:37people were soon whispering that the
13:39Tsar's mother was behind it because she
13:41was opposed to the marriage
13:45[Music]
13:46in any event masher eventually recovered
13:49only to be exiled to Siberia for
13:52apparently concealing an illness from
13:54the Tsar's advices an investigation
13:57later concluded she'd been poisoned by
13:59the salty coughs who were dismissed from
14:01court but the whole affair put Michael
14:04off any thought of marriage for many
14:05years when czar Michael turned 28 his
14:10relatives began to worry without an heir
14:13the future of the dynasty was in doubt
14:15once more his mother had a candidate
14:20this time reluctantly Michael agreed to
14:23the match and was married to princess
14:27maria dal kuru cava
14:29[Music]
14:32but four months later Maria fell sick
14:35and died the cause never fully
14:37established after this latest disaster
14:42Michael dismissed his mother from any
14:44involvement in his marital affairs and
14:46instead arranged for the traditional
14:48election of a Russian royal bride the
14:52advice he received was to watch the
14:54girls carefully from afar appraising
14:56their aged complexion eyes and hair look
15:01for signs of injury or illness and
15:03ensure she's healthy in mind and kind by
15:06nature the tradition of electing a
15:09Tsar's bride was essentially a beauty
15:11contest involving thousands of
15:13candidates from noble families first
15:17royal officials sorted applicants on the
15:19basis of their height the size of head
15:22and size of feet then senior nobles and
15:27court doctors inspected the girls in the
15:29capital finally 10 to 20 of the most
15:32beautiful girls were brought to the
15:34court where they were introduced to the
15:36Tsar in person when Michael announced
15:41his decision his advisors were
15:43speechless he chose F dakea stretch neva
15:46as his queen she hadn't even been in the
15:49contest she was the maid of one of the
15:51candidates and the daughter of a poor
15:53nobleman
15:57from bitter experience Azhar decided to
16:00handle all the arrangements himself the
16:03identity of his bride was kept a closely
16:05guarded secret and she was brought to
16:07the palace just three days before the
16:09wedding
16:11[Music]
16:13sir it'sa EV dakea the Russian
16:16Cinderella proved to be kind considerate
16:19and loving she bore Michael ten children
16:22who only four survived infancy three
16:25daughters and the son Alexei it was
16:29enough to ensure the dynasty would live
16:31on
16:32[Music]
16:51Michael and the land were at peace for a
16:55short while
16:56[Music]
17:01Michael was determined to reclaim
17:04Russian lands lost during the Time of
17:06Troubles
17:06it would mean war with Poland
17:12first he reorganized the army
17:14introducing new weapons and equipment
17:17based on developments in Europe in
17:19particular Michael learned from the
17:21Swedish army the strongest in Europe new
17:24regiments were formed with eight
17:26companies of 200 men each had 120
17:29musketeers and 80 pikemen new muskets
17:33were bought which weighed four kilograms
17:35instead of six so they could be fired
17:37without her support
17:42by 1632 10 new regiments had been formed
17:46with a strength of 17,000
17:50[Music]
17:52it was one thing to create a new army it
17:56was another to teach it how to win on
17:57the battlefield Russian forces were
18:00defeated outside Smolensk and after two
18:02years of war both sides sought a
18:04settlement the 1634 Treaty of Hualien of
18:08kur brought no territorial gains for
18:11Russia apart from the town of sip yes
18:13ceded by the Polish Lithuanian
18:15Commonwealth Russia also paid an
18:17indemnity of 20,000 rubles in exchange
18:20for which King wladis worth of Poland
18:22renounced his claim to the Russian
18:24throne Russia itself was gradually
18:29becoming a more prosperous society
18:31thanks to Michael's efforts English and
18:34Dutch specialists came to Russia to
18:36share their expertise they lived in the
18:39foreign districts of the big cities such
18:41as Moscow's famous German quarter and
18:44invested capital in local enterprises
18:49Russians refer to the Germans or often
18:52any foreigner as Nimitz
18:54from the Russian word nimoy meaning mute
18:57because they couldn't speak Russian
19:00in the tenth year of his reign Czar
19:03Michael invited English geologists to
19:06investigate iron and copper ore deposits
19:08in the Ural Mountains eight years later
19:10the first state steelmaking plant was
19:13opened in the region
19:17[Music]
19:18twelve years after that a Dutch
19:20entrepreneur built an armory at Tula 100
19:23miles south of Moscow could still in
19:26operation today Russia soon began to
19:28export arms to some of the most
19:30developed countries in Europe
19:36[Music]
19:47[Music]
19:52the average wage at this time was 3
19:54kopeks a day for which one could buy
19:56three chickens or 45 eggs or one and a
20:00half kilos of salmon a sheepskin coat
20:03cost 50 kopecks for about 2 weeks wages
20:05a pair of boots was 10 days wages while
20:10a cow cost 2 rubles for about 2 months
20:13wages abroad Russian state was gaining
20:19greater influence in 1625 Shah Abbas the
20:23ruler of Persia sought to win favor by
20:26sending the patriarch of Russia a holy
20:28robe this sacred relic was believed to
20:33be the one worn by Christ before his
20:35crucifixion later taken by one of the
20:37Roman soldiers present patriarch filler
20:40at the Tsar's father ordained a week's
20:42fasting to mark its arrival before
20:44presenting the holy robe to the sick 67
20:48people were said to have been
20:49miraculously cured in the first six
20:52months alone
20:54[Music]
20:57robe itself was later placed in a
21:00Cathedral within the Kremlin today a
21:03part of the robe can be seen in the
21:04Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in
21:06Moscow after the barbarism of the Time
21:13of Troubles the Romanov sought to
21:15nurture a cultural revival within Russia
21:18one of patriarch filler its first
21:20degrees was to restore the czars once
21:22vast library now largely destroyed
21:29scholars were sent to search for books
21:31in distant monasteries and to make
21:33copies of rare manuscripts and returned
21:35with them to Moscow
21:38[Music]
21:43just thirty years after the Time of
21:45Troubles Russia was back to the level of
21:48prosperity she'd enjoyed before the
21:50state had slid into Anarchy trade and
21:53productivity were on the rise people had
21:56enough to eat and felt safe it was an
22:00age of economic and political stability
22:05Tsar Michael had achieved the impossible
22:08and brought the Russian state back from
22:11the brink
22:16on July 12th 1645 Bazaar celebrated his
22:2149th birthday that morning after church
22:25Michael seemed to have a presentiment of
22:28his own approaching death he publicly
22:31forgave all those who had ever insulted
22:34or sinned against him and ordered a
22:36general amnesty for all prisoners on
22:41coming home
22:42the first Romanoff's are of russia said
22:45goodbye to his wife and son and died
22:48peacefully later that day
22:51[Music]
23:06Russia mourned its much-loved ruler for
23:09three days many thousands from all ranks
23:12and walks of life came to pay their
23:14respects before his coffin services were
23:17held in his honor in all the churches of
23:20the land alexei mikhaylovitch
23:38michael's eldest son and heir was as
23:41young as his father had been when he
23:43ascended to the throne but the country
23:45he inherited had been utterly
23:47transformed famine civil war and
23:51destruction no longer stalked the land
23:53Russia was now stable and prosperous
23:57[Music]
24:03new ruler of this reinvigorated state
24:06tsar alexei was handsome intelligent
24:09virile and devout ahead they great
24:13victories and bloody revolts remarkable
24:17achievements and fatal mistakes alexei
24:21mikhaylovitch was destined to become one
24:24of Russia's most controversial rulers
24:27[Music]
24:33[Applause]
24:38chapter 2 Alexi the first Mikhaylovich
24:46the young czar was not overawed by his
24:50new responsibilities it was a role he
24:52prepared for since early childhood his
24:56education had begun at the age of six
24:59after learning the alphabet he was
25:01taught to read using stories from the
25:03Bible the Prince's household included 20
25:07stewards six teachers and 18 musicians
25:10as well as bodyguards acrobats and
25:13jesters when Alexei was seven he was
25:16given a set of miniature weapons an arc
25:20of us a bow and arrows swords armor made
25:25in Germany and musical instruments maps
25:28and engravings from Western Europe
25:32alexis chief Tudor was a nobleman named
25:35Boris Morozov he encouraged his pupil to
25:39broaden his outlook and introduced him
25:41to Western culture many Europeans were
25:46invited to the Tsar's court including
25:48interpreters diplomats and scholars
25:54Alexie's personal doctor an Englishman
25:57named Samuel Collins admired his patient
26:00greatly the Emperor is handsome and
26:05strongly built
26:07he has fair hair and doesn't shave his
26:10beard he is tall with noble bearing he
26:16can be cruel when angry but he is mostly
26:18kind and gentle he has an excellent
26:21memory and is devout one could name him
26:24among the most kind and wise rulers but
26:29for the cloud of advisors and Noble men
26:31who surround him and turn his good
26:33intentions to evil during the first
26:42years of his reign Alexei pursued many
26:44passions much of his time was spent
26:48visiting remote monasteries to perform
26:50acts of worship he also collected rare
26:55and exotic birds
26:56captain elk farm had experimented with
26:59new agricultural techniques he tried to
27:02grow melons almonds cotton and grapes
27:06but without doubt his greatest love was
27:09hunting with his Falcons
27:17the Czar owned no fewer than 3000
27:20Vulcanus each of which it was said he
27:23knew by name his household included 100
27:28Falconer Zaveri drank paid between 6 and
27:3160 rubles a year not including bonuses
27:34all were members of the Department of
27:36secret Affairs which handled the czars
27:39amusements and private business the head
27:42falconer avinasi Matus King was a
27:44Lexie's close friend the upkeep of the
27:47muse and hunting stables cost the
27:49Treasury 75 thousand rubles a year
27:52equivalent about 10 million dollars
27:55today on the road the Tsar's hunting
27:57party was more than half a mile long
28:00first came 300 stewards mounted on
28:03richly decorated horses three abreast
28:05they were followed by 300 Guardsmen in
28:08crimson caftans five abreast in five
28:12hundred armored cavalry three abreast
28:16next came forty parade horses in
28:19ornately decorated harnesses followed by
28:22the reserved carriage horses and finally
28:25bazaar himself in his English carriage
28:27accompanied by courtiers and hangers on
28:30no more than a few dozen
28:35young Alexei was enjoying himself in a
28:37manner worthy of us are he left affairs
28:40of state to his tutor Boris Morozov
28:43but the nobles jealous of Morozov
28:45influence Birds the Czar to marry since
28:48a married man had no need of a tutor but
28:53Morozov was not to be so easily at
28:55manoeuvered when the Tsar expressed his
29:01desire to marry the greatest beauties
29:04were brought to him from across Russia
29:08he picked his favorite but when she was
29:11brought to him a second time in court
29:12clothes
29:13Morozov instructed the servant to tie
29:15her headscarf so tightly that the girl
29:18quickly fainted it was declared that the
29:22girl had fainting sickness to conceal
29:24this from the Tsar was a crime
29:26her father was exiled to Siberia and her
29:29family fell from favour
29:31[Music]
29:33marah's off an elderly widower then
29:35asked the Tsar to help him pick his own
29:37bride and introduced him to the mere /ca
29:40sisters Alexei fell in love with the
29:43eldest sister Maria and married her
29:45while Marisol married Anna young enough
29:48to be his granddaughter
29:50so strengthening further his ties to
29:52Alexei
29:54[Music]
29:57Alexia's family life proved a source of
30:00great joy to him Maria was five years
30:03his senior which he proved a perfect
30:05match and ideals the Ritzer they lived
30:08together for 20 years and had 13
30:11children as ours gentle manners earned
30:17him the nickname the most quiet but his
30:22reign itself would prove anything but
30:26the clouds of war and revolt were
30:29gathering On June 1st 1648 Alexei and
30:36his court were returning to Moscow from
30:38the Trinity sand Sergius monastery when
30:41the procession reached the city gates
30:42they found the way blocked by a huge
30:45crowd the people of the city had come to
30:47present a petition to the tsar
30:49complaining of the excesses of his
30:51bureaucrats but the Tsar refused to
30:53speak to them his guards drove them away
30:56and arrested the ringleaders
31:02the next day the Czar was returning from
31:04another monastery when he was again met
31:06by a huge crowd they pushed his guards
31:09aside broke through to the Czar's coach
31:11and seize control of the horses the 19
31:15year old alexei was face to face with
31:17his subjects for the first time despite
31:22being surrounded by an angry mob he
31:24remained calm he listened to their
31:26complaints and promised to stamp out
31:28government corruption and to dismiss all
31:30bribe takers and embezzlers from office
31:35top of their list with the Tsar's old
31:37tutor Boris mazzaroth
31:40[Music]
31:44in the course of two years
31:46Morozov had amassed a huge personal
31:48fortune and made himself the second
31:50richest person in Russia as chief
31:54treasurer of the state he reduced
31:56spending by slashing the wages of all
31:57bureaucrats forcing many to accept
32:00bribes simply to survive he appointed
32:03friends and allies to offices of state
32:05but only after they paid him an enormous
32:08bribe but Mehra's offs most dangerous
32:11policy had been to raise the tax on salt
32:15salt was the universal food preservative
32:18when its price rose fourfold everyone
32:21was affected and the poorest were
32:23threatened with starvation the events
32:28that followed were reported in all the
32:29courts of Europe one account was left by
32:32a Dutch traveler to Russia thought to be
32:34a spy
32:40a crowd of people forced their way into
32:42the palace court-yard the guard sided
32:44with the people and burst into Mara
32:46sophs house they trampled everything
32:48underfoot through his belongings from
32:50the windows and ransacked the place
32:52taking all they could they shouted
32:55furiously this is our blood marah's off
32:58himself escaped into one of his
33:00Majesty's chambers and hid there
33:06there were revolts across Russia boost
33:09yog and self you got skin the
33:11north to Kursk in the south Tsar was
33:15under siege in his own palace
33:18pregnant Tsar Ritzer nearly miscarried
33:21she gave birth five months later but
33:24their first child died within the year
33:27[Music]
33:30to appease the people Tsar ordered the
33:33execution of many corrupt officials but
33:36not Maris off Alexei would not sacrifice
33:39his beloved tutor and instead exiled him
33:42to a monastery 300 miles north of Moscow
33:46in response to the salt riots the
33:48National Assembly was urgently convened
33:50within the Kremlin it advised the Tsar
33:53that only a comprehensive new legal code
33:55could restore order a special commission
33:58was established in which the Tsar
34:00himself took an active role the result
34:05was a sabor Nicola genja a legal code
34:08that sought to consolidate all the
34:09state's existing laws into a single
34:11document for the first time it would
34:14prove a cornerstone of Russian law for
34:16centuries to come
34:17codes 25 chapters and nearly thousand
34:21articles were copied and glued together
34:23into a single role 309 metres long after
34:28its approval 1,200 copies were printed
34:31and one sent to every major city the
34:35code entrenched the privileges of the
34:36nobility who became the only people
34:38legally allowed to own serfs the status
34:41of these peasants was made permanent and
34:43hereditary the suborn Yahoo lasagna was
34:46enforced for almost 200 years from 1649
34:50until 1832
34:52[Music]
34:54when the rioting finally abated Boris
34:57Morozov quietly returned from exile but
35:00his place as a Lexi's closest advisor
35:02had been taken by another the 43 year
35:05old Abbot of Nova Spassky monastery
35:07nikan nikan made a great impression on
35:13the devout Tsar soon he was ordained
35:17metropolitan Bishop of nagaraj three
35:20years later
35:21alexei appointed him patriarch head of
35:23the entire Russian Orthodox Church with
35:29the Tsar's backing the new patriarch
35:31began a large-scale reform of the
35:33Russian Church he can't believe that
35:35over the last four centuries the rituals
35:37and beliefs of his native church had
35:39become riddled with corruption and abuse
35:41and were increasingly at odds with the
35:43rites performed by the Greek Orthodox
35:45Church the morality and conduct of
35:48Russian priests and monks had also been
35:50called into question
35:53[Music]
35:58the cones reforms were intended to bring
36:01the Russian church back into line with
36:03its own early practices and those of the
36:06Greek Orthodox Church Russians were now
36:11to cross themselves using three fingers
36:13and not two they were told how many
36:15times to bow during services what
36:17musical instruments could be played in
36:19church and how to correctly spell the
36:21name Jesus Christ for a deeply
36:26conservative church such reforms were no
36:28small matter they led to sharp divisions
36:34within the church so-called old
36:37believers denounced them as heresy and
36:39continued to practice the old forms of
36:41worship in secret but ultimately it was
36:44their leader arch priest a bakhoum who
36:46would be burnt as a heretic nakhon
36:53support grew steadily until by the end
36:55of Alexie's reign his course had become
36:57impossible to resist
36:59diehard opponents remained but many more
37:02embrace the practical benefits of his
37:04reforms such as restoring discipline
37:06among the clergy and promoting education
37:09[Music]
37:14Czar Alexi had supported Nikon's reforms
37:17but the patriarchy began to overreach
37:19himself becoming involved in every
37:22aspect of government from politics to
37:24diplomacy and the conduct of military
37:26campaigns meanwhile the patriarchs
37:29enemies at court spread rumors to
37:31undermine him relations between the head
37:34of the church and the head of state
37:35reached a new low when tsar alexei
37:38failed to attend the patriarch service
37:40at the Cathedral of the Assumption it
37:47could mean only one thing
37:49patriarch Nikon had fallen from favor
37:51and could no longer count on the Tsar's
37:53support
37:54[Music]
38:04yiquan left for the new jerusalem
38:06monastery a day's journey from Moscow
38:09where he planned to await the Tsar's
38:11apology
38:14but it never came instead czar appointed
38:19a new patriarch
38:24in 1666 a great synod was held in Moscow
38:28attended by the most senior priests of
38:31the Greek and Russian Orthodox Church
38:32the synod dismissed patriarch Nikon from
38:36his post but at the same time
38:38excommunicated his great adversary arch
38:40priest avec une and upheld nikon's
38:42entire program of church reform
38:47marah's off and now nikon work on tsar
38:52alexei this passion of youth lover of
38:55falconry loving husband and father would
38:58now rule alone for the first time little
39:01did he know he was about to face one of
39:03the most turbulent periods in all of
39:05Russian history the first threat would
39:08come from the south and the Cossack
39:10renegade Stefan rosin rosin was a
39:15Cossack chief or at a man from the dawn
39:17region he had a long record of
39:19insurrection and banditry along the
39:21Volga River and around the Caspian Sea
39:23but in 1670 he aimed at nothing less
39:27than the creation of a new free state
39:29for the cossacks after he seized the
39:32towns of Zarate's in and choked asked
39:34thousands rallied to his cause
39:36government troops were eventually able
39:38to stamp out the rebellion and razzin
39:40was betrayed to the authorities by his
39:42Cossack rivals he was brought to Moscow
39:45and executed even while he struggled
39:49with church reform and Cossack rebellion
39:52tsar alexei faced war against the old
39:54enemy poland since the time of troubles
39:59commonwealth of poland and lithuania had
40:02occupied former russian lands including
40:04the important city of Smolensk
40:06[Music]
40:08while the Tsar was away with the army
40:10the dreaded news arrived that plague had
40:13broken out in Moscow the Czar's family
40:17and court were hurriedly evacuated to
40:19the monastery of Trinity Lavra of sin
40:21Sergius and the capital was quarantined
40:24by the 1670s Moscow was one of the
40:28largest cities in Europe before the
40:32epidemic its population was around 300
40:34thousand which made it about the same
40:36size as Paris Naples had a population of
40:40270,000
40:41London and Amsterdam about 200,000
40:44Venice and Antwerp about a hundred and
40:46fifty thousand Rome Genoa and Prague
40:50100,000 in five months the plague
40:55claimed 150,000 lives about half the
40:59population of Moscow bodies piled up in
41:03the streets but the army still had to be
41:07paid and the Treasury was in
41:08plague-ravaged Moscow
41:10if the epidemic spread to the troops it
41:12would be a disaster so the Tsar came up
41:15with the idea of literally laundering
41:18the money he ordered the silver coins to
41:22be washed with soap and lye for they
41:25were distributed to the troops plague
41:27never reached the army
41:31the war with Poland lasted 13 years
41:34Russians managed to win back some
41:36territory on their western border but an
41:38empty treasury forced the Czar to seek
41:40an armistice in the truce of Andrews off
41:47Russia won back Smolensk genic off and
41:51other lands lost more than 50 years ago
41:53in the Time of Troubles eastern Ukraine
41:56also became part of the Russian state to
42:02refill his Treasury tsar alexei decided
42:04to reform the currency because of the
42:07country's shortage of gold and silver he
42:09introduced a copper coin but the same
42:11value as a silver coin wages were now
42:15paid out in copper while taxes were
42:17still gathered in silver the copper
42:19coins soon began to lose much of their
42:21value but the Tsar's mints continued to
42:24produce them within five years in Moscow
42:27a single silver ruble was worth 12 or
42:30even 15 copper rubles
42:36at the end of July 1662 when the Czar
42:39was at his palace at calamansi a few
42:42miles outside Moscow posters appeared in
42:45the city calling those responsible for
42:47minting copper coins thieves and
42:50traitors people of Moscow traveled to
42:54calamansi Oya to see the Tsar when he
42:56left church he was surrounded by a huge
42:58angry crowd but Alexei kept his
43:04composure he promised the people that
43:06the issue would be resolved he even
43:09swore an oath to it the crowd began to
43:15disperse bazaars guards led him away but
43:19more protesters kept arriving from
43:21Moscow angrier and shouting insults at
43:24the Tsar for a while alexei listened to
43:27their jeers in silence troops were
43:30already moving into position when the
43:33Tsar saw that they encircled the crowd
43:35gave the order the slaughter began
43:44[Applause]
43:472,500 people were killed at calamansi
43:49Oya in just a few hours the revolt was
43:52suppressed but the copper coinage had to
43:55be withdrawn the state even offered
43:57compensation at five kopecks or 5% to
44:01the ruble czars agents interrogated and
44:06tortured suspects for months to find out
44:09who had been behind the riots 150 were
44:12hanged about 1000 were sent into exile
44:16with the letter be branded on their
44:18faces a boon Tov sheikh rebel czar
44:24Ritzer was pregnant during the copper
44:26riot as she'd been 14 years before
44:28during the salt riot it was said the
44:31shock took its toll on her later when
44:33the Surratt's are died in childbirth the
44:35baby girl died just five days later
44:39[Music]
44:48after the revolt tsar alexei became
44:51deeply suspicious he created a special
44:54section of the department of secret
44:56affairs that combined the functions of
44:58counterintelligence secret police of
45:00censorship and the prison it oversaw the
45:05work of all other state departments and
45:07was based not with them in the kremlin
45:09and at its own headquarters a few
45:11streets away at Lubyanka torture was
45:15used routinely during its interrogations
45:17it also relied on a large network of
45:20paid informers including state
45:23bureaucrats shopkeepers and innkeepers
45:26[Music]
45:29the Tsar had his own office within the
45:32department from where he increasingly
45:34handled all affairs of state the
45:37department of secret Affairs also
45:39continued to run the Tsar's household
45:41and entertainments and produce the day
45:43reports first weather reports in Russian
45:46history by the end of his reign Alexei
45:51had surrounded himself with flatterers
45:53and yes-men
45:54who competed with each other to sing the
45:56praises of their glorious monarch his
45:59public appearances became increasingly
46:01formal and magnificent with new
46:04ceremonies devised in detail by the xyp
46:07[Music]
46:09Czar recently widowed seemed set on the
46:12path towards aging despotism and
46:14ever-increasing isolation but an
46:17encounter one evening as he dined at the
46:19house of his friend Artem on matveyev
46:21turned everything on its head as per
46:26custom czars first cup was presented by
46:29the hosts young ward the 19 year old
46:32Natalia nourish kana czar was instantly
46:36captivated by her beauty and became
46:38determined to make her his wife
46:42but proper protocol had to be observed
46:45the selection of a new royal bride was
46:47announced and 74 women of great beauty
46:50were brought to Moscow for the Tsar's
46:52appraisal only one of them knew the
46:55result had already been decided
46:57[Music]
47:01Natalia Naru Chicana had won the SARS
47:03heart the selection was a mere formality
47:07[Music]
47:09wedding took place in the Kremlin in the
47:11Cathedral of the Assumption on February
47:141st 1671 a year and a half later the
47:19Newser Ritzer gave birth to a son the
47:23boy would be known to history as Peter
47:26the Great
47:34in his newfound joy tsar alexei decided
47:37to realize a long cherished dream to
47:40build russia's first professional
47:42theater the theater was built in the
47:45village of preobrazhenskaya on the
47:47outskirts of Moscow aster you and
47:50Gregory from the city's German quarter
47:52was invited to write its first play
47:54entitled the comedy of artaxerxes based
47:57on the story of Esther from the Bible
48:00all parts were played by students from
48:02the Lutheran School the first
48:06performance took place on October 30th
48:081670 to play lasted an exhausting 10
48:13hours tsar Ritzer and princesses watched
48:16from behind a screen that hid them from
48:18sight
48:19soon five more plays had been staged all
48:23based on stories from the Bible as well
48:25as the first ballet Orpheus tsar alexei
48:31was filled with a new zest for life and
48:33a horror of growing old he started to
48:38study medical textbooks and to use herbs
48:41to mix his own potions he would listen
48:43attentively to his doctors and became
48:46obsessed with bloodletting which was
48:48believed to restore the balance of the
48:49body's humors necessary for good health
48:52he strongly recommended the practice for
48:55all his courtiers it was said he
48:58sometimes let his favourite falcon make
49:00the incision as the bird
49:08in January 1676 Alexi caught a cold
49:13which he decided to treat himself but
49:16his health deteriorated rapidly and
49:19within a week his condition was without
49:21hope
49:22On January 29th Bazar received the last
49:25rites and blessed his eldest son
49:28Theodore
49:29as his heir and the next Czar of Russia
49:33[Music]
49:35he died the following night aged 46
49:42[Music]
49:48alexei romanov weathered many storms
49:51leave behind a state that was rich
49:53strong and stable his successors would
49:57build upon his legacy carrying on the
49:59work of reform and modernization none
50:02more so than his youngest son Peter the
50:05Great whose achievements would eclipse
50:07those of his father Alexei died in the
50:11prime of his life with many great
50:13ambitions unfulfilled the country felt
50:17bereaved as though it had lost a father
50:25heir to this mighty Russian state feodor
50:29alexeyevitch wasn't even able to attend
50:32his father's funeral unaided his ill
50:35health meant he had to be carried to the
50:37cathedral on a special litter looking at
50:40the sickly face beneath the Czar's fur
50:42hat some whispered a warning prepare
50:45yourselves
50:46soon the nobles will be back in charge
50:48and another Time of Troubles will be
50:51upon us
50:53[Music]
51:53year was 1674 in the private theater of
51:57tsar alexei taylor of the byzantine
52:00princess bulk area was being retold long
52:07ago she had been the elder sister of a
52:10byzantine emperor seven-year-old boy
52:12given to daydreaming
52:14[Music]
52:16so she ruled in place of her little
52:18brother and proved to be wise and fair
52:23[Music]
52:25the tale delighted its royal audience
52:27but one teenage Princess Sofia was
52:31spellbound this was her own dream
52:35brought to life on stage she had no idea
52:40where and how far that dream would lead
52:44her
52:45[Music]
53:01few years later when Zara Lexi's eldest
53:04surviving son took the throne as feared
53:07or the third house of Romanov seemed
53:09secure and stable the succession was not
53:12in dispute Lexy himself had named and
53:15blessed the door as his successor from
53:18his deathbed there was one thing though
53:24that worried the people the young Tsar
53:27had had to be carried to his coronation
53:29in a litter he could barely walk on his
53:33own
53:50as feared or ascended the throne many
53:53had called openly hinted that the young
53:55czar was not long for this world
53:59chapter 1 Theodore the third
54:02Alekseyevich heard or had suffered from
54:05chronic scurvy since childhood it led to
54:08anemia the blood disorder that left him
54:11profoundly weak it also caused his limbs
54:14to swell and led to the abnormal
54:16development of his bones and cartilage
54:18scurvy is caused by an acute deficiency
54:21of vitamin C in the 17th century it was
54:24common during Wars or long sea voyages
54:27first Romanoff's however seemed to have
54:30had a rare hereditary form of the
54:32disease because of his ill health
54:36Theodore was forced to spend much of his
54:38time indoors unable to take part in
54:41games or sport instead he developed an
54:44interest in the sciences his tutor was a
54:47philosopher and poet Simeon polotsk II
54:50and Fyodor was extremely well educated
54:53for his time
54:54young czar excelled in theology
54:57philosophy rhetoric and poetry he spoke
55:01fluent polish and read avi and in the
55:03original Latin Theodore owned a large
55:09music library sang well and was a
55:12talented composer but his greatest
55:15passion was for horse breeding when
55:22Theodore was only three he was not given
55:24a toy horse like most other
55:26three-year-olds but a real horse because
55:29he was the son of a Tsar
55:35little boy was in or for the rest of his
55:40life he would be obsessed with
55:42everything to do with horses he adores
55:46parents hoped that riding would improve
55:48the princes health but instead their
55:51worst nightmare came true one of his
55:55father's friends we are noble art Amnon
55:58Madhvi F witnessed the accident and he
56:02was 13 Fyodor decided to travel to the
56:05countryside like sledge along with his
56:07eyes and sisters he was given a hot
56:10tempered horse to pull the sledge which
56:13he mounted there were so many people in
56:16the sledge that the horse couldn't move
56:18it it reared threw the rider off and he
56:22fell under the sledge he ran over feodor
56:25alexeyevitch with all its weight and
56:27crushed his chest Fyodor survived Japan
56:33to his woes he suffered chest and back
56:35pain for the rest of his life
56:39Theodore was an enthusiastic follower of
56:41the latest European trends he wanted to
56:44be a reformer to sweep away all that was
56:47outdated and backward in Russia and
56:49bring in all the latest fashion and
56:51innovations from the West but his
56:54illness left him effectively sidelined a
56:57virtual prisoner in his own palace
57:01control of government fell into the
57:03hands of the Tsar's uncle even with a
57:05Slav ski at his family his rival Artem
57:09on map EF brilliant diplomat and sworn
57:12enemy of the Miller Slav ski clan was
57:14sent into exile under the Youngs our
57:17power once more lay with the boy our
57:19Nobles
57:21milah Slav ski dismissed the Department
57:23of secret Affairs and the Department of
57:25accounting format instruments of royal
57:28government he himself took over two key
57:31government departments the great
57:33Treasury which controlled state finance
57:35and the Department of ambassador's in
57:37charge of foreign policy as well as
57:39other minor departments other
57:41departments were distributed amongst his
57:43friends and relatives some of whom held
57:45up to half a dozen different government
57:47posts in just a few years a number of
57:52government departments increased from 42
57:54to 60 the total number of bureaucrats
57:58rose from 882 to 2762 this new bloated
58:05administration was riddled with corrupt
58:07and lazy officials many of whom owed
58:10their place at the Miller /ki family
58:22it was love at first sight on Palm
58:29Sunday during the celebration of
58:31Christ's entry into Jerusalem a solemn
58:34procession bearing icons and a crucifix
58:36crossed Red Square and entered the
58:39Kremlin Cathedral amid the crowd one
58:44girl caught the eye of the 18 year olds
58:46our she stood out less for her beauty
58:49and for her proud and noble bearing Tsar
58:54was captivated
58:58the girl was found her name was Agatha a
59:02guru shets Kea the daughter of a petty
59:04nobleman who now lived with her uncle in
59:07Moscow Theodora instructed the uncle to
59:10keep his niece safe and not allow her to
59:12marry without his permission
59:15but the Tsar's choice of bride did not
59:18suit them in a /e family they wanted him
59:21to marry a girl from their own family
59:22not the daughter of some even call
59:25foraged provincial noble fifty years
59:29later the historian Vasily tatischeff
59:32investigated the facts and reported even
59:36- laughs Sookie slandered agafia in
59:38front of the Tsar blaming the both she
59:40and her mother were known to be guilty
59:42of several obscene acts but the girl
59:46found out about this unjust accusation
59:49and when questioned by officials
59:51declared that no one should be in any
59:53doubt as to her honour and swore to it
59:56on her life
59:57[Music]
1:00:06reassured by this news
1:00:08Czar decided to pay a secret visit to
1:00:11his chosen one he took a trip through
1:00:17the hills outside Moscow so on his way
1:00:20back he could pass by Agra FIA's house
1:00:21as if by accident
1:00:23Pekka fears relatives told the girl to
1:00:26stand in the window and for the first
1:00:28time their eyes met
1:00:32[Music]
1:00:36Theodore took the first independent
1:00:39decision of his life the scheming and
1:00:42deceitful even Milla /ki was dismissed
1:00:44from court he was no longer welcome in
1:00:47the Tsar's presence to respect tradition
1:00:53a formal presentation of Bridal
1:00:56candidates was arranged for the Czar but
1:00:58everyone knew the name of the winner
1:01:00before the contest even began tsar
1:01:04candidates and the organizers but it was
1:01:07unthinkable to overlook the ancient
1:01:09custom theodore now 19 and married was
1:01:14at last recognized as having reached his
1:01:17majority and assumed the full authority
1:01:19of the tsar now he would take control of
1:01:25his own fate and push forward his own
1:01:28ideas on how russia should be governed
1:01:32[Music]
1:01:34his first act was to summon all the
1:01:36nobles of the realm the most senior
1:01:39nobles the boyars his advisers the
1:01:42oconee chief and the members of the
1:01:44council
1:01:47they were to meet at one o'clock to
1:01:49begin the work of reform beginning with
1:01:52taxation the supporters are standing
1:01:57army a variety of small taxes were
1:02:00replaced with a single new tax every
1:02:03household was now expected to pay 90
1:02:05kopeks per year the equivalent of 72
1:02:08kilograms of grain or 26 kilograms of
1:02:11beef because of the acute shortage of
1:02:14cash the Tsar sold the rights to collect
1:02:16this tax to tax farmers helping to
1:02:19quickly replenish the Treasury by 1680
1:02:24state revenues totaled more than 1.2
1:02:27million roubles customs and excise
1:02:30duties accounted for 53 percent of
1:02:32revenue direct taxation raised 44
1:02:35percent and other minor taxes accounted
1:02:38for the remainder next came a population
1:02:43census completed in 1678 it identified
1:02:485.6 million people living in russia with
1:02:51this only included taxpayers in the
1:02:52Heartland regions
1:02:53if non taxpayers were added plus those
1:02:56in new settlements on the fringes of
1:02:58Russia and across Siberia as well as the
1:03:00Cossacks the total population was
1:03:02approximately 12 million this made
1:03:06Russia one of the world's most populated
1:03:07countries and largest in terms of
1:03:10territory by the end of the Romanov
1:03:14dynasty in 1917 this population had
1:03:17grown Eightfold to 103 million
1:03:23next was boundary reform existing
1:03:26boundaries were checked and new ones
1:03:27established settling disputes over land
1:03:29ownership and fixing the boundaries of
1:03:32private estates royal estates and church
1:03:35lands next army reform most settle parts
1:03:41of Russia were divided into nine new
1:03:43military districts from now on every
1:03:45regiment was tied to one of these
1:03:47districts or stationed there and did its
1:03:49recruiting there 20 years later this
1:03:53system would be the basis for even more
1:03:55sweeping reforms by Theodore's younger
1:03:57brother eater the great that helped
1:04:02fight injustice the court of petitions
1:04:04was reopened a person of any rank or
1:04:07position could file a complaint to the
1:04:09chamber of judgment and to the Czar
1:04:11personally when Fyodor heard that some
1:04:15petitions compared the zart of God he
1:04:18was indignant he said that it was
1:04:20indecent to write such words and that if
1:04:23anybody dared to write again in that
1:04:25style he would not regard their petition
1:04:27with favor
1:04:30Tsar Feodor also reformed the Penal Code
1:04:32and abolished a range of barbaric
1:04:34punishments including the cutting off of
1:04:37hands feet and fingers prisoners who
1:04:40would have received these punishments
1:04:42were now sent to Siberia instead where
1:04:45they helped to settle and develop the
1:04:46vast empty lands that lay beyond the
1:04:49Ural Mountains Moscow a city built of
1:04:54wood used to be destroyed by fire about
1:04:56once every generation in the reign of
1:04:58Tsar Feodor large parts of the city were
1:05:01rebuilt in stone for the first time the
1:05:04State Treasury offered 10-year
1:05:05interest-free loans to pay for the work
1:05:08bazar would personally visit the site of
1:05:10fires to see the loans issued most of
1:05:13these medieval mortgages were never
1:05:15repaid but they helped to build 10,000
1:05:18new houses creating a new city of stone
1:05:22finally the system of precedence by
1:05:25which the boy our Nobles could inherit
1:05:27government posts by virtue of rank alone
1:05:29was abolished from now on appointments
1:05:33would be based on merit and the Tsar's
1:05:35judgment those as it was put whom the
1:05:39great sovereign indicates tsar solemnly
1:05:45burned the great books of rank which
1:05:47catalogued the pedigree and precedence
1:05:49of all russia's noble families in a
1:05:52great bonfire in the courtyard of his
1:05:54palace
1:05:56desire had ushered in a new age in which
1:05:59good government took precedence over the
1:06:02boyars ancient privileges
1:06:08Tsar Feodor was a man in a hurry he
1:06:12introduced polish fashion at court some
1:06:15courtiers even began to shave their
1:06:17beards encouraged the founding of
1:06:20Russia's first university based on
1:06:23European lines
1:06:24he built a fortress it is ium to guard
1:06:27the southern border against Tatar raids
1:06:29and opened the first state arms houses
1:06:33in Russian history he began work on
1:06:35reforming the courts sometimes it seemed
1:06:38his illness had deserted him but it
1:06:42never entirely left him
1:06:44Fyodor knew it was a race against time
1:06:46and there was much work to be done war
1:06:51in the south against the Ottoman Turks
1:06:53and Crimean Tatars proved costly it was
1:06:57a conflict that might have been avoided
1:06:58with the help of ottoman matveyev
1:07:00czars most experienced diplomats but for
1:07:03now he remained in exile in 1677 a
1:07:10100,000 strong crimean Turkish army
1:07:13invaded Ukraine it was met by a russian
1:07:16ukrainian army with a strength of 57,000
1:07:19men despite being outnumbered almost two
1:07:22to one they managed to repel the Turkish
1:07:24invader
1:07:26the following year a Turkish army
1:07:28200,000 strong was defeated by a Russian
1:07:31army of 120,000 the Russian generals
1:07:35were unable to capitalize on these
1:07:36victories in 1681 the Treaty of
1:07:41Manchester I was signed between Russia
1:07:42the Ottoman Empire and Crimean Khanate
1:07:47eastern Ukraine and the city of Kiev
1:07:49remained in Russian hands Anitra river
1:07:53became the new border with the ottomans
1:07:55while a buffer zone was created between
1:07:57the Nitra and boog river the war had
1:08:03exhausted the Tsar but with peace his
1:08:05health began to improve what's more his
1:08:10beloved Queen his Tsar Itza was pregnant
1:08:12with their first child baby was expected
1:08:17that summer
1:08:21but their happiness was not to last
1:08:28there were complications with the birth
1:08:31AG afiyah died three days later on July
1:08:3414 1681
1:08:36infant son outlived his mother by just
1:08:40six days Theodore was thrown into
1:08:44despair his always frail health now
1:08:47began to deteriorate with alarming speed
1:08:51[Music]
1:08:54fyodor knew he needed an air to ensure a
1:08:57peaceful succession when the time came
1:08:59and seven months later he married again
1:09:02this time his bride was a 14 year old
1:09:05girl named Martha apraxia Theodore did
1:09:09not even have the strength to stand
1:09:10during the wedding ceremony just ten
1:09:13weeks later he was dead at the age of 20
1:09:18his final decline was so rapid he didn't
1:09:22have time to leave instructions about
1:09:24his succession
1:09:37Theodore had the potential to become
1:09:39Russia's first enlightened monarch to
1:09:42lead Russia into the main current of
1:09:44European civilization he had everything
1:09:48that was required education
1:09:51determination character
1:09:54everything except health Tsar Feodor the
1:10:04third ruled Russia for just five years
1:10:06but in that time he created the basis
1:10:08for one of the strongest armies in the
1:10:10world introduced a system of social
1:10:13welfare reduced taxation expanded the
1:10:17borders of his realm transformed Moscow
1:10:20from a city of wood into a city of stone
1:10:22and laid the foundations of a secular
1:10:24system of education he approved the
1:10:27foundation of Russia's first university
1:10:29but died before he could sign the
1:10:31Charter Theodore's death paved the way
1:10:36for a power struggle between two boyer
1:10:39families Mila slovsky's relatives of
1:10:42Zara Lexi's first wife later it's a
1:10:44Maria and the nourish King's family of
1:10:47Alexis second wife Natalia
1:10:51[Music]
1:10:53milah slovsky's candidate for Tsar was
1:10:56Maria's son Prince even a 15 year old
1:10:58boy half blind and disabled the nourish
1:11:01kin supported Natalia's son Peter
1:11:03healthy and clever but only 10 years old
1:11:08an hour after Theodore's death the boy
1:11:11asked Council with the support of
1:11:12patriarch yogi declared Prince Peter to
1:11:15be the new Tsar of Russia his mother's
1:11:19family the nourish Kings seemed to have
1:11:21won the day
1:11:24for those at court it meant one boy our
1:11:26family was out and another was in but
1:11:31for one person expelled the ruin of all
1:11:34their dreams
1:11:41chapter 2 Sofia alekseevna
1:11:47Safiya alekseevna aspired to what most
1:11:50young women aspire to freedom happiness
1:11:53laughs but her fate was not that of any
1:11:57ordinary woman she was a Russian
1:12:00princess daughter of tsar alexei sister
1:12:04of the lake Fyodor in 1680 to nine
1:12:08princesses lived in the Tsar's palace
1:12:11they were color Tatyana Autopia Martha
1:12:16Sofia
1:12:17yekaterina Maria feodosia
1:12:21and Natalya none were permitted to marry
1:12:24no Russian man was of sufficient rank
1:12:27and foreigners did not share their
1:12:29Orthodox faith princesses spent their
1:12:32lives in their chambers in strict
1:12:34isolation from outsiders they only left
1:12:37the palace for church or other important
1:12:39ceremonies in their carriages they sat
1:12:42behind closed curtains and if they went
1:12:44anywhere on foot they were shielded from
1:12:46public gaze by drapes held up by their
1:12:49attendants
1:12:50they're only amusements were the swings
1:12:52of the palace park in summer sledging in
1:12:55winter and performances by the court
1:12:58musicians their lives were devoted to
1:13:01family worship and decorum princesses
1:13:06finish their education at the age of 10
1:13:08they were told to read and write
1:13:10arithmetic and theology
1:13:12Sophia begged her father to let her
1:13:14continue to study alongside her brother
1:13:17Fyodor their teacher Simeon Polotsk II
1:13:21remembered her as curious and clever and
1:13:23that she studied philosophy theology
1:13:25rhetoric polish and Latin she read
1:13:29widely and even wrote her own plays
1:13:35Sophia's heroine was poked area a 5th
1:13:38century Byzantine princess who'd ruled
1:13:41as regent for her younger brother
1:13:43it was once Safina dream for herself her
1:13:46brother Sofia door had occasionally
1:13:48listened to her advice but no more
1:13:52his death gave Sophia a long-awaited
1:13:55chance Sofia was counting on her
1:13:59disabled brother even becoming Tsar then
1:14:02she could become the Russian pool
1:14:04carrier and rule for him as regent
1:14:07but the nourish kins were about to
1:14:09thwart this plan by placing Peter not
1:14:12even on the throne so Sofia decided to
1:14:15intervene her plan centered on the
1:14:19Streltsy musketeer units that were the
1:14:22core of the Russian standing army there
1:14:25were twenty six regiments twenty-two and
1:14:27a half thousand men stationed in Moscow
1:14:30their privileges included not having to
1:14:32pay taxes and being allowed to carry out
1:14:35private business when not on active
1:14:37service a private soldier was paid
1:14:39between three and five rubles a month
1:14:41equivalent to between six hundred and
1:14:43one thousand US dollars today an officer
1:14:47was paid four times as much between
1:14:49fifteen to twenty rubles a month while a
1:14:52colonel weigh between 30 and 60 rubles
1:14:54some unscrupulous Colonels dipped into
1:14:57their soldiers wages to augment their
1:14:59own pay
1:15:01Streltsy wages were paid irregularly and
1:15:04late officers not only skimmed off some
1:15:07of their soldiers pay they sometimes
1:15:08made them work like serfs on their own
1:15:10estates streltsy had been pushed to
1:15:15breaking point situation princess Sofia
1:15:19plan to use to her advantage
1:15:24meanwhile the nourish king's most able
1:15:27supporter artem on matveyev had just
1:15:29returned to moscow from exile this news
1:15:32persuaded Saphir to act without delay
1:15:34her supporters told the Streltsy that
1:15:37the marushin said poison tsar feodor and
1:15:39strangled his son prince even at the
1:15:46insistence of patriarch yo Keem princes
1:15:49even and Peter both perfectly well was
1:15:52shown to the public but the Streltsy
1:15:54were out for blood they broke into the
1:15:58palace looking for the nourish kings and
1:16:01their supporters Prince even hid in a
1:16:03corner while Prince Peter clung to
1:16:06Ottoman matveyev Streltsy pushed the
1:16:09young Prince aside and dragged matveyev
1:16:12away
1:16:13a servant of the patriarch witnessed the
1:16:17revolt and later described the scene
1:16:20Ottoman matveyev was hacked to pieces
1:16:23boy a uri dul guru cough was dragged
1:16:26behind the gates and stabbed to death
1:16:29next day his body was also cut into
1:16:31pieces the Streltsy ransacked the
1:16:34treasury and entered the Tsar's chambers
1:16:36with weapons looking for boy our Nobles
1:16:39to kill they smashed down a door to the
1:16:41patriarchs chambers and threw his
1:16:43steward from the window where he hanged
1:16:46from the end of a rope
1:16:53[Music]
1:16:58the Streltsy revolt traumatized young
1:17:00Peter he would neither forget nor
1:17:03forgive
1:17:05[Music]
1:17:08the massacre lasted for three days the
1:17:12victims included prominent nourishing
1:17:14supporters including two of Prince
1:17:17Peters uncles - government ministers
1:17:20czars personal doctor at about 100
1:17:24others May 19th
1:17:30Streltsy demanded outstanding wages
1:17:33totaling 240 thousand rubles May 23rd
1:17:36they presented a new ultimatum to
1:17:39Prince's Yvonne and Peter should sit on
1:17:41the throne together finally on May 29th
1:17:45they made their final demand Princess
1:17:48Sofia was to become regent until Peter
1:17:51was of age Russia had its princess
1:17:55Bulgaria
1:18:07sophia was playing with fire just six
1:18:12weeks before peter had been proclaimed
1:18:14tsar and the Streltsy had sworn
1:18:16allegiance to him now they had butchered
1:18:19his close relatives and handed power to
1:18:22her princess had used armed men to clear
1:18:26her path to power she wasn't the last to
1:18:29do so in Russia which he went down in
1:18:31history as the first the new Princess
1:18:36Regent realized her position was
1:18:38extremely precarious and moved quickly
1:18:41to shore up her support first she
1:18:44ordered the payment of all outstanding
1:18:46debts to the Streltsy even melting down
1:18:49some of the Tsar's silverware to meet
1:18:51the cost then Sofia gave all the key
1:18:56posts to her allies the ambassador's
1:18:59department which handled foreign affairs
1:19:01was given to her favorite can foresee
1:19:03legal it's in streltsy Reiter cavalry
1:19:07and great treasury department's
1:19:08effectively control of the army as well
1:19:10as state finances were given to count
1:19:13even kovarsky nicknamed the windbag
1:19:17levansky a veteran general and favorite
1:19:20of the Streltsy soon realized that his
1:19:22new position gave him almost unlimited
1:19:24power the temptation he could not resist
1:19:28so began the Kovan chena the bloody
1:19:31summer of 1680 - when power in Moscow
1:19:34resided with kovarsky and his Streltsy
1:19:37troops the Russian capital had been
1:19:40occupied by its own army Princess Sophia
1:19:46had unleashed a dangerous power struggle
1:19:48that threatened to topple Russia into
1:19:50anarchy thankfully the Streltsy were not
1:19:53the only military force in Russia now
1:19:56she would turn to the nobles
1:20:02[Music]
1:20:04on the day of the Feast of the
1:20:05Transfiguration Princess Regent Saphir
1:20:08left the kremlin under the guise of
1:20:10visiting the Donskoy monastery just
1:20:12across the Moscow River but instead she
1:20:17left the city and made for the monastery
1:20:19of Trinity st. sergius where she planned
1:20:22to take refuge from the safety of the
1:20:31monastery Sofia sent letters across the
1:20:33land condemning this new strut see
1:20:36revolt and summoning all the oil Nobles
1:20:39to her aid by the end of the 17th
1:20:43century the nobleman's army or militia
1:20:46totalled fourteen and a half thousand
1:20:47men this amounted to ten percent of the
1:20:50army these men had received their lands
1:20:55in exchange for military service each
1:20:58year they were expected to turn out for
1:21:00review mounted on their own horse
1:21:02equipped with their own arms and
1:21:04accompanied by several armed serfs they
1:21:08were obligated to join the army on
1:21:10campaign whenever required main part of
1:21:15the army 77,000 men or 50 percent the so
1:21:18called regiments of the new order these
1:21:21were writer Dragoon and hasar cavalry
1:21:24units made up mostly of foreign
1:21:26mercenaries the troops now in revolt the
1:21:30Streltsy Musketeers made up 35 percent
1:21:33of the army
1:21:34[Music]
1:21:39time was running out focus on ski
1:21:44his arrogant behavior had made him many
1:21:47powerful enemies the princess Regents
1:21:56agents caught him in a tavern and
1:21:57brought him to their mistress outside
1:21:59Moscow
1:22:00[Music]
1:22:06he was pushed to his knees before the
1:22:08princess Regent read his crimes of
1:22:11treason and mutiny and beheaded his
1:22:16position as head of the Streltsy
1:22:18department we'll go to Fyodor Shukla
1:22:20Vitti
1:22:20Sophia's new favorite
1:22:33the Streltsy revolt was over Princess
1:22:37Regent returned to Moscow and took
1:22:39residence in the Kremlin with Tsar even
1:22:41while Peter regarded as the juniors are
1:22:44moved to the palace of preobrazhenskaya
1:22:52a villager preobrazhenskaya covered an
1:22:56area 22 dirtiness or 24 hectares a
1:23:00wooden Palace had been built there 20
1:23:03years earlier and was the furthest royal
1:23:05residence from the Kremlin Moscow's
1:23:08foreign quarter lay between the Kremlin
1:23:10and the palace at preobrazhenskaya the
1:23:14young Tsar Peter devoted himself to
1:23:16wargames forming the local boys into
1:23:18so-called toy regiments they would one
1:23:22day grow up to become a famous
1:23:24preobrazhensky guards regiments fragile
1:23:28balance was achieved with tsar peter and
1:23:30his mother living at their country
1:23:32palace and Sophia and Tsar Ivan living
1:23:35in the Kremlin a double throne was made
1:23:39for the joint rulers with a small window
1:23:41at the back during audiences with
1:23:44foreign ambassadors advisers whispered
1:23:46to the young Tsar's through the window
1:23:48telling them what to say Peter was
1:23:50clever but still young while it was much
1:23:53harder for his half-brother even like
1:23:55many of the children from Zara Lexi's
1:23:57first marriage even suffered from poor
1:23:59health possibly linked to scurvy leaving
1:24:02him weak and lethargic he also had some
1:24:05form of intellectual disability and was
1:24:08almost blind these severe health issues
1:24:10left him with little enthusiasm or
1:24:12interest in governing the state so
1:24:18Princess Regent Sophia ruled with the
1:24:21help of her favorite and lover Vasily
1:24:23galitsin who now bore the grand title
1:24:25guardian of the Tsar's Great Seal and
1:24:28the state's great ambassadorial affairs
1:24:33with Sophia's backing galitsin worked
1:24:36out a breath-taking program of reform
1:24:38that was a hundred and fifty years ahead
1:24:40of its time it's starting point was the
1:24:43abolition of serfdom but such radical
1:24:48ideas were impossible to realize at that
1:24:50time any attempt to free the serfs would
1:24:53have triggered a wholesale revolt of the
1:24:55nobles contemporaries called Vasily
1:25:00galitsin the great he favored
1:25:03western-style reforms spoke five
1:25:06languages fluently was a superb diplomat
1:25:08and had a great breadth of knowledge
1:25:11what's more he was said to be the most
1:25:13handsome man in Moscow sophia was
1:25:17completely in love with him and wrote to
1:25:19him almost every day in her letters she
1:25:26told him how she prayed for his good
1:25:28health and urged him not to exhaust
1:25:31himself with endless work her gratitude
1:25:34she wrote was impossible to express
1:25:37without him none of her achievements
1:25:40would have been possible galitsin urged
1:25:44Sophia to continue her brother
1:25:45Theodore's reforms but she never fully
1:25:48grasped the need for such changes what's
1:25:51more she faced stubborn opposition from
1:25:53the boy our Nobles
1:25:55[Music]
1:25:57nevertheless it was Sofia who opened
1:26:00Russia's first Institute of higher
1:26:02education the Slavonic Greek Latin
1:26:04Academy based on the Institute founded
1:26:07by Fyodor his first professors were two
1:26:10Greek brothers both of them renowned
1:26:13scholars a degree took 12 years the main
1:26:19disciplines were Greek Latin grammar
1:26:21rhetoric philosophy and theology the
1:26:27Academy was situated in the buildings of
1:26:29the Zionist Spassky monastery today it
1:26:33is the site of the Russian State
1:26:34University for the Humanities the
1:26:37Academy later spawned the Lomonosov
1:26:39Moscow State University the Russian
1:26:42Academy of Sciences and the Moscow
1:26:44theological Academy in 1686 negotiations
1:26:51began with Russia's Western neighbor the
1:26:53polish-lithuanian Commonwealth galitsin
1:26:56led a series of long and grueling
1:26:58discussions which eventually led to the
1:27:00signing of a treaty of eternal peace in
1:27:03Moscow this bound the kingdoms of
1:27:06Princess regent Sophia and Qingyuan
1:27:09sobieski an alliance and was to prove
1:27:12the crowning achievement of Russian
1:27:13foreign policy in the 17th century
1:27:17Russia's gains included the regions
1:27:19around Smolensk and China cough as well
1:27:23as parts of eastern Ukraine and the
1:27:25cities of Zaporozhye
1:27:27and Kiev the Treaty of eternal peace
1:27:31contained one additional clause Russia
1:27:34was to join the holy League military
1:27:37alliance against the Turkish Ottoman
1:27:38Empire this obliged Russia to go to war
1:27:42against the Crimean Khanate
1:27:43an ottoman ally
1:27:45but galitsin was not in favor of war and
1:27:49wanted to delay as long as possible
1:27:54despite his misgivings Saphir placed
1:27:57galitsin in charge of the army for the
1:27:59forthcoming campaign she dreamed of
1:28:02great victories that would unite Russia
1:28:04behind her and cover her beloved
1:28:06galitsin in glory no sooner had he left
1:28:09for the front and Sofia began to write
1:28:12to him in her letters she called
1:28:17galitsin by his pet name
1:28:19vasenka and worried endlessly about his
1:28:22safety it was only when she embraced him
1:28:25with her own arms she wrote that she
1:28:27would no peace again in May 1687 a
1:28:33100,000 strong Russian army joined
1:28:35forces with Don and Zaporozhye cossacks
1:28:38and advanced towards the Isthmus of
1:28:40Perico
1:28:43they found the fields had all been burnt
1:28:46leaving no food for the horses some said
1:28:50it was the Cossacks not the enemy who
1:28:52burnt the land in fear of Russia's
1:28:54growing power campaign was cut short the
1:28:59next year an even bigger
1:29:01Russian army advanced South Wars only
1:29:03battle was fought on May 15th after
1:29:05which the Tatars retreated and the
1:29:08Russians advanced America when the news
1:29:14reached Sophia in Moscow she was
1:29:16ecstatic her letters back to galitsin
1:29:18overflowed with love and adulation and
1:29:21longing for the day they would be
1:29:23reunited
1:29:25[Music]
1:29:28they're litsen however could advance no
1:29:31further in fact he was already on his
1:29:33way back to Moscow the scorched earth
1:29:36tactics of his enemy had starved his
1:29:38army of food and water leading to the
1:29:40loss of half his men even though there
1:29:43had been no major battles the campaign
1:29:46was in fact a complete disaster
1:29:55ghal it's ins role in this catastrophic
1:29:57defeat would not be forgotten later when
1:30:01he was sent into exile
1:30:02one of the main charges against him
1:30:04would be his ruinous handling of the
1:30:06Crimean campaign
1:30:16[Music]
1:30:19on the eve of the day back he suffered
1:30:22the worst blow of all the betrayal of
1:30:24his beloved
1:30:26[Music]
1:30:28while colet's him was away fighting
1:30:30Sophia had fallen for another man the
1:30:33cynical and scheming Fyodor Shak levity
1:30:36to flatter Sophia he had brought the
1:30:39famous Ukrainian artist Alexander
1:30:40Terrace image to Moscow to paint her
1:30:43portrait he depicted the princess
1:30:45wearing a regal crown sceptre in hand
1:30:48and behind her a double-headed eagle
1:30:55[Music]
1:30:56Sofia adored it she ordered the portrait
1:31:00to be engraved in copper so Coffey's
1:31:03could be printed and sent to all the
1:31:04courts of Europe by now Sofia was
1:31:12styling herself by the grace of God a
1:31:15great sovereign lady the pious tsarevna
1:31:18great princess Sofia alekseevna autocrat
1:31:22of the great little and the white
1:31:24Russia's at state ceremonies and
1:31:27ambassadorial receptions she no longer
1:31:29felt the need to stand at a respectful
1:31:31distance behind the Tsar's throne it was
1:31:36said her inspiration was the English
1:31:38Queen Elizabeth the first
1:31:44as soon as our even turned 18 Sophia
1:31:48arranged his marriage to the 20 year old
1:31:50Roscoe via saltykova Sophia was counting
1:31:55on the birth of a male heir to cement
1:31:57the Millis laughs key branch of the
1:31:59Romanov dynasty in power rival Naru shin
1:32:03branch had of course had the same idea
1:32:05Peter was not quite 17 when his mother
1:32:08the Dowager Sorensen Natalya married him
1:32:11off to the 19 year old year takia la
1:32:13pagina she was neither clever nor
1:32:16educated but healthy the outcome of
1:32:19these marriages would shape the future
1:32:21of the Romanov dynasty for generations
1:32:24to come
1:32:24[Music]
1:32:26Yvonne inpress kavya had five daughters
1:32:29but only three survived infancy
1:32:31yekaterina Anna Empress Kavya and her
1:32:35later became Empress of Russia the
1:32:38Catarina's daughter anna leopoldovna
1:32:41who came region for the young even the
1:32:42sixth but he was the last male of the
1:32:45Romanoff Millis laughs keyline Peter and
1:32:48Yaya Kia had three sons but only the
1:32:51eldest Alexei built his son became
1:32:54Emperor Peter the second but he was the
1:32:56last mayor of the romanovna Ruskin line
1:33:01on May 30th 1689 tsar peter came of age
1:33:06Sophia was now supposed to step down as
1:33:08regent but she had no intention of
1:33:11giving up power instead Sackler VT began
1:33:14spreading false rumors amongst the
1:33:17Streltsy regiments claiming that the
1:33:19nourish Kings planned to assassinate
1:33:21Sophia and Tsar even and send the
1:33:24Streltsy away to garrison remote
1:33:26fortresses
1:33:30the Streltsy were unhappy but would not
1:33:33risk open revolt then chat levity let it
1:33:36be known that those who joined his
1:33:38conspiracy would be paid two rubles for
1:33:41each private 10 for each officer 100 for
1:33:44each colonel plus the right to plunder
1:33:47the houses of their victims Moscow was
1:33:51on a knife edge on the night of August
1:33:547th loyal streltsy officers arrived at
1:33:57peter's palace they told him that check
1:33:59Levite II was planning to use the
1:34:01Streltsy to murder Peter and his family
1:34:04he's our reacted with horror and outrage
1:34:07before fleeing to safety he wrote a
1:34:10letter to even his brother and joint
1:34:12ruler our sister Princess Sofia runs our
1:34:17country as she wills bandits like
1:34:19Chantal of VT and his friends plan to
1:34:21murder us and our mothers now brothers
1:34:24are we shall rule our country on our own
1:34:27since we are both men our sister has
1:34:30nothing more to do it it is shameful
1:34:32czar to be men
1:34:34to have someone else rule in our place
1:34:44that evening princess Sofia received a
1:34:47report that Peters Palace said
1:34:49preobrazhenskaya was empty
1:34:50Tsar Peter his mother pregnant wife and
1:34:54entire court had left for the monastery
1:34:57of Trinity sent Sergius his so-called
1:35:00toy regiments now composed of young men
1:35:02followed him there together with one
1:35:05loyal Streltsy regiment
1:35:08rumors began to fly around Moscow
1:35:11everyone was on edge but quickly the
1:35:14mood began to turn against Sofia August
1:35:2413th
1:35:25Sofia sent an emissary to Peter foyer
1:35:28even throw you off the young Tsar would
1:35:31not negotiate August 16th
1:35:34booyah Peter preserve ski visited the
1:35:37monastery with the same result August
1:35:4020th
1:35:41Sofia begged patriarch yo Akeem to visit
1:35:44Peter he went but did not return he
1:35:48stayed with Peter boyars officials and
1:35:51even Streltsy began to flock to Peter's
1:35:53rival court August 27th Sofia left to
1:35:59negotiate with her brother in person she
1:36:01realized that she shouldn't that her
1:36:03humiliation would likely be in vain but
1:36:06she could not simply sit and wait six
1:36:11miles from the monastery near the spot
1:36:13where she had had the Streltsy leader
1:36:15kovarsky executed seven years before he
1:36:17was meant by Toria cooled off her own
1:36:20emissary from just two weeks ago he
1:36:24handed her Peter's order to turn back
1:36:29[Music]
1:36:30August 31st Sofia returned to the
1:36:34Kremlin where she gathered the Streltsy
1:36:36in the square she told them that Peters
1:36:39advisors sought to divide them by
1:36:41inventing plots against Peters life but
1:36:44that she was confident of their loyalty
1:36:45to her her speech made little impact
1:36:51only loyal Schack levity remained by her
1:36:55side September 4th foreign regiments
1:37:01under General Gordon went over to Peters
1:37:03side September 6 streltsy arrests in
1:37:08feodosia cavite and took him to Peter
1:37:11for sentencing
1:37:20[Music]
1:37:23September 7th a Sealy galitsin came to
1:37:26see Peter the Czar refused to meet him
1:37:29and sent him into exile September 8th
1:37:32the title of Tsarevna royal princess was
1:37:35officially stripped from Sofia September
1:37:389th
1:37:39Troy Haku Roth informs a fear of the
1:37:41Tsar's well she was to enter the
1:37:43monastery of Nova Davichi and remain
1:37:45there for the rest of her life
1:37:49September 12th shack Lafitte II was
1:37:52beheaded by the main road and side the
1:37:55Trinity monastry October 16th czars
1:38:01Court boyars and army returned to Moscow
1:38:03and Peter the first took up the reins of
1:38:06government his elder brother even the
1:38:09fifth remained joint ruler taking part
1:38:11in ceremonies and his strength allowed
1:38:14but his health continued to decline soon
1:38:18even found it difficult to walk and was
1:38:20almost completely blind he died seven
1:38:23years later on February the 8th 1696
1:38:26aged just 29 Princess Sophia lived under
1:38:34guard in a tower of the Nova deechi
1:38:36monastery she received food from the
1:38:39Tsar's table as well as an allowance of
1:38:41two thousand six hundred rubles a year
1:38:43the same as the other royal princesses a
1:38:46small staff of servants lived with her
1:38:48an old nanny few Clark's and nine maids
1:38:55for nine years
1:38:57Sophia lived quietly in the monastery
1:38:59reflecting on her years of power and the
1:39:02fate of her two lovers one executed the
1:39:05other exile to the north but she also
1:39:08continued to intrigue exchanging secret
1:39:11letters with her supporters
1:39:14from June 16 98 Peter was in Holland
1:39:18learning to build ships in the back home
1:39:21poor treatment led 4000 streltsy to kill
1:39:24their officers and march on Moscow
1:39:26intending to restore Saphir to the
1:39:29throne they were met by government
1:39:33troops the preobrazhenskiy regiment
1:39:35seminoff ski regiment the LeFort off
1:39:38regiment the foreign regiment under
1:39:40general gordon and the nobles militia
1:39:42under general Shan the Streltsy were
1:39:45defeated at New Jerusalem 30 miles from
1:39:48Moscow and reprisals began general Shan
1:39:53conducted the initial investigation he
1:39:56had a hundred and thirty struts he
1:39:57hanged 140 whipped and sent into exile
1:40:01and 1960 banished to remote regions but
1:40:07in August Peter returned to Moscow and
1:40:09renewed the investigation he had another
1:40:122000 strout's he executed and 600 more
1:40:16flogged and branded streltsy corpses
1:40:19were hung from the walls of the Kremlin
1:40:20and Sophia's residence the Nova Davichi
1:40:23monastery Streltsy property was
1:40:27plundered and even the 16 regiments that
1:40:29didn't take part in the revolt were
1:40:31disbanded
1:40:45Princess Sofia was forced to take the
1:40:47veil under the name of Susanna boyars
1:40:50close to her were interrogated and then
1:40:53banished a distant monasteries her
1:40:55allowance was slashed a staff changed
1:40:58and security tightened the bodies of
1:41:05three Streltsy hung by the window of her
1:41:08cell for five months
1:41:12[Music]
1:41:25once she had struck terror at court won
1:41:29the favor of any man she wanted held the
1:41:31power to invoke and quell revolts waged
1:41:34Wars and concluded brilliant peace
1:41:37treaties she dreamed of becoming a real
1:41:39ruler like the Byzantine princess
1:41:42Bulgaria whose tale had captivated her
1:41:44as a child she had defied all the odds
1:41:48to make her dream a reality
1:41:50becoming the first Russian princess to
1:41:52escape her secluded existence the first
1:41:55to live life and wield power but in the
1:41:59end her downfall was complete for seven
1:42:03years of rule
1:42:04she spent 15 years in a monastery cell
1:42:10she died in 1704 aged 46 and was buried
1:42:15in the cemetery of the novodevichy
1:42:17monastery by the time of her death great
1:42:22changes were sweeping over the country
1:42:24she had once ruled changes that would
1:42:27transform Russia forever the history of
1:42:33the old Russian state was at an end the
1:42:37history of a new Russian Empire was
1:42:40beginning
1:42:45[Music]
1:43:07[Music]
1:43:51Peter Tsar of Russia was exploring the
1:43:55boat sheds when he discovered a type of
1:43:58boat he'd never seen before
1:44:04he asked the bunt right who had built
1:44:07this remarkable craft he was told it was
1:44:10an English boat its construction allowed
1:44:13it to sail into the wind as well as away
1:44:16from it
1:44:19Peter was amazed
1:44:27all his victories were to defy tradition
1:44:31expectation common sense and sometimes
1:44:34even the laws of physics the spirit of
1:44:38his reign was summed up with the words
1:44:40inscribed on his medals even the
1:44:44impossible is possible
1:44:57Peter was 10 years old when he first
1:44:59came face-to-face with a violent mob
1:45:02rebels from the Streltsy infantry
1:45:05regiments dragged away his friends and
1:45:07relatives and butchered them like cattle
1:45:10the trauma caused Peter to suffer from
1:45:12convulsions for the rest of his life no
1:45:16one could have guessed that this
1:45:17terrified boy would one day sweep away
1:45:20the old Russia and build a new one in
1:45:23its place
1:45:26chapter 1 Peter the first Alekseyevich
1:45:30Peter was the youngest son of tsar
1:45:33alexei the first and not expected to
1:45:35inherit the throne alexei died when
1:45:38peter was just four and was succeeded by
1:45:41his eldest son theodore the third but
1:45:44when Fyodor died just six years later
1:45:46the nobles decided ten-year old Peter
1:45:49would succeed him by passing the middle
1:45:51brother fifteen year old even was
1:45:54severely disabled after a revolt by the
1:45:58Streltsy regiments real power fell into
1:46:00the hands of their ambitious sister
1:46:02Sofia who ruled as Princess Regent
1:46:08Peter and his mother the dowager's are
1:46:10Ritzer Natalia was sent to live on the
1:46:12Preobrazhensky estate on the outskirts
1:46:14of Moscow there Peter formed all the
1:46:18boys his own age into a toy regiment for
1:46:21his elaborate war games young Tsar was
1:46:28obsessed with war not just with armies
1:46:30but navies too he took his toy regiment
1:46:34to Lake Loschiavo 80 miles north of
1:46:36Moscow where they learned to build and
1:46:38sail boats and experiment with naval
1:46:40tactics
1:46:50[Music]
1:46:52ZAF heater was remarkable in many ways
1:46:55but most obviously in physical stature
1:46:58at 6 foot 7 or 204 centimeters
1:47:02he towered nearly half a meter over most
1:47:04of his contemporaries what's more his
1:47:07gigantic body had unusual proportions
1:47:10he had very long arms with massive hands
1:47:13but small feet narrow shoulders and a
1:47:16small head his face was handsome but
1:47:22became contorted when he was worried or
1:47:24anxious the legacy of his childhood
1:47:26traumas with his life pita was filled
1:47:31with inexhaustible energy he could
1:47:33barely stand still and was always
1:47:35looking for some exciting activity to
1:47:37throw himself into unlike his older
1:47:41brothers who didn't get expert tutors he
1:47:44didn't even finish his education and
1:47:46made spelling mistakes his entire life
1:47:49and his mother Tsaritsa Natalia received
1:47:53her Restless son's letters from Lake
1:47:54Viejo they made her both laugh and cry
1:47:58this is a letter for my dearest mother
1:48:01czar Itza and great Duchess Natalia
1:48:04Carol Avila from her boy petrushka who
1:48:07is working constantly thanks to your
1:48:11prayers were all well the lake is no
1:48:15longer covered with ice and all the
1:48:17boats are being repaired
1:48:18we need rope though I beg you to send me
1:48:23700 fathoms of rope and we'll be able to
1:48:26proceed
1:48:28with that I ask for your blessing
1:48:38Peter was fascinated by everything to do
1:48:41with craftsmanship by the age of 18 he
1:48:44knew smithing carpentry wood turning and
1:48:47shoe making he'd studied military
1:48:50science fortification and shipbuilding
1:48:53and learned German by speaking to men
1:48:55from the foreign quarter this was an
1:48:59area of Moscow set aside for foreigners
1:49:01established in 1652 when Peter's father
1:49:04Tsar Alexei ordered all non Orthodox
1:49:07Christians to move to a new settlement
1:49:09outside the city the new foreign quarter
1:49:12was built just outside the walls along
1:49:14the Yauza River it was self governed and
1:49:17home to Europeans of all nationalities
1:49:19most were military men doctors or
1:49:22craftsmen all seeking professional
1:49:24opportunities in Russia
1:49:42the foreign quarter was just a few miles
1:49:44from Peter's palace at preobrazhenskaya
1:49:48everyday he saw the spires of its
1:49:50Lutheran churches and heard the sounds
1:49:52of bustling activity from within its
1:49:54walls unable to contain his curiosity
1:49:57any longer about how these Europeans
1:49:59lived he decided to pay a visit he would
1:50:05soon make himself at home
1:50:08[Music]
1:50:13[Music]
1:50:23the Swiss soldier Franz LeFort was an
1:50:26experienced officer handsome capable and
1:50:29well-connected he was also a society
1:50:32host of some note and Tsar Peter became
1:50:35a regular guest at his house
1:50:39France LeFort soon joined the Tsar's
1:50:41inner circle
1:50:42becoming one of Peters most trusted
1:50:44friends and advisors he also introduced
1:50:47Peter to his servant Alexander Menshikov
1:50:50destined to become another of the Tsar's
1:50:52closest confidants and then there was an
1:50:56amongst the daughter of a dutch wine
1:50:58merchant who soon became peter's lover
1:51:03Peter became a regular visitor to the
1:51:06foreign Quarter learning to speak German
1:51:08and Dutch dancing with girls drinking
1:51:11wine and smoking his pipe naturally when
1:51:14his mother found out she was horrified
1:51:18in the hope of encouraging him to settle
1:51:21down
1:51:22she decided Peter should get married his
1:51:24bride was the 19 year old give Doki aloo
1:51:27patina
1:51:27she seemed an ideal match Oh beautiful
1:51:31sensible and extremely pious but just
1:51:35two months after the wedding the new
1:51:37husband left for Lake pleasure a vow
1:51:45meanwhile unrest was brewing in Moscow
1:51:48Princess Regent Sofia was refusing to
1:51:51relinquish power and her agents were
1:51:54trying to incite Streltsy troops to
1:51:56murder Peter and his family at
1:51:58preobrazhenskaya when loyal Streltsy
1:52:03officers arrived one hot August night to
1:52:05warn him of the plot against his life
1:52:06Peter lost his nerve he ran out into the
1:52:12courtyard wearing only his nightshirt
1:52:13mounted a horse and rode off into the
1:52:16forest on his own the next morning it
1:52:23emerged he'd ridden to the monastery of
1:52:24Trinity sent Sergius he sent word for
1:52:27his family his court and all boil troops
1:52:30to join him there nobles and Generals
1:52:35sick of Sophia's rule sided with Peter
1:52:40sophia was banished to a monastery and
1:52:43peter took power
1:52:45[Music]
1:52:47his first challenge was war Russia had
1:52:54recently agreed to join Poland and
1:52:56Austria as a member of the Holy League
1:52:58an alliance of Christian states fighting
1:53:01the Muslim Ottoman Empire their ultimate
1:53:03goal was to capture the Ottoman capital
1:53:05Constantinople Sophia had waged two wars
1:53:10against the Ottomans ally
1:53:11the Crimean Khanate in 1695 Peter
1:53:15decided to attack the Ottomans
1:53:17themselves targeting the fortress of ass
1:53:19off which blocked Russia's access from
1:53:21the Don River to the Sea of Azov Peter
1:53:24would fulfill his obligation to the Holy
1:53:26League while winning a strategic port
1:53:29for Russia for the first time the
1:53:35Russian army moved not by land but by
1:53:38river traveling down the Volga and Dawn
1:53:41on specially constructed barges Peter
1:53:44himself held the rank of senior
1:53:46artillery officer and was the Army's
1:53:48chief gunner at first it all seemed just
1:53:51a grander version of his wargames and
1:53:53mock battles but not for long
1:53:57two attempts to storm the fortress were
1:54:00repulsed and Peter was forced to order a
1:54:02retreat
1:54:10all winter new vessels were built and
1:54:13launched from Voronezh in the dawn's
1:54:15upper reaches by spring of sixty ninety
1:54:18six the first Russian fleet consisting
1:54:21of two large warships 23 all powered
1:54:24galleys and one and a half thousand
1:54:26smaller vessels sailed down the dawn to
1:54:28as off the fortress was now besieged not
1:54:31just from land but from sea as well
1:54:38within a month this combined assault
1:54:40forced the Turks to surrender the
1:54:42fortress the Russians also won their
1:54:45first naval victory defeating an ottoman
1:54:47fleet that attempted to break the siege
1:54:51Peter returned to Moscow in triumph but
1:54:55he needed allies to continue his war
1:54:57against the Ottoman Empire he formed a
1:55:00ground embassy to travel to Europe which
1:55:03he would accompany himself traveling
1:55:05incognito under the name Peter mikhaylov
1:55:10Peter appointed his head steward Fyodor
1:55:13Ramadan offski to take over his duties
1:55:15in Moscow inferring on him jokingly the
1:55:19title Prince Caesar he was entrusted
1:55:22with the care of the Tsar's family Czar
1:55:24it'sa yebda Kea and this six year old
1:55:27son Prince Alexei Peter's actions were
1:55:31with that precedent the court was
1:55:33horrified but no one dared to object
1:55:36many years later the engineer and Rana
1:55:39Tov
1:55:39described the reaction in his memoirs
1:55:44who ever heard or read of a ruler who
1:55:47having taken the throne left behind his
1:55:50crown and scepter entrusted rule to one
1:55:53of his nobles and left to wander through
1:55:56strange lands it was completely unheard
1:55:59of but this is what happened in Russia
1:56:09at last bazaar got to see the world that
1:56:12he had read and dreamed about since his
1:56:14youth Europe fascinated Peter not so
1:56:18much the art or the music which rather
1:56:20bored him but everything to do with
1:56:22science technology and industry and he
1:56:26wanted to try everything with his own
1:56:28hands in the netherlands peter mikhaylov
1:56:34got a job as a carpenter in a shipyard
1:56:36to learn how the dutch build their ships
1:56:39in england he also visited the docks to
1:56:42study shipbuilding foreigners didn't
1:56:45know what to make of him this strange
1:56:47gangly Russian who wanted to go
1:56:49everywhere see everything and tried for
1:56:52himself
1:56:55[Music]
1:56:57he was curious about everything how
1:57:00whales were hunted how the sick were
1:57:03treated how paper was made wherever he
1:57:06went he tried to persuade specialists to
1:57:08move to Russia to share their expertise
1:57:10with his people
1:57:11some even agreed but Peters main goal to
1:57:17find allies for his war against the
1:57:18Turks failed Europe's great powers were
1:57:22too busy preparing for their own war to
1:57:24settle the issue of Spanish Succession
1:57:26no one had time for an alliance with
1:57:28far-off Russia but in Poland Peter did
1:57:35manage to find an ally to fight Sweden
1:57:37his northern rifle augustus king of the
1:57:41Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and
1:57:42elector of Saxony was said to be the
1:57:45strongest man in Europe when the two
1:57:50rulers met they agreed to dine together
1:57:54one observer later recalled that when
1:57:56King Augustus saw that a silver dish on
1:57:59the table wasn't clean he picked it up
1:58:01and rolled it into a tube with his bare
1:58:03hands Tsar Peter thinking the Polish
1:58:07King was trying to intimidate him picked
1:58:10up another silver plate and did exactly
1:58:12the same
1:58:13[Music]
1:58:17the two rulers began picking up and
1:58:20bending all the dishes within reach as
1:58:24they sat down laughing sarpy to joked
1:58:26brother Augustus we been silver fairly
1:58:30but it will be much harder work to bend
1:58:32Swedish iron Peter hoped that a
1:58:39victorious war against Sweden would
1:58:41allow Russia to reclaim former
1:58:43territories in the Baltic particularly
1:58:45the Eastern Shore of the Gulf of Finland
1:58:47this would give Russia access to the
1:58:50Baltic and a sea route to Europe but
1:58:55Peters festivities were interrupted by
1:58:58bad news from home in the summer of 1698
1:59:06the Streltsy troops whose revolted so
1:59:09scarred him as a child rebelled once
1:59:11more
1:59:18[Music]
1:59:21rebel regiments were now marching on the
1:59:24capital to Moscow they declared will
1:59:28destroy the foreign quarter and beat the
1:59:31foreigners who reject our Orthodox faith
1:59:33from Moscow come hell or high water for
1:59:36we have a higher purpose we will keep
1:59:39the Tsar out of Moscow and kill him for
1:59:41his faith in these foreigners
1:59:44[Applause]
1:59:47Peter traveled 300 miles in four weeks
1:59:50to reach Moscow but by the time he
1:59:52arrived his deputy Fyodor abaddon offski
1:59:55had defeated the rebels and began
1:59:57dealing with the ringleaders a hundred
2:00:01and thirty Streltsy were executed 150
2:00:04more flogged and exiled to Siberia but
2:00:07it was not enough for Peter
2:00:09he ordered new interrogations and more
2:00:11torture some of which he attended
2:00:14personally a public mass execution was
2:00:18arranged in Moscow 800 Streltsy were
2:00:21beheaded in Red Square hundreds more
2:00:24were hanged from the walls of the
2:00:25Kremlin Peter beheaded five rebels
2:00:29himself noblemen and foreign diplomats
2:00:32witnessed the bloodbath around 2,000
2:00:35strumsy were executed in total 800
2:00:38flogged and sent to Siberia
2:00:44strengths II was now a word that Peter
2:00:47equated only with anarchy and revolt
2:00:49after the executions he decided to make
2:00:52some changes both in his own life and
2:00:55his kingdom he forced his unloved wife
2:01:00yebda kiya to become a nun and entrusted
2:01:03the care of their eight-year-old son
2:01:04Alexei to his sister Natalia Peter began
2:01:09to live openly with his Dutch lover and
2:01:11Aman's the conservative Russian nobility
2:01:14was shocked the Peter didn't care
2:01:26then Peter made it compulsory for all
2:01:29nobles and townsman to shave their
2:01:31beards off and wear european-style
2:01:33clothes the only people allowed to keep
2:01:36their beards were peasants priests of
2:01:38the Orthodox Church and those who paid a
2:01:40hefty beard tax a beard permit costs 600
2:01:46rubles a year for a nobleman worth about
2:01:48a hundred thousand dollars today and 30
2:01:52rubles for a servant or five thousand
2:01:55dollars today Peter also forced his
2:01:59court to adopt European customs wives
2:02:02and daughters had to wear European
2:02:04dresses everyone had to know how to
2:02:06dance and make polite conversation
2:02:09courtiers had to brush their teeth every
2:02:11morning drink coffee
2:02:13shun traditional Russian food like
2:02:15pickled cabbage and eat more Dutch
2:02:17dishes Peter reformed the calendar so
2:02:22that years were no longer counted from
2:02:24the date of creation but from the birth
2:02:26of Christ like the rest of Europe
2:02:29overnight yes 7208 became 1700 a new
2:02:36year was moved from September the 1st to
2:02:38January the 1st in honor of the occasion
2:02:42the Tsar instructed his people to
2:02:45decorate fir trees entertain their
2:02:47children and go sledging adults he
2:02:51instructed were not to drink and fight
2:02:53there were enough days of the year for
2:02:56that already
2:03:00the first New Year festivities led to a
2:03:03huge fire that almost burned down Moscow
2:03:06Peter was not concerned he didn't care
2:03:09much for old Moscow besides he was
2:03:12preoccupied with preparations for his
2:03:14war against Sweden a secret alliance
2:03:19with the polish king or Gustus a second
2:03:21and the King of Denmark and Norway
2:03:23Frederick the fourth had now been signed
2:03:26both Kings looked on czar Peter as the
2:03:29junior partner their adversary was the
2:03:3218-year old King Karl the 12th of Sweden
2:03:34a lover of hunting and parades who no
2:03:37one took seriously in the spring of 1700
2:03:43ruler of the Polish Lithuanian
2:03:44Commonwealth launched an offensive in
2:03:46the Baltic and laid siege to the Swedish
2:03:49held city of Riga but for the King of
2:03:53Denmark the war quickly took a
2:03:55disastrous turn when the Swedish fleet
2:03:57appeared unexpectedly outside Copenhagen
2:04:00unable to defend his capital the Danish
2:04:03King was forced to make peace with
2:04:05Sweden soon Augustus was forced to
2:04:09withdraw from Riga leaving Peter with
2:04:13his ill-trained forces to face the
2:04:15greatest army in Europe alone
2:04:22[Music]
2:04:25Russian troops were besieging nava on
2:04:28the Baltic coast but they didn't have
2:04:30enough artillery to break down its walls
2:04:32after two weeks the main Swedish army
2:04:36began to close in as it approached Peter
2:04:40appointed the Juke tu crois as
2:04:42commander-in-chief and left for Novgorod
2:04:47he was not there to see the outnumbered
2:04:50Swedish infantry attacked through the
2:04:52blizzard and inflict a crushing defeat
2:04:56on the Russian army he didn't see the
2:05:02surrender of his hired foreign officers
2:05:04or the moment his men cast their banners
2:05:07at the feet of the Swedish King Peter
2:05:11had lost one army now he had to forge a
2:05:15new one
2:05:16[Music]
2:05:17his military reforms would create
2:05:20Russia's first Regular Army a
2:05:22professional force made up of full-time
2:05:24conscript soldiers military service was
2:05:28required from all nobles and peasants
2:05:29were expected to send one man from every
2:05:3220 households who served for life troops
2:05:37were rigorously trained in drill while
2:05:40Peters toy regiment formed the basis for
2:05:42two new elite units the prayer regen ski
2:05:46guards and seminoff ski guards soldiers
2:05:49also received new weapons repairs and
2:05:52flintlock muskets instead of the old our
2:05:54key buses in ten years the Russian army
2:05:57was expanded to a strength of two
2:05:59hundred thousand men supported by a
2:06:02force of 100,000 Cossack cavalry Peter
2:06:07had created the largest and most modern
2:06:09army in Russian history
2:06:15after the catastrophe at Nava Peter
2:06:17needed to replenish the Treasury quickly
2:06:19he reduced the amount of silver in the
2:06:22coins providing more cash in the short
2:06:24term but devaluing the currency driving
2:06:27prices up he was pushing the country to
2:06:31the edge of another rebellion he was
2:06:34making people dress up like heretics
2:06:36forcing them to cut off their beards and
2:06:38now forcing them to pay for his
2:06:40disastrous war were rumors that bizarre
2:06:46who'd returned from abroad was a
2:06:48different man
2:06:49the real Tsar it was said was in prison
2:06:52far across the sea others openly called
2:06:55him the Antichrist Peter didn't care
2:07:00instead he ordered church bells to be
2:07:02taken down and melted into cabin
2:07:08ETA's draconian taxes were bleeding
2:07:11Russia dry and triggering riots and
2:07:14revolts across the land but the money
2:07:17paid for two large warships the
2:07:20beginning of the Russian Baltic Fleet
2:07:21and allowed him to open foundries in the
2:07:24Urals that was soon supplying the army
2:07:26and navy with modern cannon the
2:07:32introduction of modern artillery
2:07:34combined with the effect of reforms and
2:07:36spending increases soon brought results
2:07:39Russia could now wage war against Sweden
2:07:42as an equal victories followed with the
2:07:46Russian army capturing the fortresses of
2:07:47notre berg mean chance nava and marian
2:07:51blog
2:07:54on the eve of this last victory the Tsar
2:07:57received bitter news his mistress Anna
2:08:00Mons who'd lived with him like a wife
2:08:02for 10 years had been cheating on him
2:08:05the passion of their youth was long gone
2:08:08but her betrayal was still painful to
2:08:10Peter
2:08:18his loyal friend and associate Prince
2:08:20Menshikov helped desire to overcome his
2:08:22heartbreak by finding him a new mistress
2:08:25the beautiful and charming
2:08:28Martis Gavron skier recently liberated
2:08:31by Russian forces from the fortress city
2:08:33of Marienberg martyr turned out to be
2:08:40the woman that Peter needed in his life
2:08:42two years later he brought her to
2:08:44preobrazhenskaya as his bride where she
2:08:47converted to orthodoxy and took the name
2:08:49Catherine alexeyevna this kind and
2:08:53gentle woman who had once served as a
2:08:55housemaid and remained illiterate all
2:08:57her life would bear Peter 11 children
2:08:59and in time be crowned Empress of Russia
2:09:03for now the great northern war ground on
2:09:09an hare island where the river neva
2:09:12flows into the Gulf of Finland the
2:09:15Russians began to build a fort with six
2:09:17fast ian's named the Peter and Paul
2:09:20Fortress it guarded the first Russian
2:09:23port on the Baltic Sea
2:09:29this was destined to be the site of a
2:09:32new Russian capital st. Petersburg in
2:09:37six months the first foreign ship would
2:09:40arrive at the port three years later the
2:09:45first warships would be launched from
2:09:47the city's Admiralty shipyard peter's
2:09:52dream of dominating the Baltic Sea was
2:09:55within reach
2:09:59the construction of the Czar's new
2:10:01capital was beset with difficulties and
2:10:04needless to say hugely expensive first
2:10:07the marshes had to be drained then
2:10:10numerous dams and dikes put in place to
2:10:12protect the land from flooding it took
2:10:1520,000 logs to build just one dike today
2:10:19it would take 20 freight trains to
2:10:21deliver this much timber each year
2:10:2740,000 laborers arrived to help build
2:10:29the new city and for the first time the
2:10:32czar authorized the use of thousands of
2:10:34Christmas as convict labour they were
2:10:37formed into labor battalions working for
2:10:39up to 15 hours a day and even
2:10:42around-the-clock during the white nights
2:10:44of summer in 15 years these brutal
2:10:47conditions would claim the lives of an
2:10:49estimated 100,000 workers Europe paid
2:10:53little attention to Peters victories all
2:10:56they saw was a greedy tsar of the
2:10:58Muscovites
2:10:59seizing a piece of boggy shoreline and
2:11:01hurriedly settling in there they were
2:11:05much more interested in his enemy Carl
2:11:08the 12th of Sweden waging war in the
2:11:10heart of Europe against the Polish King
2:11:12Augustus in 1706 Carl defeated August's
2:11:17forced him to give up his throne and
2:11:19then turned on Russia two armies met on
2:11:24June 27th 1709 four miles outside
2:11:28Poltava
2:11:29[Music]
2:11:31both monarchs led their armies in person
2:11:35in the eve of battle Carl addressed his
2:11:38troops he promised them that the next
2:11:41day they'd eat at the table of the Tsar
2:11:43of Russia he's prepared many dishes for
2:11:48us go where glory calls czar Peter also
2:11:54spoke to his troops soldiers a time has
2:11:58come that will decide the fate of our
2:12:00motherland do not think you are fighting
2:12:03for Peter you are fighting for the state
2:12:05he is entrusted with for your families
2:12:08your motherland for our Orthodox Church
2:12:11the Swedish army at Poltava had a
2:12:16strength of 8,000 infantry 8000 cavalry
2:12:19and just four cannon the Russian army
2:12:22consisted of 25,000 infantry 9,000
2:12:25cavalry and 73 cannon the battle raged
2:12:30for 10 hours and ended in a brilliant
2:12:32victory for the Russian army Russian
2:12:35losses were 1,300 men killed and 3,300
2:12:38wounded
2:12:39the Swedes suffered 8,000 casualties
2:12:41almost twice as many as the Russians
2:12:43while 4,000 were taken prisoner and
2:12:4617,000 more lost during the retreat the
2:12:53Battle of Poltava ended 100 years of
2:12:55Swedish military dominance in Europe
2:12:57though Kyle remained a threat as long as
2:12:59he still commanded a powerful navy the
2:13:02rest of Europe however was forced to
2:13:04recognize that Russia long regarded as
2:13:08wild and backward was now a force to be
2:13:11reckoned with
2:13:12[Music]
2:13:19Peter had turned his back on Moscow its
2:13:23onion domes winding streets and apple
2:13:26orchards his favorite place in the whole
2:13:28world was now st. Petersburg Peter
2:13:35described these boggy windswept islands
2:13:38as paradise he liked to oversee as much
2:13:41of the work as possible himself
2:13:43including the construction of the summer
2:13:45palace inspired by the stately homes and
2:13:48Gardens he'd visited in Europe everyday
2:13:54Peter spent here was a happy one as he
2:13:57watched his new capital rise up around
2:13:59him
2:14:06the order that every cart entering the
2:14:08city had to bring three large stones
2:14:11with it
2:14:11weighing not less than five pounds these
2:14:15were used to turn streets of mud into
2:14:17the city's first paved roads Peter could
2:14:23already see the great palaces wide
2:14:25boulevards parks and promenade that
2:14:28would one day make this city the Venice
2:14:30of the north but Peters quest to
2:14:36modernize Russia was far from complete
2:14:39everything had to change finances
2:14:42bureaucracy laws there was no master
2:14:45plan it would be step by step as
2:14:48dictated by necessity and the most
2:14:51pressing need was for money
2:14:55ETA's tax reform centered on the
2:14:58creation of a poll tax to be paid once a
2:15:01year by every male subject in the realm
2:15:03peasants had to pay seventy-four kopacz
2:15:06about a hundred dollars today while
2:15:09those living in towns had to pay nearly
2:15:10double 1.2 roubles about $200 today
2:15:16peasants in some parts of the country
2:15:18were now taxed for the first time
2:15:20including inhabitants of the far north
2:15:22Siberia
2:15:23and the Volga region state revenue
2:15:28tripled providing Peter with the money
2:15:30necessary for further reforms Peter saw
2:15:37his work as a sacred duty and himself as
2:15:40the motherland's faithful servant he
2:15:43expected the same from all his subjects
2:15:45regardless of rank from the grandest
2:15:47noble to the humblest peasant to ensure
2:15:52the smooth running of the state he
2:15:54created the post of fiscal a secret
2:15:56Informer who sniffed out corruption
2:15:58which was then punished brutally to
2:16:01deter others but bribe taking and
2:16:05embezzlement remained endemic for every
2:16:08100 rubles collected in state taxation
2:16:10scarcely 30 reached the state treasury
2:16:13the greatest embezzler of all was the
2:16:16Tsar's close friend Prince Menshikov
2:16:17whose income almost equalled that of the
2:16:20state Peter finally lost all patience
2:16:24declaring that if someone stole even
2:16:26just enough money to buy himself a piece
2:16:28of rope that rope would be used to hang
2:16:31them Menshikov talked him down warning
2:16:35that if he passed such a law he'd soon
2:16:38have no subjects left
2:16:41PETA was involved in drawing up statutes
2:16:44and charters for many new bodies from
2:16:47the Academy of Sciences to the Admiralty
2:16:49as well as issuing hundreds of decrees
2:16:54czar legislated on almost every aspect
2:16:57of Russian life from the type of boot
2:16:59polish used to the width of cloth that
2:17:02was produced profits of merchants the
2:17:05proper way to construct stoves farming
2:17:08implements the correct form of wedding
2:17:10the treatment of the sick what sort of
2:17:14coffin should be used to bury the dead
2:17:15and how many times a week a sauna should
2:17:19be heated and there were more each new
2:17:24law stipulated the punishment for
2:17:26breaking it a fine for talking in church
2:17:29the death penalty for treason Peter it
2:17:37was clear his subjects were like
2:17:39children who couldn't be trusted to run
2:17:41their lives without his supervision he
2:17:44didn't ask their opinion of course nor
2:17:47did he ask the opinion of his son Alexei
2:17:49whose life he also governed in every
2:17:52small detail Tsarevich Alexei was the
2:17:57son of Peters first wife lived okiya who
2:18:00was banished to a convent when he was 8
2:18:01he was raised instead by his aunt
2:18:04Princess Natalya Peter tried to involve
2:18:08Alexei in affairs of state and took him
2:18:10on campaign when he was just 12 boy
2:18:14showed early promise with an aptitude
2:18:16for languages and mathematics with
2:18:19Peters bullying behavior caused Alexei
2:18:21to fear and eventually loathe his own
2:18:23father and secretly wish him dead
2:18:27[Music]
2:18:29the Tsar's enemies persuaded Alexi to
2:18:32flee to Vienna he was signing his own
2:18:36death warrant Russian agents soon found
2:18:39him and brought him back to face his
2:18:43father's judgment the prince was
2:18:47terrified under torture he named all
2:18:51those he knew to be enemies of the Tsar
2:18:53and renounced his right to inherit the
2:18:55throne he had fled it emerged because he
2:18:59was convinced his father intended to
2:19:01have him killed the prince was
2:19:06imprisoned in the peter and paul
2:19:08fortress On June 25th 1718 a court found
2:19:13Alexi guilty of treason and sentenced
2:19:15him to death the next day the prince was
2:19:22found dead in his cell the official
2:19:28cause of death was an apoplectic fit the
2:19:31real cause cannot be proved what is
2:19:33known is that the prince was cruelly
2:19:35tortured for days during his
2:19:37interrogation the day after his son's
2:19:43death Peter celebrated the ninth
2:19:45anniversary of the Battle of Poltava
2:19:48those close to him could see his grief
2:19:52I suffer for the entire motherland he
2:19:57wrote my enemy's play vile tricks
2:20:00against me it's hard for people to
2:20:02believe in my innocence as they know
2:20:04none of the facts
2:20:06but God sees the truth Peter could see
2:20:13with brutal clarity how precarious his
2:20:16achievements were if he died everything
2:20:20would collapse and the Tsar was not a
2:20:23well man the opinion of Peters doctor
2:20:28the rent is bloomin trust was that his
2:20:3144 year old patient suffered from
2:20:33chronic bronchitis inflammation of the
2:20:35bowels chronic kidney disease kidney
2:20:39stones swollen liver and damaged nerves
2:20:45Peter wasn't good at following diets or
2:20:48cutting down on alcohol instead he went
2:20:51too sparse to take the local mineral
2:20:53water heater was now spurred on by a
2:20:57sense of his own mortality first he
2:21:00needed to end the great northern war now
2:21:03in its 20th year even after Carl the
2:21:0612th fell in battle Sweden would not
2:21:08make peace and refused to recognize
2:21:10Peters Baltic conquests Russia would
2:21:13first have to defeat Sweden's Navy in
2:21:151714 at gank at the Russian galleys won
2:21:19their first victory over the Swedes six
2:21:23years later at brendham they captured
2:21:25four Swedish frigates Sweden then signed
2:21:29an alliance with Britain and a joint
2:21:31Anglo Swedish squadron approached
2:21:33Russia's Baltic Fleet base at revel it
2:21:35was then forced to withdraw
2:21:40in 1721 the war ended with the Treaty of
2:21:44NICHD at Sweden recognize Russian
2:21:46ownership of ingria which became the
2:21:48province of st. Petersburg Livonia Baden
2:21:52Latvia and southern Estonia estland now
2:21:55northern Estonia and part of Corellia
2:21:59Russia had its Baltic Sea outlet and
2:22:02with it the status of a European power
2:22:05[Music]
2:22:07rushon Senate asked Peter to accept the
2:22:10title father of the nation Peter the
2:22:12Great Emperor of all Russia
2:22:16the moment marked the end of the
2:22:18Russians Adam and the birth of the
2:22:20Russian Empire but what future for the
2:22:24house of Romanov few of Peters children
2:22:29has survived infancy his heir Peter died
2:22:32at the age of three he had two adult
2:22:36daughters Anna and Elizabeth and a
2:22:38grandson little Peter the son of the
2:22:41late czarevitch Alexei but Peter didn't
2:22:44want the boy to succeed him yet fearing
2:22:46he would become the puppet of his
2:22:48enemies who would try to undo all his
2:22:50reforms Peter decided to change the
2:22:54ancient customs of succession he issued
2:22:57a decree allowing a ruler to choose
2:23:00their successor let the ruler be always
2:23:02free it said to choose to whom they will
2:23:06give their inheritance in the spring of
2:23:091720 for at the Cathedral of the
2:23:11Assumption in the Kremlin Peter solemnly
2:23:14crowned his wife Catherine as Empress
2:23:18did it mean he intended to leave the
2:23:20throne to her za made no mention of the
2:23:24matter
2:23:29soon after the coronation Peter learned
2:23:32that Catherine had been unfaithful to
2:23:34him and that her lover was the brother
2:23:36of his former dutch mistress Anna Mons
2:23:39it was a heavy blow Catherine was Peters
2:23:47greatest love and closest companion she
2:23:50was the only one able to calm his
2:23:52outbursts of rage the German diplomat
2:23:55count Henning Friedrich bazevich
2:23:58witnessed such a scene more than once he
2:24:03used to have fits caused by a dark
2:24:06thought entering his head that someone
2:24:08was trying to kill him these episodes
2:24:10were a nightmare for those closest to
2:24:12him
2:24:13the newer fit was coming when his mouth
2:24:15started to shake they would immediately
2:24:18send for the Empress she would start
2:24:21talking to him and the sound of her
2:24:23voice calmed him down she used to make
2:24:27him sit down and would then take his
2:24:30head in her hands brushing it gently it
2:24:33was like magic he'd fall asleep in a
2:24:36matter of minutes so as not to disturb
2:24:39him she'd hold his head against her
2:24:41chest and sit without moving for two or
2:24:44three hours after that he'd wake up
2:24:48fresh and invigorated
2:24:59Peter had never been a faithful husband
2:25:01on campaign he would bed the servants
2:25:04and the soldiers wives had even
2:25:06established a set fee for their services
2:25:09one bucket per night nor did the ladies
2:25:14of court escape desires attention in his
2:25:17father's day women were kept out of
2:25:18sight now instead of being treated like
2:25:21slaves it was said they were worshipped
2:25:23like goddesses the many sudden changes
2:25:29to Russian customs social norms and
2:25:31dress were soon being blamed for a
2:25:34collapse in morality Czar himself set a
2:25:38terrible example his lovers included
2:25:42Mary Hamilton a lady-in-waiting countess
2:25:46Abdul Chia Cherne Shova antis Maria
2:25:49rumyantseva the Romanian countess maria
2:25:53Cantor Mia
2:25:55Elizaveta scindia all of whom slept with
2:25:59Peter with the full knowledge of their
2:26:01fathers or husbands
2:26:05Catherine had tolerated all of the
2:26:07Czar's affairs and never reproached him
2:26:10for them with that was expected Peter
2:26:13had Catherine's lover arrested and
2:26:15charged with accepting bribes to avoid
2:26:17public disgrace the investigation was
2:26:20Swift he was found guilty in five days
2:26:23and dead in eight Peeta had his severed
2:26:28head preserved in alcohol and placed in
2:26:30a jar then it was rumoured he delivered
2:26:34this gruesome gift to Catherine's
2:26:36chambers in person Emperor and Empress
2:26:44did not speak for nearly a year he
2:26:48neither dined nor slept together but in
2:26:52the autumn of 1724 Peter's health
2:26:54suddenly got worse it continued to
2:26:57ignore his doctor's advice now he would
2:27:01pay the price
2:27:05On January the 16th Peter was too ill to
2:27:09leave his bed he called for the Empress
2:27:12he talked for three hours
2:27:14all that time Catherine knelt beside him
2:27:17at last they made peace and forgave each
2:27:20other the next day Peter was in
2:27:23excruciating pain but the doctors could
2:27:25provide no relief his screams echoed
2:27:28through the palace Catherine did not
2:27:30leave his bedside On January 22nd in
2:27:34between fits
2:27:35Peter confessed his sins five days later
2:27:39he asked for a desk to write his will he
2:27:42didn't know that in the next room
2:27:44generals and Senators were discussing
2:27:46the succession for many of them it was a
2:27:50matter of life and death
2:27:541/2 Dukes Dolgoruky Ellison and Rhett
2:27:58Neen were for the 10-year old Peter they
2:28:01Prince Alexei son
2:28:04the other half knew men like menshikov
2:28:07and Tolstoy who'd led the investigation
2:28:09against Prince Alexei feared his son
2:28:12would seek to avenge his father he
2:28:15wanted the Empress to take the throne
2:28:18Peter wrote just two words give
2:28:22everything and fainted at 4:00 a.m. the
2:28:28Senate decided the throne must go to
2:28:30Catherine she was still at the Tsar's
2:28:33bedside at ten past five
2:28:35he died in her arms
2:28:43[Music]
2:28:52[Music]
2:29:02for the lowborn sir it sir to succeed
2:29:05her husband caused a stir but nothing to
2:29:08do with Peters rain could shock the
2:29:09Russians anymore she would be Russia's
2:29:12second female ruler in 30 years and
2:29:15there was great sympathy for Catherine
2:29:18her life was a fairy tale a housemaid
2:29:21who'd captured the heart of a czar
2:29:23become his Queen and Empress
2:29:26[Music]
2:29:49chapter 2 Catherine the first alexeyevna
2:29:53[Music]
2:29:56the Empress knew nothing about ruling
2:29:59estate
2:30:00she couldn't even read and write the
2:30:03only thing she ever mastered was how to
2:30:05sign her own name but that was enough to
2:30:08authorize the founding of a Russian
2:30:09Academy of Sciences as Peter had always
2:30:12dreamed and to authorize be to sparing
2:30:15x' expedition to the far east on the
2:30:21whole catherine left the governing to
2:30:23others and devoted herself to parties
2:30:26and drinking she drank ferociously with
2:30:30many lovers and danced till dawn
2:30:38a typical day for the Empress began when
2:30:43she rose from bed at 4 o'clock in the
2:30:46afternoon she dined at 8 then took a
2:30:50walk in the summer garden she usually
2:30:52went to bed around 10 o'clock the next
2:30:55morning the court was dominated by the
2:31:00serene counter legs and ER daniela which
2:31:02menshikov it was he who had first
2:31:04introduced catherine to peter then he
2:31:07had put her on the throne now he held
2:31:10the reins of power he ruled through a
2:31:13new body a supreme Privy Council
2:31:16formally its role was to advise the
2:31:18Empress but in reality it ran the
2:31:21country
2:31:23[Music]
2:31:30Catherine didn't attend the council
2:31:32meetings she had no interest she
2:31:35listened to its reports but for no more
2:31:37than half an hour any longer gave her a
2:31:39headache the Empress is dissolute
2:31:44lifestyle soon led to serious health
2:31:46problems she put on weight and suffered
2:31:49from kidney disease and a heightened
2:31:51pulse it was plain to see that Catherine
2:31:59would not live much longer
2:32:00so menshikov began to plan for the
2:32:03future persuading the Empress to sign a
2:32:05will by which Prince Peter would inherit
2:32:08the throne but only after he married
2:32:10menshikov's daughter on May the 6th 1727
2:32:15Catherine the first died she would be
2:32:18remembered as a kind and marries a
2:32:20Ritzer and a loyal companion of Peter
2:32:23the Great
2:32:27many had believed that without peter the
2:32:29great's iron will Russia would revert to
2:32:32being a second-rate power on the margins
2:32:34of Europe but Peters reforms had created
2:32:38an unstoppable momentum of their own
2:32:43in st. Petersburg palaces were rising
2:32:46along the shores of the Baltic gardens
2:32:49were planted and wide boulevards paved
2:32:51they were the first in Russia to be lit
2:32:54by oil lamps cannon-armed Russian
2:32:58warships stood out at sea while Russia
2:33:01got its first printed newspaper via de
2:33:04masti with a circulation of between two
2:33:06hundred and four thousand merchants
2:33:10goods travelled from San Petersburg to
2:33:12Moscow along newly dug canals advanced
2:33:15schools of artillery medicine and
2:33:17navigation were opened and the Academy
2:33:20of Science is established in the Urals
2:33:22nine foundries produced seven million
2:33:25pounds of cast iron a year and two
2:33:27hundred thousand pounds of copper they
2:33:31supplied Russia's new armaments industry
2:33:33turning out muskets and cannon for what
2:33:36was now one of the largest most powerful
2:33:38armies in Europe
2:33:42[Music]
2:33:44Peter had dragged Russia from the Middle
2:33:47Ages into the modern world but his new
2:33:50state would now have to prove its
2:33:52resilience and whether the storm of
2:33:54dynastic crisis and intrigue it would be
2:33:5840 years before there was another
2:34:00Russian ruler to match Peter the Great
2:34:12[Music]
2:35:17the court of 18th century Imperial
2:35:20Russia was a place of etiquette and
2:35:22excess stunning bores and carnivals
2:35:26jesters and fireworks
2:35:29[Music]
2:35:33most popular dance was the quadrille in
2:35:36which the dancers constantly changed
2:35:38their partners around these courtiers
2:35:41spun a huge Russian Empire its rulers
2:35:45coming and going like partners in the
2:35:47dance
2:35:49this was Russia's age of Palace
2:35:53revolutions
2:36:01[Music]
2:36:11the year 1727 few years after the death
2:36:16of Peter the Great
2:36:18Peter had forged an empire through iron
2:36:21will and firm rule without him it seemed
2:36:24to have lost its purpose state revenue
2:36:27was collapsing ships stood unfinished in
2:36:30the shipyards the army lacked vital
2:36:33equipment government bureaucracy was
2:36:35riddled with corruption
2:36:41supreme Privy Council ruled the state it
2:36:44consisted of a handful of nobles and
2:36:47chiefly looked after their own interests
2:36:49and on the throne twelve-year-old boy
2:36:56chapter 1 e 2 the second Alexeyevich e 2
2:37:02the second was the son of Prince Alexei
2:37:04and the German princess Sophie Charlotte
2:37:06of brunswick-lüneburg making him the
2:37:09grandson of Peter the Great his mother
2:37:12died soon after childbirth his father
2:37:15when he was just 2 his older sister
2:37:18Natalia was his only close family Peter
2:37:22seemed unlikely to inherit the throne as
2:37:25Peter the Great had two other sons Peter
2:37:27and Paul but they both died in infancy
2:37:31making Peter the last male of the
2:37:33Romanov dynasty glein Peter was born
2:37:39into an environment devoid of love or
2:37:41affection his parents cared little for
2:37:44each other while his father lived in
2:37:46terror of his grandfather Peter the
2:37:48Great
2:37:49indifferent nursemaids gave him wine to
2:37:52stop him crying his tutors were not much
2:37:56better he was taught some German and
2:37:58Latin but that was the extent of his
2:38:00learning even his Russian was bad
2:38:07nevertheless by the age of seven he was
2:38:10well acquainted with the lavish
2:38:12entertainments of court
2:38:17young Peter wasn't interested in the
2:38:20army the Navy or science only in having
2:38:23fun
2:38:26it didn't worry those around him on the
2:38:29contrary it served their interests they
2:38:32wanted a czar they could control a czar
2:38:35who was in their pocket it was only a
2:38:37question of whose pocket he ended up in
2:38:41when peter ii became emperor in 1727 he
2:38:45was immediately taken under the wing of
2:38:47his serene highness alexander danilevich
2:38:50menshikov he'd been a close friend and
2:38:53associate of Peter the Great and his
2:38:55widow empress catherine the first who
2:38:57was the most influential man in russia
2:39:00[Music]
2:39:03shortly before Catherine's death
2:39:05menshikov had persuaded the Empress to
2:39:07sign a will that made young Peter her
2:39:10heir there was one condition on coming
2:39:16of age
2:39:17Peter was to marry menshikov's daughter
2:39:19Maria then menshikov's control of the
2:39:24young Tsar would be total of course no
2:39:27one asked for Peters opinion on any of
2:39:29this
2:39:30[Music]
2:39:35soon after his coronation the
2:39:38twelve-year-old Peter found himself
2:39:39engaged was 16 year old Maria Mancha
2:39:42Cova the Emperor's bride received the
2:39:45title Imperial Highness and an annual
2:39:47allowance of thirty four thousand rubles
2:39:53peter ii found his fiancee deeply
2:39:56uninteresting in his letters he referred
2:39:59to her as the stone statue or the
2:40:02porcelain doll meanwhile menshikov moved
2:40:07the young Tsar into his own sand
2:40:09Petersburg palace to shield him from any
2:40:11unwanted external influence and assigned
2:40:14him a governor Baron Andrei Ivanovich
2:40:16Osterman deputy minister of foreign
2:40:19affairs but the Emperor's studies didn't
2:40:27last long
2:40:28Menshikov suddenly fell seriously ill
2:40:31and in his absence Peter fell in with a
2:40:34young rake even dull guru cough who
2:40:36encouraged him to flee menshikov's
2:40:38stifling supervision tsar quickly fell
2:40:44under the influence of dal guru cough
2:40:45and his powerful family who were bitter
2:40:48rivals of Menshikov with their
2:40:50encouragement he and his governor baron
2:40:52Osterman moved out of menshikov's palace
2:40:55and into the peterhof palace he also
2:40:58broke off his engagement to Maryam and
2:41:00she Cova soon a special commission found
2:41:03Menshikov guilty of embezzling state
2:41:06funds he was stripped of all his titles
2:41:08honours estates and property and sent
2:41:12with his family into internal exile in
2:41:14Siberia
2:41:17dal-gu coughs with the wily baron
2:41:20Osterman now held the reins of power the
2:41:23sovereign tsar peter was free to indulge
2:41:26in his new favorite sport hunting unlike
2:41:37his great-grandfather Alexei the first
2:41:39who loved falconry Peter the second
2:41:42hunted without any expertise or
2:41:44knowledge it didn't matter to him how or
2:41:47what he hunted what mattered was riding
2:41:50fast and making a lot of noise
2:42:04all this would have been entirely
2:42:06natural for his age if it hadn't been
2:42:08for his constant drinking sprees nobody
2:42:13cared about his health except his sister
2:42:15Natalia she was the only person who
2:42:19truly loved the boy Emperor and tried to
2:42:22stop him drinking but aged just 14
2:42:28she died of tuberculosis with no one to
2:42:32stop him Peter began regularly binge
2:42:35drinking with his guards he was tall and
2:42:38well-developed for his age and women
2:42:40were also made available to him Peter
2:42:45then fell in love with his aunt
2:42:47Elizabeth daughter of Peter the Great
2:42:55nobody was going to let Peter marry
2:42:57Elizabeth first of all the church
2:43:00prohibited marriages between such close
2:43:02relatives second even dull guru cough
2:43:05had already chosen a bride for him his
2:43:08sister Catherine thus way the Emperor's
2:43:13decision even provided proof that his
2:43:15aunt Elizabeth was already in love with
2:43:17an officer of the guards a hot-headed
2:43:23teenager felt that Elizabeth had
2:43:25betrayed him who made a point of turning
2:43:27his attention to Catherine Dahl guru
2:43:29kava once more the Tsar found himself
2:43:33the pawn in other people's games
2:43:36[Music]
2:43:41while the court was absorbed in imperial
2:43:44love matches the vast Russian Empire was
2:43:46left virtually leaderless state finances
2:43:50were in chaos the army was
2:43:52disintegrating Russia's international
2:43:55standing was in freefall European
2:44:02ambassadors reported on the situation in
2:44:04Russia it makes no sense to make an
2:44:07alliance at this time Tsar thinks only
2:44:10about his own amusement these officials
2:44:12think only of how to ruin each other
2:44:16everybody lives without a care it's
2:44:20unclear how such a vast state can
2:44:22maintain itself without any support
2:44:27Russia's huge bureaucracy had been left
2:44:30to fend for itself because the body that
2:44:33was supposed to wield power in Russia
2:44:34that effectively ceased to function the
2:44:39Supreme Privy Council had been
2:44:40established by Katherine the first to
2:44:42help her rule the Empire or to be more
2:44:45exact to rule it for her officially it
2:44:48was only supposed to advise the monarch
2:44:50but in reality it was now governing
2:44:53russia during peter ii reign six Nobles
2:44:59sat on the Supreme Council count gavrila
2:45:02golovkin the guillotines
2:45:04Prince Dmitry and Prince Mikhail the
2:45:07dunkaroo coffs Prince Vasily
2:45:08Vladimirovich and Vasili lukitch and
2:45:11Baron Osterman Peter now 14 years old
2:45:17had no idea about the problems his
2:45:19country faced and the dagger drew coughs
2:45:21did everything to keep it that way
2:45:23the father Prince Alexei using his son
2:45:26even to keep Peter distracted they
2:45:31intended to make the Emperor their
2:45:32puppet and turn the clock back by
2:45:35undoing all peter the great's
2:45:37modernizing reforms Peter had already
2:45:41agreed to stop new naval construction
2:45:43persuaded it was a waste of money and
2:45:45moved the capital from San Petersburg
2:45:48back to Moscow where the hunting was far
2:45:51superior only a few steps remained
2:45:55[Music]
2:45:59in November 1728 the Emperor's
2:46:02engagement to even sister Princess
2:46:05Catherine doll guru kava was announced
2:46:08[Music]
2:46:13as Catherine arrived at the palace for
2:46:16the official engagement the carriage
2:46:18caught under a low gate in front of
2:46:21guards and onlookers the gilded crown on
2:46:24the carriage roof was torn off and fell
2:46:27into the gutter in the weeks leading up
2:46:33to the wedding
2:46:33dal-gu Rokoff princes kept the emperor
2:46:36constantly entertained best he had time
2:46:38to reconsider his decision
2:46:40On January 6th thirteen days before the
2:46:44wedding
2:46:44Peter went to the traditional blessing
2:46:46of the Moscow River at the ceremony he
2:46:50played the part of the chivalrous Knight
2:46:51standing on the footboard of Princess
2:46:54Catherine's carriage for hours in
2:46:56freezing weather
2:46:58next day he had a burning fever then he
2:47:04was diagnosed with smallpox
2:47:07[Music]
2:47:12smallpox also known by its latin name
2:47:15very oliveira had been present in europe
2:47:18at a low level for a thousand years but
2:47:21in the 18th century higher population
2:47:23levels and the greater movement of
2:47:25people across the continent caused it to
2:47:28spread like wildfire smallpox victims
2:47:31developed spots on their face and limbs
2:47:33and the rich both men and women wore
2:47:36heavy makeup to mask the scars they left
2:47:38but it was more than just a cosmetic
2:47:41issue smallpox was a killer in Europe
2:47:45the virus infected more than half the
2:47:47population about 80 million people
2:47:49killing one in six
2:47:53the Emperor's health had been ruined by
2:47:56a dissolute lifestyle his fever and
2:47:59weakened immune system allowed the
2:48:01smallpox to progress quickly
2:48:05in just one week it was clear Peter
2:48:08would not survive
2:48:11[Music]
2:48:15dal-gu coughs were in despair
2:48:18it looked as if all their efforts had
2:48:21been in vain their grand schemes come to
2:48:24nothing as the Emperor Lay Dying LeFort
2:48:30off palace stood empty and silent
2:48:32decorated for a wedding it would never
2:48:35take place his dog Iruka friends
2:48:39meanwhile were desperately looking for a
2:48:41way to cling to power they decided to
2:48:44make the emperor sign a will naming his
2:48:46betrothed the Grand Duchess Catherine
2:48:48doll guru cava as his successor if they
2:48:53had succeeded the ruling house of Russia
2:48:55would have passed from the house of
2:48:57Romanov to the house of dagger gucoff
2:49:02but the emperor was not able to sign the
2:49:05will on January the 18th 1730 the eve of
2:49:09his planned wedding he suddenly sat up
2:49:12and ordered his sledge to be harnessed I
2:49:15want to go and see my sister he said
2:49:19they were his last words
2:49:23he died the next day
2:49:33the Supreme Privy Council reacted with
2:49:36indignation to the idea of handing the
2:49:38throne to the dunkaroo coffs the
2:49:41Romanoff's were the ruling dynasty of
2:49:43russia if the male line was broken they
2:49:46would turn to the female line the female
2:49:50line of the Romanoff's lived on through
2:49:52the two daughters of Peter the Great
2:49:54Anna and Elizabeth
2:49:56they were also three daughters of even
2:49:59the fifth Peters half-brother and joint
2:50:01ruler who died young they were Catherine
2:50:04Anna and plus Kavya Anna had married the
2:50:10Duke of Holstein
2:50:11in 1728 she bore him a son Karl Peter
2:50:15Ulrich but she died soon after
2:50:17childbirth Catherine had married the
2:50:21Duke of Mecklenburg and had a
2:50:22twelve-year-old daughter Elizabeth
2:50:24Catarina Cristina Anna was the widow of
2:50:29the Duke of Courland
2:50:30and had no children Escoffier was
2:50:34married to general dmitry heft mamonov
2:50:39council discussed the suitability of the
2:50:42candidates long into the night
2:50:44finally at 6:00 a.m. they chose anna
2:50:47duchess of Courland and daughter of Eve
2:50:50and the fifth widowed at the age of 17
2:50:53she lived in Yale Java the Auriga she
2:50:56had no money and no allies in Moscow
2:50:58blessed with neither great charm nor
2:51:01intellect the council believed they
2:51:03could soon bend her to their will to
2:51:09avoid any surprises the council prepared
2:51:12a list of conditions which Anna would
2:51:14have to sign before sheet of the throne
2:51:16according to these conditions the
2:51:19Empress would not have the right to
2:51:21declare war make treaties introduce new
2:51:24taxes or spend state revenue make
2:51:28promotions above the rank of colonel
2:51:30give out land sentence Nobles to death
2:51:33get married or appoint her successor all
2:51:37these powers would reside in the Supreme
2:51:40Privy Council
2:51:43the Empress would have control only over
2:51:46her own income and her palace guards
2:51:50[Applause]
2:51:50[Music]
2:51:52on the morning of January 19 1730
2:51:55the death of Peter the second was
2:51:58announced publicly at the same time a
2:52:02delegation set off from Moscow to see
2:52:04Anna nine days later she signed the
2:52:08conditions Russian autocracy had been
2:52:11abolished in its place oligarchy the
2:52:15rule of an elite view Anna arrived in
2:52:20Moscow where she was greeted by her
2:52:22guards the preobrazhenskiy regiment Anna
2:52:25declared that she was to be their chief
2:52:27spoke privately with the officers she
2:52:32learned many interesting things from
2:52:34these conversations she was told the
2:52:36people of Moscow were outraged by the
2:52:39conditions that had been imposed upon
2:52:40her and that the Privy Council was
2:52:42despised by many of the nobles just days
2:52:47ago anna had been an impoverished
2:52:49forgotten duchess in out-of-the-way
2:52:51courland now she was within a stone's
2:52:54throw of becoming Empress of Russia she
2:52:57sensed her moment
2:52:58[Music]
2:53:01she gathered her guards and senior
2:53:03Nobles in the palace hall and showed
2:53:05them what she thought of the conditions
2:53:08[Music]
2:53:12chapter 2 Vanna
2:53:15Ian Avner within a week the Supreme
2:53:22Privy Council was dismissed within a
2:53:25month Prince Alexei dal guru Cove and
2:53:27his son even were exiled to the Siberian
2:53:30town of berestov where their sworn enemy
2:53:33Menshikov had died the year before the
2:53:36day after becoming Empress and are
2:53:38demanded to see all the items
2:53:39confiscated from the famously wealthy
2:53:41menshikov she picked out jewelry for
2:53:44herself worth twenty three thousand
2:53:46rubles 138 million today about four
2:53:50million u.s. dollars she appointed a
2:53:53Russian architect of Italian parentage
2:53:55Bartolomeo rest rally to build two new
2:53:58palaces for her a wooden winter palace
2:54:01in the Kremlin and a stone summer palace
2:54:04on the yowser river to help her settle
2:54:07in
2:54:07[Music]
2:54:11anas German Chamberlain and Spearin
2:54:14followed his mistress to Moscow he was
2:54:17Anna's favorite and her lover the fact
2:54:20that he was married with three children
2:54:21didn't concern her Anna herself was the
2:54:25secret mother of his youngest son
2:54:27Karl amst which is why the boy was
2:54:29brought to Moscow
2:54:30[Music]
2:54:35later they were joined by Byron's wife
2:54:38and elder sons together they formed
2:54:42Russia's and Orthodox new imperial
2:54:44family the typical day fat Empress Anna
2:54:50began at 8 a.m. when she took her coffee
2:54:52she worked between 9 and 10 receiving
2:54:55ministers and signing decrees then she
2:54:58went riding with Viren and at noon she
2:55:02had lunch with him his wife and children
2:55:04then she went to bed for an hour rest of
2:55:08the day was solely for her own amusement
2:55:14Anna found many unusual ways to
2:55:17entertain herself one of her favorite
2:55:19was shooting crows this was why a loaded
2:55:24musket was left by each of the palace
2:55:26windows the impressed did you just shoot
2:55:34Birds she also hunted bears with a spear
2:55:37but there were also more sophisticated
2:55:40entertainments at court Italian operas
2:55:43and theatres in Hanna's reign the first
2:55:46Russian dance school was founded but
2:55:51nothing delighted the Empress quite as
2:55:53much as watching her court jesters and
2:55:55dwarfs fighting jesters first appeared
2:56:02in Russia in the reign of Ivan the
2:56:03Terrible a century later Alexei the
2:56:06first right to play chess against his
2:56:07own jester an acrimonious Hunchback
2:56:10named alpha Tsar Peter the Great's
2:56:13jesters included a former officer of the
2:56:15preobrazhenskiy regiment even Bela craf
2:56:17who advised the Tsar on serious issues
2:56:20and a Jew who'd converted to
2:56:22Christianity yonder Costa who debated
2:56:25theology with the Tsar
2:56:28the position of court jester flourished
2:56:30during the reign of empress Anna now
2:56:33there were more than ever
2:56:34Ballack rep and Acosta were joined by
2:56:37the Italian musician Pietro Petrillo and
2:56:39noblemen who'd been demoted to jesters
2:56:42Prince Nikita Falcon ski Prince Mikhail
2:56:45galitsin and count Alexia practising a
2:56:48troupe of entertainers also featured 10
2:56:50dwarves one kalmyk woman and two event
2:56:54women from Russia's easternmost regions
2:56:58the Empress acquired a taste for exotic
2:57:01and spectacular parties lavish banquets
2:57:04masquerades and fireworks the only thing
2:57:08she frowned on was drinking alcohol had
2:57:12caused the early death of her young
2:57:13husband the Duke of Courland after he
2:57:15had tried to keep pace with Peter the
2:57:17Great's drinking at their own wedding
2:57:19celebration
2:57:21the Empress created a ministerial
2:57:24cabinet to handle the business of
2:57:25government it was the Supreme Privy
2:57:28Council in all but name
2:57:29just with new faces only the wily Baron
2:57:33Osterman kept his place
2:57:34becoming the elder statesman of Anna's
2:57:37government the Empress herself barely
2:57:40followed affairs of state but beyond who
2:57:44now held the title Duke of courland took
2:57:47an active role in cabinet business one
2:57:51cabinet minister Artemi velinski wrote
2:57:53the Empress is a fool it's impossible to
2:57:57get any decision from her Duke beer on
2:58:01as he pleases for opposing beer on
2:58:06velinski was charged with treason and
2:58:08executed the very thought of a palace
2:58:13revolution terrified Anna she had peter
2:58:17the great's daughter elizabeth watched
2:58:19to look for any hint of conspiracy and
2:58:22she reestablished the secret Chancellery
2:58:25of investigations founded by Peter but
2:58:27abolished by his successor its role was
2:58:30to sniff out any trace of political
2:58:32dissent its agents were everywhere and
2:58:36were rightly feared any careless word
2:58:41particularly about the Empress could
2:58:43lead to arrest and inevitably torture in
2:58:53the course of Anna's 10-year reign
2:58:54secret Chancellery arrested and tortured
2:58:57about 28,000 suspects those 20,000 were
2:59:02exiled to Siberia and Kamchatka 5000
2:59:07went missing 2,000 died during torture
2:59:09and more than 1,000 were executed
2:59:16the Empress was suspicious of her guards
2:59:19too especially the preobrazhenskiy
2:59:21regiment they'd put her on the throne
2:59:23they could depose her too so she created
2:59:27a second guards regiment his mile off
2:59:29ski the new regiments officers were
2:59:33recruited from her native Duchy of
2:59:35Courland and took over guard duty at the
2:59:37palace preobrazhenskiy regiment was sent
2:59:41to fight the Turks at Belgrade in 1739
2:59:47the treaty was signed to end the
2:59:49four-year conflict between Russia and
2:59:51the Ottoman Empire under its terms as
2:59:54off and parts of Ukraine became part of
2:59:56Russia but Russian warships and merchant
2:59:59ships were forbidden from sailing in the
3:00:02Sea of Azov all the black sea the war
3:00:06cost the Russian army about 46,000 man
3:00:09only about six thousand or one in eight
3:00:12of those men fell in battle the
3:00:14remaining 40,000 died from disease
3:00:17starvation and neglect Anna didn't
3:00:24concern herself with these details she
3:00:27was glad the war was over but her main
3:00:29concern was moving the court from Moscow
3:00:31back to San Petersburg in 1737 Moscow
3:00:37had been devastated by a great fire the
3:00:41Kremlin you take her at the surrounding
3:00:44white town part of the earth town almost
3:00:46all the modern city centre was burnt to
3:00:49the ground at the time the great tsar
3:00:52bell had been standing in the kremlin
3:00:54foundry the scaffolding around it caught
3:00:57fire when water was poured onto it a
3:00:59bell burst from the sudden temperature
3:01:01change
3:01:04anas winter palace also burned down but
3:01:08six months later the Empress was
3:01:10celebrating her birthday in a new Winter
3:01:12Palace built for her by Bartolomeo rest
3:01:15rally in Saint Petersburg the state
3:01:18apartments consisted of more than 100
3:01:20rooms all of them decorated in the most
3:01:23lavish style under Anna's reign
3:01:28expenditure on the court reached 260
3:01:31thousand rubles per year worth about 42
3:01:34million dollars today running costs of
3:01:37Duke beer on stables were a hundred
3:01:38thousand rubles about 17 million dollars
3:01:41while small-scale expenditures by the
3:01:43Empress totaled forty two and a half
3:01:45thousand rubles for seven million
3:01:47dollars incredibly the Empress spent as
3:01:51much on jewelry as it cost to maintain
3:01:53the Academy of Sciences about forty
3:01:55seven thousand rubles great million
3:01:58dollars just a tenth of that some was
3:02:01spent on public education a measly four
3:02:03and a half thousand rubles
3:02:10Anna's most decadent celebration was
3:02:12held for the wedding of two of her court
3:02:14jesters in a palace of ice
3:02:18on Anna's whim the 53 year old Mikhail
3:02:21galitsin was to marry a 20 year old
3:02:23kalmo girl named Abdul shibuya Nineveh
3:02:26the bill for the party came to 30,000
3:02:30rubles a house of ice 17 metres long and
3:02:363 metres high was built between the
3:02:38Admiralty and the Winter Palace six ice
3:02:41cannon and two mortars stood by the
3:02:44entrance by the gates there were ice
3:02:47sculptures of elephants and dolphins
3:02:48while everything inside the house even
3:02:52the furniture was made of ice before the
3:02:55wedding
3:02:55a masked procession passed through the
3:02:57city streets playing horns and Bal
3:02:59iliacus it included representatives from
3:03:02across the Empire Ukrainians from the
3:03:04south and Nimitz from the far north
3:03:08bride and groom traveled in a cage
3:03:10mounted on top of an elephant and after
3:03:13the wedding were left in the bedroom of
3:03:15the Ice Palace
3:03:16[Music]
3:03:25the French ambassador Marquis de Lucia
3:03:28tardy was one of the guests
3:03:33only in this country is there such fun
3:03:36to be had
3:03:37the bride and groom were taken to an ice
3:03:39house it was kept worn with straw the
3:03:42light that shone in through the ice from
3:03:43all sides was extraordinary all who saw
3:03:46it were amazed one of the few not
3:03:54enjoying themselves was the Empress's
3:03:56beautiful cousin Princess Elizabeth now
3:04:00treated with open suspicion
3:04:04Princess Elizabeth was adored by the
3:04:06gods she was godmother to their children
3:04:08and lent some of the money but most
3:04:11importantly she was peter the great's
3:04:13daughter
3:04:15[Music]
3:04:20her popularity had become a threat to
3:04:23Anna's plans for the succession Anna
3:04:29wanted the throne to remain with her
3:04:30father's line at aviv and the fifth
3:04:33half-brother and joint ruler with peter
3:04:36the great
3:04:37so anna announced that her heir would be
3:04:40the future son of her 14 year old niece
3:04:42Elizabeth Katarina Kristina even though
3:04:46at the time she wasn't even married
3:04:50Elizabeth took the name anna leopoldovna
3:04:52after converting to orthodoxy and a20
3:04:56married the Duke of Brunswick Anton
3:04:58Ulrich
3:04:58someone to Russia for that purpose soon
3:05:02the couple had a son yun Antonovich when
3:05:09the new heir to the Russian throne was
3:05:11just two months old in prasanna fell
3:05:14seriously ill with kidney stones
3:05:18[Music]
3:05:19inflammation and infection set in just
3:05:24two weeks after the first symptoms on
3:05:26October 17 1740 Anna died
3:05:34one of her last acts was to sign a
3:05:36decree appointing a region for the
3:05:38infant Emperor the Duke of Courland and
3:05:41spear on
3:05:44[Music]
3:05:47Russian people felt no great loss of the
3:05:50death of Empress Anna her reign would be
3:05:54remembered for excess frivolity and
3:05:57cruelty nevertheless it was Anna who
3:06:02pushed forward the development of San
3:06:03Petersburg many of its grandest and most
3:06:06famous buildings including the Peter and
3:06:08Paul Cathedral the Admiralty with its
3:06:10high spire and the fountains of the
3:06:13Peterhof Palace were completed in the
3:06:151730's under the supervision of the
3:06:17Italian architects Rastrelli
3:06:19and Rosalie Italian musical theater made
3:06:26its first appearance in Russia while the
3:06:28Academy of Sciences published a regular
3:06:30newspaper some Petersburg news as well
3:06:34as the first Russian scientific journals
3:06:40elsewhere the foundations of Russian
3:06:42literature were being laid by poets such
3:06:44as Tretyakov ski and the young Lomonosov
3:06:48the Empress herself of course was
3:06:50interested only in much cruder forms of
3:06:53entertainment she had neither the
3:06:55intellect energy nor charisma to be an
3:06:57effective ruler a position that after
3:07:00all came to her almost by chance and
3:07:03within two weeks of her death all the
3:07:06plans she had laid for her succession
3:07:07had collapsed like a house of cards
3:07:13no one was satisfied by the appointment
3:07:16of Anna's lover and Spearin as regent to
3:07:18the infant Emperor even the sixth and so
3:07:22the guards intervened again on the night
3:07:27of November 9th 1740 Field Marshal Count
3:07:30von Munich and 80 Guardsmen burst into
3:07:33the Winter Palace he sealed the exits
3:07:36and sent his adjutant to find beer on
3:07:39[Music]
3:07:44according to the adjutant's report Viren
3:07:47was sleeping soundly when they arrived
3:07:49when he was awoken he tried to hide
3:07:52under the bed but the soldiers dragged
3:07:54him out he struck out in an effort to
3:07:57break free but the soldiers answered his
3:08:00blows with musket butts
3:08:01he was then stripped naked and tied up
3:08:04and carried to the guardhouse where he
3:08:06was loaded into the field marshals
3:08:08waiting carriage he was carried out past
3:08:12the very rooms in which Anna's coffin
3:08:14was still lying by 6 a.m. the palace
3:08:20coup was over Russia had a new Regent
3:08:23the infant emperor's mother the 21 year
3:08:26old anna leopoldovna rumored to be even
3:08:29less intelligent than her aunt the late
3:08:32Empress Anna was madly in love with a
3:08:36Saxon diplomat named Kent lino Russian
3:08:40Nobles feared they had another biron on
3:08:42their hands when lino was given the post
3:08:44of grand Chamberlain he then briefly
3:08:48returned to Saxony to settle his affairs
3:08:50at home but before he could return the
3:08:54Russian throne changed hands once more
3:08:57Peter the Great's daughter Elizabeth had
3:09:00finally made her move
3:09:04many people knew about the plot to put
3:09:07Elizabeth on the throne who Diaz warned
3:09:10and are about it every day
3:09:12she paid little attention until finally
3:09:16she decided to speak with Elizabeth
3:09:18herself Elizabeth was her half cousin
3:09:22once-removed
3:09:23and ten years her senior meeting warned
3:09:29Elizabeth that she was suspected she had
3:09:32to act fast she summoned a few trusted
3:09:35men donned a gilded breastplate over her
3:09:38parade uniform and went to the barracks
3:09:40of the preobrazhenskiy regiment you
3:09:44remember whose daughter I am she cried
3:09:47are you ready to die for me guards
3:09:51responded with loud cheers Elizabeth led
3:09:55them to the Winter Palace where the
3:09:57guards also quickly switched their
3:09:59allegiance
3:10:02she entered the bedroom of anna
3:10:04leopoldovna with the words sister it's
3:10:07time to get up then she went to the
3:10:10nursery of the infant emperor Yvonne she
3:10:13ordered her men not to wake him
3:10:16she took even in her arms kissed him and
3:10:19said you're not to blame little one
3:10:27nobody knew what to do with him
3:10:29Elizabeth left the winter palace with
3:10:32the child in her arms chapter three
3:10:38Elizabeth Petrovna little even the sixth
3:10:44became Russia's man in the iron mask
3:10:47almost all his short tragic life was
3:10:50spent in closely guarded confinement
3:10:52first in ranan burg then in karma gory
3:10:55and then in solitary confinement in the
3:10:58shlisselburg fortress where he was held
3:11:00as a prisoner with no name even spent
3:11:04seven years in a cell with no natural
3:11:06light with only the Bible to read at the
3:11:10age of 24 he was murdered by his guards
3:11:13during a failed rescue attempt his
3:11:17parents spent the rest of their lives
3:11:19under guard in kama gory far to the
3:11:21north so that no one was ever tempted to
3:11:24restore their family to the throne in
3:11:29the aftermath of the palace revolution
3:11:30even the sixth fate was not yet known
3:11:33Elizabeth had many important decisions
3:11:36to make
3:11:38first she announced that she would
3:11:40restore the laws and state bodies
3:11:42established by her father Peter the
3:11:44Great the Senate resumed its work as a
3:11:48legislative and judicial body the
3:11:52ministerial cabinet was dismissed
3:11:57Elizabeth would learn to keep a close
3:11:59eye on all her advisors who ensure none
3:12:02grew too powerful or dared challenge her
3:12:05authority during her magnificent
3:12:11coronation Elizabeth became the first
3:12:13Russian monarch to place the crown upon
3:12:15her own head a moment rich in symbolism
3:12:19[Music]
3:12:21foreigners who'd helped Elizabeth gain
3:12:23power hoping for special treatment were
3:12:26disappointed the new Empress wasn't
3:12:29going to dance to anyone else's tune on
3:12:31one occasion her agents intercepted a
3:12:34letter sent by her old friend
3:12:36the French ambassador Marquis de Chatard
3:12:38II the smallest matters terrify her
3:12:42weakness and instability this is the
3:12:45essence of all the Tsar it's as actions
3:12:47Markey was sent home within 24 hours
3:12:52the Empress never forgot who'd really
3:12:55put her in power the guards now she
3:12:58entrusted her life to them creating a
3:13:01special unit to act as her bodyguard
3:13:05leap company was an elite unit made up
3:13:08of the 300 grenadiers and 64 officers
3:13:11that had put Elizabeth on the throne
3:13:14these men could do virtually whatever
3:13:16they liked were made for terrible guards
3:13:19often drinking on duty falling asleep
3:13:22and even leaving their posts but the
3:13:25empress excused them anything she
3:13:28herself was the unit's commanding
3:13:30officer its officers were her friends
3:13:32and closest allies including the
3:13:34brothers Peter and Alexander Suvorov and
3:13:37her lover Alexei razumovsky Alexei
3:13:43razumovsky held no political rank at all
3:13:45but if he'd wanted he could have become
3:13:47the most influential man in Russia
3:13:50wielding power did not interest him he
3:13:53was good-natured and entirely without
3:13:55ambition
3:13:57the Empress's happiness was his only
3:14:00concern the son of a Cossack farmer from
3:14:06northern Ukraine he had a fine singing
3:14:09voice and was extremely handsome he
3:14:11became Elizabeth's constant companion he
3:14:14was cheerful calm and dependable and
3:14:17they were devoted to each other
3:14:25Rosa maaske gave Elizabeth a taste for
3:14:28Ukrainian cuisine and her cooks prepared
3:14:31borscht with garlic and dumplings for
3:14:33her almost every day
3:14:36the Empress liked to eat well and had
3:14:39certain peculiar habits for example she
3:14:42always had a radish with a glass of
3:14:44vodka ate something fatty late at night
3:14:47drank a lot of coffee a personal coffee
3:14:51maker carl severs was obliged to follow
3:14:54her everywhere to make coffee for her
3:14:59the Empress adored sweet things too
3:15:02confectioner's were hired from France
3:15:04and Italy to create fantastic sculptures
3:15:07from sugar and sponge like her mother
3:15:16Catherine the first Elizabeth was a
3:15:19night owl and stayed up long after the
3:15:21balls had finished and there was always
3:15:24the lingering fear of a nighttime palace
3:15:27coup Elizabeth never slept in the same
3:15:34room twice and her apartments were
3:15:37constantly being altered new doors and
3:15:40windows were cut through the walls
3:15:41staircases were moved all measures to
3:15:45create new escape routes and to confuse
3:15:47any potential conspirators
3:15:50[Music]
3:15:54this deep fear was masked by a busy
3:15:58schedule of court entertainments on
3:16:00mondays music for dancing on wednesdays
3:16:05Italian music on Tuesdays and Fridays
3:16:08theatres Elizabeth loved balls and
3:16:15masquerades and could happily dance
3:16:17through the night she liked to devise
3:16:19her own magical or comical themes for
3:16:22instance making all the men come dressed
3:16:25as women the women as men all the guests
3:16:28would be made to look ridiculous
3:16:30except Elizabeth herself whose shapely
3:16:33legs were universally admired the
3:16:38Empress was a great beauty but hugely
3:16:40vain her courtiers were expected to pay
3:16:43her endless compliments while ladies
3:16:46feared to dress too well in case they
3:16:48were thought to be competing with her to
3:16:52ensure she was always the most
3:16:54magnificently attired Elizabeth would
3:16:56issue strict rules before a ball
3:16:59stipulating certain colors or hairstyles
3:17:02that only she was permitted to wear the
3:17:06Empress's wardrobe was reported to
3:17:07include no fewer than 15,000 dresses she
3:17:12never wore a dress twice and sometimes
3:17:14changed several times in a single
3:17:16evening merchants importing expensive
3:17:20textiles from abroad were obliged to
3:17:22bring them to the Empress first so she
3:17:24could select the finest fabrics for
3:17:26herself
3:17:27[Music]
3:17:37the Rococo style was the latest fashion
3:17:40in Europe which meant frilly shirts for
3:17:43the men and for the women whalebone
3:17:45corsets to create tiny waists and huge
3:17:48skirts supported by Kane who petticoats
3:17:51fantastically elaborate hairdos were all
3:17:53the rage
3:17:54some of them 60 centimetres high and
3:17:57shaped to resemble fancy hats flower
3:17:59beds or even ships and windmills small
3:18:04flasks of water holding live flowers
3:18:06were sometimes tied into the hair at
3:18:09night it was recommended to cover such
3:18:11constructions with a night cap to
3:18:13prevent lice from crawling in impress
3:18:18Elizabeth also demanded palaces to equal
3:18:21anything in Austria or France this is
3:18:24where the genius of Bartolomeo rest
3:18:26rally came in the son of a famous
3:18:29Italian sculptor Rastrelli moved to San
3:18:31Petersburg as a teenager and his work
3:18:34soon found favor with the Empress Anna
3:18:36as senior court architect he was kept on
3:18:39by Elizabeth and his projects became yet
3:18:42more daring and grand his designs
3:18:46included the new Winter Palace Smolny
3:18:49Cathedral grand Peterhof Palace Anna
3:18:53Saskia sello palace the cost was
3:18:56astronomical the Palisades asked his
3:19:00hello alone cost 1.6 million rubles
3:19:03equivalent of about 270 million dollars
3:19:06today this at a time when the Russian
3:19:10economy was crippled by corruption and a
3:19:13currency crisis Russians uncertain of
3:19:17the future had begun to hoard more and
3:19:19more currency
3:19:21every year the state increased coin
3:19:24production but they simply vanished into
3:19:27the economy there were approximately 54
3:19:32million coins in circulation but none of
3:19:34them were circulating many industries
3:19:39such as the extremely lucrative salt
3:19:41trade were state sanctioned monopolies
3:19:44run by influential officials and Friends
3:19:46of the Empress like Peter Shuvalov
3:19:50corruption had reached extraordinary
3:19:52levels almost all of elizabeth's
3:19:55ministers also received wages from
3:19:57foreign countries whose taking payments
3:20:00from foreign governments included the
3:20:02Chancellor Alexei boss - Jeffrey omen
3:20:04and the Vice Chancellor me Carver on
3:20:07Soph it was once said over and soft that
3:20:11he was on sale to the first bidder
3:20:15the Empress needed foreign money - word
3:20:20spread that she was willing to sign
3:20:21conventions for subsidies these unequal
3:20:25agreements Russia agreed to enter a war
3:20:28on one side or another in exchange for
3:20:30cash payments Russia had become in
3:20:34effect a state for hire
3:20:39one thing Elizabeth refused to sign was
3:20:41any death warrant when she came to power
3:20:44she'd sworn that she'd have no one
3:20:46executed and was true to her word an
3:20:48entire generation of noblemen grew up
3:20:51without fear of the scaffold slowly but
3:20:56surely the Russian economy began to
3:20:58modernize the first banks opened
3:21:00offering loans at six percent per annum
3:21:04industry was expanding rapidly Russia
3:21:09was producing two million pewds or
3:21:1133,000 tons of cast iron a year half of
3:21:15which was sold overseas the Russian
3:21:17population was rising five million and a
3:21:20quarter of a century
3:21:28as she aged Elizabeth became
3:21:30increasingly worried about losing her
3:21:32looks she sought reassurance in the arms
3:21:37of a court page 18 years her junior
3:21:39named Ivan Shuvalov her infatuation with
3:21:44this handsome youth soon turned to love
3:21:49a former favorite razumovsky quickly
3:21:53understood without scandal or acrimony
3:21:56he quietly withdrew from court the new
3:22:01favorite was much like the old calm
3:22:03gentle and good-natured and absolutely
3:22:06loyal to the Empress he asked for
3:22:08neither money nor positions however
3:22:12unlike razumovsky Suvorov was highly
3:22:15educated he corresponded with the French
3:22:17philosopher helvetius and was passionate
3:22:20about improving the state of Russian
3:22:22education thanks to his influence
3:22:27Elizabeth authorized the founding of the
3:22:29Russian Academy of Arts and Moscow
3:22:31University but the life of the Mary
3:22:36Empress was not all balls and parties
3:22:39she had another passion foreign policy
3:22:45[Music]
3:22:47in the 1740s the warlike King Frederick
3:22:50of Prussia was seeking to expand his
3:22:53realm at the expense of his neighbors
3:22:54and to establish Prussia as a great
3:22:57power most of the other European powers
3:23:01were determined to stop him and formed
3:23:03themselves into an alliance driving
3:23:08forces behind the Alliance were Maria
3:23:11Theresa Empress of Austria Elisabeth
3:23:13Empress of Russia and Madame pompadour
3:23:16mistress of the King of France
3:23:19Frederick famous for his low opinion of
3:23:21women was nevertheless an intellectual
3:23:24and a wit who nicknamed the alliance
3:23:26against him League of the three
3:23:28petticoats the three women had led their
3:23:33countries into one of the greatest
3:23:34conflicts in European history the Seven
3:23:38Years War Russia joined the fray in 1757
3:23:43launching an attack on East Prussia
3:23:47after meeting the Russian army in battle
3:23:49frederick declared to stop a Russian
3:23:52soldier you need two bullets one to kill
3:23:55him another to bring him down
3:24:00following a decisive victory against the
3:24:02Prussian army at kunis Dorf Russian
3:24:04forces took control of Eastern Prussia
3:24:06the following year 1760 Russian troops
3:24:10briefly occupied Frederick's capital
3:24:12Berlin the war seemed to be virtually
3:24:15won but suddenly inexplicably military
3:24:19operations were called to a halt
3:24:21[Music]
3:24:24on Christmas Eve 1761 Elizabeth had a
3:24:28sudden sensation that she was dying all
3:24:31her life the word death had terrified
3:24:34her but now she was perfectly calm
3:24:38she made her confession till communion
3:24:41and bid farewell to relatives and
3:24:43friends
3:24:48she gave her last advice to her heir
3:24:51Peter feodorovich and his wife Catherine
3:24:54he friends on Christmas Day she died
3:25:01Elizabeth was laid in her coffin wearing
3:25:04a silver dress with lace sleeves golden
3:25:07crown on her head beautiful and serene
3:25:11as she had been in her youth but those
3:25:16at the funeral were fixated instead on a
3:25:18strange behavior of the new emperor
3:25:20Peter the third he either walked too
3:25:24slowly or ran laughed or grimaced it was
3:25:29whispered that he'd already ordered
3:25:30Russian troops out of Prussia and
3:25:32offered his idol King Frederick peace
3:25:35with no demands it didn't seem to matter
3:25:38to him that thousands of Russian
3:25:40soldiers would have died in vain there
3:25:46were soon doubts about the new Emperor's
3:25:48sanity and what he might do one thing
3:25:52seemed certain
3:25:53the endless parties the glamour and
3:25:56frivolity of Elizabeth's court or a
3:25:58thing of the past
3:26:04but some already looked to Peter the
3:26:08Third's young wife Catherine and
3:26:10wondered if that glorious age could not
3:26:14be reclaimed
3:26:25[Music]
3:26:31[Music]
3:26:51[Music]
3:26:57you

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