Latest / The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History
The Romanovs and the Oprichnina: Ivan the Terrible's Terrifying Experiment
Before the Romanovs ever sat on the throne, Ivan the Terrible carved a bloody path through Russia with the Oprichnina — a shadow state of secret police, mass executions, and land seizures that terrorized the boyars and commoners alike. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Ivan's paranoia and cruelty created the Oprichnina's black-robed horsemen, the siege of Novgorod, and the bizarre legacy of the Oprichnina's legacy of absolutism that the early Romanovs would inherit and dismantle. They discuss the division of Russia into Oprichnina and Zemshchina, the role of Malyuta…
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