The Romanovs: An Origin Story

So, Ivan the Terrible is dead. Surely things in Russia are about to get better, right?

LOL. Absolutely not.

In this episode of Katy's Corner, we're diving into one of the most chaotic periods in Russian history: the Time of Troubles!

After the death of Ivan's son Feodor, Russia finds itself without a clear successor, and things go completely off the rails. We're talking political scheming, famine, murder, foreign interference, and not one, not two, but THREE men claiming to be Ivan the Terrible's long-lost son.

And just when it seems like Russia might never get its shit together, a relatively unknown 16-year-old named Michael Romanov is chosen to become tsar. The only problem? He doesn't particularly want the job.

Join Katy as we explore the absolute chaos that followed Ivan the Terrible's reign and how one reluctant teenager ended up founding a dynasty that would rule Russia for the next 300 years.

This episode makes a great companion to our Ivan the Terrible series, especially if you're wondering what happened to Russia after Ivan's death.

Cheers, bitches!