logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
32m 7s

The 6 to 8 Wives of Ivan the Terrible

Lindsay Holiday
About this episode

What 16th century megalomaniac monarch magnified the power of his nation, ordered the violent executions of thousands of his own people, became obsessed with fathering male heirs and went through at least 6 wives, several of whom were murdered? Why Ivan the Terrible, Tsar of Russia of course! In fact he outdid Henry VIII of England in many terrible ways, including having not 6 wives but as many as 8. The exact number is still debated by historians. But 6 or 8, they would all come to regret their wedding vows. Let’s meet the women who were unfortunate enough to call one of the most evil men in history their husband.

Anastasia Romanovna

Maria Temryukovna

Marfa Sobakina

Anna Koltovskaya

Anna Vasilchikova

Vasilisa Melentyeva

Maria Dolgorukaya

Maria Nagaya


Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History!

Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091781568503

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyteatimelindsayholiday/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@historyteatime

Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes!

Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell

Music: From Russia With Love by Huma-Huma

Angevin - Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

#womenshistory #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on this podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Oct 7
Who is Buried at the Tower of London? Tudor, Stuart & Georgian Executions
For nearly 1000 years, the tower of London has been the site of the bloody executions of some of England’s most famous historic figures. And many of the tower’s victims were laid to their final rest within the walls, never to escape the prison where they met their tragic end. A K ... Show More
28m 28s
Sep 30
Who is Buried at the Tower of London? Princes in the Tower & Victims of Henry VIII
For nearly 1000 years, the tower of London has been the site of the bloody executions of some of England’s most famous historic figures. And many of the tower’s victims were laid to their final rest within the walls, never to escape the prison where they met their tragic end. A K ... Show More
25m 30s
Sep 23
Successions of the 10 Modern European Monarchies
Royalty 101: Ten hereditary monarchies survive in Europe today; Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Monaco. Each of them pass their thrones within their respective royal or noble family based on different rul ... Show More
30m 12s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Six Wives: Katherine Howard
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about.  But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ends, here were six women who shaped history in their own unique ways. In a special six part series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb brings ... Show More
43m 21s
Jun 2024
Six Wives: Anne Boleyn
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about. But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ends, here were six women who shaped history in their own unique ways. In this special six part series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb brin ... Show More
50m 51s
May 2024
Six Wives: Katherine of Aragon
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about.  But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ends, here were six women who shaped history in their own unique ways. In this special six part series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb bri ... Show More
38m 34s
Feb 2023
Shirin: Heroine of Iran
Princess, Queen, and political influencer - Shirin should be a name as famed as Cleopatra, but how come so few know of her? Coming to influence in Iran during the early 7th Century, Shirin was the Christian wife of the Sasanian King Khosrow II, and was forced to flee to Syria in ... Show More
48m 48s
Dec 2022
Six Impossible Episodes: More Listener Requests
Today’s six impossible episode subjects are all by listener request! Topics include the Iron Mountain baby, Leslie’s Retreat, Lady Hao, Ella Williams, and more. And these are examples of how short tales can sometimes have intense details. Research: “Tale of The Iron Mountain Baby ... Show More
38m 52s
Jul 2020
Joseph Stalin Part 3: Hitler Attacks
Stalin’s regime hits the rocks when Adolf Hitler launches Operation Barbarossa and invades Russia. Nazi tanks plough towards Moscow in a devastating advance. Stalin’s legacy is forged in this fight to the death. In his final years, the strongman succumbs to cardiac problems. His ... Show More
49m 37s
Jul 2022
The Rise of Cleopatra
Famed across the ages and around the world - everyone knows the name Cleopatra. But how did she become one of the most infamous women in history? Born in 69BCE, a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Hellenistic Egypt, Cleopatra VII lived a tumultuous life. Within two turbulent dec ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2022
Alexander the Great: Man and Myth
Alexander the Great is one of the most famous figures from history. Legends and fantastical versions of his life were told almost immediately upon his death, often merging fact with fiction. Through his interaction, both good and bad, with so many different empires and societies, ... Show More
46m 18s
Jul 2020
Joseph Stalin Part 1: The Young Bank Robber
Joseph Stalin - the “man of steel” - was the party secretary who plotted a route to absolute power, becoming head of the Eastern Bloc and chief nemesis of the United States. But how did a man from the Georgian frontier of the Russian Empire do it? In 1917, the 300-year-old Romano ... Show More
53m 10s
May 2017
Catherine of Aragon part 1
Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded survived. The wives of Henry VIII, king of England are all famous, but sometimes his first queen, Catherine of Aragon can be overlooked. She was born in Spain in 1485 and was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who had u ... Show More
58m 10s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami