After the death of his beloved first wife, Tsar Ivan the Terrible descended into madness and paranoia. He turned his hatred and fear against his own people dragging the empire he had built with his own hands down into poverty and despair.
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Nov 2022
Thanksgiving Special: Just Add Arsenic
Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ... Show More
42m 41s
Feb 2024
Ivan the Terrible | The Sources of Evil
<p>Two men stood in a large room shouting at one another, raging over family and war or accusing each other of incompetence and cowardice. A third man stood nearby, servant of one and friend to both. In a corner, a young woman cowered with her face bruised and her body shaking. A ... Show More
18m 58s
Aug 2021
Ivan the Terrible
Was he really so terrible (hint: yes!), or is it all just a translation error (well, sort of)? Greg Jenner and his guests dive into the life, times, and crimes of Russia's first Tsar, the infamous Ivan the Terrible. From his bumpy youth, early successes, and multiple wives, to hi ... Show More
49m 24s
Aug 2023
73. Ivan the Terrible and the Founding of Russia
Subjected, downtrodden, brutalised. The principality of Muscovy had long suffered at the hands of the Mongols. But as their overlords weaken, their ruler, Ivan the Great, begins to lead the Muscovites to freedom. Come 1533, it is time for his descendant, Ivan the Terrible to rule ... Show More
52m 32s
Nov 2020
Mikhailovsky Castle
Afraid his mother, Catherine the Great, would have him assassinated, Russian Emperor Paul I built a fortress to protect himself. But after a shocking betrayal, death entered the castle… and with it, spectral soldiers, swirling fog, and a blue-eyed man with a grimace. Learn more a ... Show More
41m 55s
Aug 2023
The 6 to 8 Wives of Ivan the Terrible
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 Russ ... Show More
32m 7s
Nov 2021
Russia’s Real-life Ice Queen, Part 2: Weird, Brutal Flexes
<p>As rulers go, Anna of Russia was considered pretty bad news. In the second part of this two-part series, the guys explore how Anna (aka Anna the Terrible)'s traumatic life experience may have contributed to her later, profoundly cruel punishments -- things like forcing a disgr ... Show More
32m 47s
Sep 2023
Ivan The Terrible (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner and his guests discuss the life, times and crimes of Russia's first tsar, the infamous Ivan the Terrible.Joining Greg are Prof Peter Frankopan from the University of Oxford and Russian-born comedian Olga Koch, whose BBC appearances include OK Computer, Human Error, Fi ... Show More
28m 16s