In this episode we cover the second half of the reign of Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, and his legacy in russian culture.

In this episode we cover how Ivan IV decided to get access to Baltic Sea, started a war, and then tried to convince everyone that Crimean Tatars are worse (spoiler - nobody believed him).

In the last episode we talked about Kazan. In this one, we talk about the other two khanates that remained after the Golden Horde fell apart. First, we cover what Ivan IV did to Astrakhan in the past. Then, we talk about how Putin is committing a genocide in Crimea in the present.

How Crimean Tatars defy Moscow’s pressure | Crimea News | Al Jazeera

Is Russia attempting to erase Crimean Muslim culture? | Crimea | Al Jazeera

In this episode we cover the first major addition Ivan the Terrible made to the Russian Czardom - the lands of Kazan Khanate. We talk about why he did it, how he did it, and how many people he got killed in the process.

In this episode we cover how in XVI century the first czar of Moscow and All the Rus' is crowned, and just how illegitimate that procedure was.

In this episode we cover how the freshly independent Muscovy is trying to make a name for itself among the established European dynasties. And to do that they introduce a well-known strategy of Russian foreign policy - incompetent, blatant, and completely unbelievable lies.

In this episode we cover the period largely considered by historians to be the foundation of russian sovereignty, and that foundation is stealing things and being a terrible neighbour.

In this episode we talk about the first attempt Moscow took to rebel against Mongolian empire in 150 years, and who benefited from it the most.

In this episode we will explore how Moscow finally becomes a center of a small principality, the lives of its first rulers, and how it quickly grew in power with the backing of Mongolian Khans.

This episode is almost exclusively dedicated to the figure of Alexander Nevskyi - a great grandson of Yurii Dolgorukyi, and one of the first rulers to be idolized in the Russian culture.