Surprisingly, the Romanovs came to power not long after Ivan, the Terrible died. The Romanovs came from Ivan the Terrible's wife, Anastasia Romanovna. After his beloved wife died, Ivan became violent and unhinged. He even beat his son to death and killed his unborn grandson. After Ivan's death, there was no obvious leader. Thus, Russia sank into the Time of Troubles. False Dmitrys (successors to Ivan) abounded and the country was in chaos.
The boyars (leaders) got together and chose Michael Romanov. The Romanovs would lead Russia for the next 300 years. This is another excellent publication by Captivating History. There is an excellent explanation of serfdom and how it worked in Russia. Over the centuries, many things changed in Russia but the serfs and slaves became the permanent underclass of the country (with no way out of that group). The fact that there was never any alleviation of the caste-system the serfs were doomed to, created the seeds for the eventual destruction of the monarchy.
The story is fascinating and well-written. I read it in a single sitting because the story was so compelling.
The boyars (leaders) got together and chose Michael Romanov. The Romanovs would lead Russia for the next 300 years. This is another excellent publication by Captivating History. There is an excellent explanation of serfdom and how it worked in Russia. Over the centuries, many things changed in Russia but the serfs and slaves became the permanent underclass of the country (with no way out of that group). The fact that there was never any alleviation of the caste-system the serfs were doomed to, created the seeds for the eventual destruction of the monarchy.
The story is fascinating and well-written. I read it in a single sitting because the story was so compelling.
