THE RURIK DYNASTY. (2019) Episode 8. In Russian with English subtitles.

Conquest and the struggle of power, victory and defeat, love and betrayal, the rise of culture and the ashes of conflagration - these are just some of the elements of the Rurik dynasty. Founded by Viking/Varangian prince, the Rurik dynasty ruled the territory of Kievan Rus from 882, and later, several neighbouring principalities including the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Their rule continued until 1610 and the Time of Troubles, after which they were succeeded by the Romanovs. Throughout their rule, the Rurikids fortified, defended and expanded their territory - sometimes with fierce and terrifying battles, sometimes with reconciliation and peace treaties. Most importantly, however, it was under their rule that Russian culture developed, and the Russian nation.

The two 16th-century Muscovite rulers episode 8 investigates were almost polar opposites--- Ivan IV "the Terrible" and Feodor "the Blessed".
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Grozny or Terrible) was the first Russian ruler that took the title of "Tsar" (Caesar or Emperor) although both his grandfather, Ivan III, and his father Vasily IV, unofficially use the title. Ivan IV greatly expanded the boundaries of the state by annexing the lands of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, as well as Western Siberia. Under him, the first Zemsky Sobor was convened, a new Code of Laws was created, reforms of the military service and the judicial system of public administration were carried out. He started a war for access to the Baltic Sea, defeated the Livonian Order and captured part of the Baltic states, but other northern European states also claimed these lands, and, ultimately, the Livonian War ended in defeat. Foreign policy failures provoked a change in the domestic policy of Ivan IV: he introduced the oprichnina, defeated the old boyar families, and turned the autocratic power of the tsar into open tyranny. By the end of Ivan IV's reign, the once prosperous and powerful country, ravaged by terror and wars, was on the brink of disaster. And the murder of his eldest son Ivan by the king deprived the whole dynasty of the future.

Feodor Ioannovich, the Blessed (also known as the Bellringer, due to fondness for ringing church bells. He was the eldest of the two surviving sons of Ivan the Terrible, balanced, good-natured, and meek, the very pious Feodor (Fedor) all his life atoned for the sins of his father. He almost did not interfere in state affairs, entrusting them to his brother-in-law, the boyar Boris Godunov. Feodor died early, leaving no heir. His younger brother, Tsarevich Dmitry, died under unclear and suspicious circumstances. The Rurik dynasty was interrupted. Boris Godunov seized power, having ensured that the Zemsky Sobor elected him tsar. A few years later, turmoil began in the country, which almost destroyed the Russian state.