Ivan the Terrible: The First Stalin

[@Biographics]

Head to squarespace.com/biographics​ to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code biographics

[@tobiasgriffin7144]

Biographics do one on the mad baron

[@MrDoYouKnowMe2211]

i need to inform you that you've bunged up the link for your new channel

[@7177YT]

The writing and presentation on this one is sooo spot on! Thank you! (:

[@european1514]

Can you make a video about Augustus Cesar

[@robertaperoglio]

Talking about famous Tsars... Peter the Great was a hell of an interesting person. Great biography to talk about.

[@meaninglez100]

That painting, Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan, has so much raw emotion in it, that I could be convinced it come from firsthand accounts. I can only imagine what it looks like in person

[@stevenferrell9493]

meaninglez100 Seen it with my own eyes at the Tretyakov gallery in Moscow. It’s downright horrifying - and huge. It’s an enormous painting. It makes people visibly uncomfortable when looking at it.

[@kaybevang536]

It’s like Ivan was shocked on what he just did to his son

[@johntate8502]

@@kaybevang536 Ivan was pretty damn shaken when he killed his son. Ivan immediately threw himself at his son, kissing his face and trying to stop the bleeding, whilst repeatedly crying, "May I be damned! I've killed my son! I've killed my son!" The younger Ivan briefly regained consciousness and was reputed to have said: "I die as a devoted son and most humble servant". For the next few days, the elder Ivan prayed incessantly for a miracle, but to no avail, and the Tsarevich died on 19 November 1581.

[@MrScary-rz8od]

Imagine living with that painting in your home and how morbidly depressed you would become after a few days. Jesus that painting is horrifying, the eyes are so haunting...

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

@@kaybevang536 He probably was shocked, having found himself in the Repin's picture, where he is killing his son, whom he had never killed...

[@sepulchrums]

It’s crazy how paintings can capture so many emotions.

[@johnmiller8975]

including the nutcase that seriously damaged that painting

[@minhtran7431]

It may not be real though. The contemporary source was a book that was unpublished by the author because the source he heard from was kind of a rumor

[@5ynth3ticNZ]

I painted the sun in the top corner of my picture when I was a kid and my my told me off because sun's aren't that big and you cant see the rays. Completely unrelated but thanks for letting me share.

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

That's not an emotion.. that's termed as "resting Putin face".

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

@@5ynth3ticNZ I was told the same thing.. and that the sun does not have eyes or smile. Ridiculous.

[@sethortiger]

Russian history in five words : And then, things got worse.

[@dshe8637]

Poor Russia 😔

[@taariqblackwell5134]

In other words only in russia.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

Lol it’s so true. Never been good there

[@UlfhedinnNorsk]

Sethor Tiger 😂 True to this day!

[@lagitanavderoscio]

That;s what I meant!

[@mumtazsheikh690]

-abusive childhood -tortured animals - unbridaled power with no consequences -religous zealot -dysfunctional family -extreme paranoia It's like someone copied a "how to make a serial killer" pamphlet

[@fukkitful]

I wonder if he was also a pyromaniac... or wet the bed. Which oddly are other red flags.

[@stevenwebb3634]

Or didn't use Squarespace

[@stevenwebb3634]

It's like a recipe for a serial killer

[@oliveraradonjic8425]

everything in this video i sa lie , Ivann the terible was the best liders for Russia but thaths why his ennemys from the wast made up fake history...

[@russianprincess3673]

This is Leftist Progressive Liberal FAKE NEWS & UNTRUTHS

[@gent9358]

Ivan had: His Father die when he was just a baby His Mother assassinated for power Being completely neglected, even though being a Prince Any power he could have taken away from him Seeing people being tortured in front of him No surprise he became a sociopath.

[@khalilsmith6812]

Ivan The Terrible, The First Stalin? More like Joseph Stalin, The Second Ivan

[@lagitanavderoscio]

this too

[@itsblitz4437]

Or the second coming of Ivan.

[@lagitanavderoscio]

@@itsblitz4437 That's cute. He's not that relevant.

[@BSKX17]

Joseph Stalin: Return of the Ivan

[@lagitanavderoscio]

@@BSKX17 this is better.

[@YinsDarkNess]

I love the painting of Ivan holding his son so much, it truly captures the madness and despondency in his eyes.

[@nicholsjoshua15]

Ivan The Terrible the true mean of the saying "You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain."

[@yamchathewolf7714]

He was always a piece of garbage

[@bendover7841]

@@yamchathewolf7714 he was mentally ill

[@luisaguilar5343]

I mean he was a kid ordering a murder and beating up people so I don't think he was a hero at any point tbh

[@ИльяТкачев-у4н]

Compared to Henry VIII and other European monarchs, he was an innocent child playing in the sandbox. During the entire reign of Ivan the Terrible, 4,000 people were executed, and under Henry VIII, no less than 72,000 people were executed. As for the murder of a son, this is a myth. Excavations have revealed in the remains of Dmitry a huge amount of arsenic, which was a common poison at that time.

[@MsJubjubbird]

Reminds me a bit of the Caligula story. Bit of a jerk with a troubled childhood who is an OK ruler- then becomes very sick and recovers as a complete psychopath

[@newguy90]

I have this theory that these people's morality was dependent on devout religiosity and the promise of an afterlife. When they had their near death experience and realized all that awaited them was nothingness, they no longer had a reason to abstain from debauchery and cruelty.

[@trevorc41]

@@newguy90 well idk if you can say that when he was a piece of crap his whole life.

[@trevorc41]

@@newguy90 oh and he went mad even more so because of syphilis.

[@DonVinny]

@@trevorc41 who did?

[@trevorc41]

@@DonVinny sorry don't remember anymore prob the guy in the video. If you get syphilis it causes early dementia basically.

[@maxhaly1612]

Joseph Stalin at the grave of Ivan the Terrible: "I will finish, what you started."

[@harleymitchell8093]

Dead xD

[@lfc7763]

Stalin was much worse.

[@zacharycrater2588]

Guess who's at the grave of Stalin now thinking this? 😉

[@PeterGregoryKelly]

When Russia is without a tyrant it falls into chaos. The years following Gorbachev were years of anarchy during which Russia's GDP declined by 1/2 until Putin applied his bloody hand and stabilised the economy. Same story repeating itself like Groundhog Day. Same as the last days of the inept Romanovs, anarchy until the Bolsheviks imposed their own order of terror. Prediction, after Putin will come a weaker less intelligent leader and anarchy until another tyrant. It's the Russian way.

[@zacharycrater2588]

@@PeterGregoryKelly Its the human way. Eventually this will be the US in some form.

[@sarahlamoureux1454]

"Grozny" can be translated as "terrifying" or "fearsome". In the past, "terrible" also had that meaning in English.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

Funny fact, its the name of the capital of the autonomous republic of chechnya

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

@@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014 Finally! So, it can't be Terriblble, you idiots, to start with!

[@Mcquiz95]

In Estonian it's translated as "Julm" which means cruel.

[@aspermwhalespontaneouslyca8938]

It's wierd how in Bulgarian we just transcript "Грозный" as "Грозни", because it just means "ugly", the correct translation would be "Страшни". Ivan's nickname seems to be coincidentally mistranslated in almost every language.

[@sp24699]

@@Mcquiz95 In Finnish it's "Julma", with the same meaning. Is Estonian is just unfinnished Finnish then?

[@Iksvomid]

If Ivan used Squarespace, he wouldn't had become so terrible.

[@lagitanavderoscio]

the treasure at the end of the rainbow - you got the real message. Lot's of Russians tuned in to this one.

[@Stizz2Gone]

Iksvomid true

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

He didn't, without using Squarespace...

[@cccp9661]

bruh .. lmfao

[@insane_troll]

And speaking of a path to hell .... Squarespace!

[@stoneman472]

Few things are more depressing than Russian history

[@wagniak]

Yes! What the hell is in the water there?

[@noahamankwaah9802]

@@wagniak I mean, have you seen the climate out there!? No wonders they became *cold* mfs

[@wagniak]

@@noahamankwaah9802 Haha you're right about that! It has to be some sort of brain freeze that goes on up there lol. There you go, science! Test out that theory!

[@TheGoldenboss100]

@@noahamankwaah9802 but then Scandinavia is pretty nice

[@helenhamilton9561]

Reading Russian Novels.

[@sjk6101983]

It always seems like when a ruler gets sick, when he gets better, he gets crazier

[@defeatignorance8681]

Actually Henry VIII became far more empathetic and a better king after his near death experience.

[@saltygrandpajoe6375]

Not crazy just well informed about those around them. 🤨

[@googane7755]

Having a near death experience obviously changes people and make them re-assess how they view the world. Ivan saw the Boyars as his enemies after they refused his dying wish.

[@DestinyHime]

When people get sick the body gets a fever in an attempt to kill the thing that's killing it. Unfortunately the body is dumb and it's method of killing the invading bacteria/virus/whatever is to raise the body temperature until the whatever gets cooked to death. Which on the one hand is good but on the other hand if the whatever is on the resilient side, and the body temperature just keeps rising, sometimes the person dies before that whatever gets good and properly roasted. And on the occasions that someone did survive, then they had to deal with the lasting side effects cuz if someone's brain hangs out at 105 degrees for awhile... it... well let's just say it's not good.

[@seekerfound9150]

suddenly faced with an utter lack of control can do that to people who don't take kindly to "no"

[@snakeeater3982]

"Ivan may have been the first crazed autocrat to terrorize Russia, but he would not be the last" Being a Russian myself in this day and age hits way closer to home than you'd think.

[@Odysseus1999]

I was looking for a comment like this

[@Sirzhukov]

Stop wiggling your tail in front of western idiots. This video is horribly biased and downright incorrect. Just like with most crap on this channel.

[@OldHeathen1963]

@@Odysseus1999 oh sweet nothings don't mean nothin at all...

[@vineetchaudhary3608]

Do Russians really eat snakes???

[@БогданРезнік]

And being a Ukrainian myself, this hits even closer to home than you'd think (but you won't think).

[@appleciderhorror12]

"Hey, this kid likes to torture animals. How about we let him do the same with peasants?" Russian Nobles: "Sounds good to me"

[@WouldBeGamer]

Muiggu .... go on

[@turtleanton6539]

Those Russian s

[@youngbloodnba]

Hahah this is so bad.

[@tottenhamhotspurish]

You should join the ASOV battalion in the Ukraine. There a ‘good’bunch of Neo Nazis.

[@ericmarley7060]

Immediately after Ivan hit his son, Ivan immediately threw himself at his son, kissing his face and trying to stop the bleeding, whilst repeatedly crying, "May I be damned! I've killed my son! I've killed my son!" Then the younger Ivan briefly regained consciousness and was reputed to have said "I die as a devoted son and most humble servant".

[@noelrobin8674]

He should have hit his dad back he was gonna die anyways

[@nicholasshade]

I want to be YOUR Tsar.🌻🖤

[@swissnikk8412]

I’ve listened to a few of these bio-videos already. Striking how all these terrible autocrats all lacked father figures during childhood. Either they had already died, or were very abusive or had abandoned their families early on.

[@wsg4847]

@ahmedaaqib4380 I would say he's saying what you think he's trying to say.

[@swissnikk8412]

@Ahmed Aaqib what are you thinking I’m trying to say?

[@pyromania1018]

"You will have a wicked son. Your states will be prey to terror and tears. Rivers of blood will flow. Your cities will be devoured in flames." ~Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem

[@marseldagistani1989]

Wasn't Moscow burned during the Napoleonic wars?

[@pradyumn2692]

@@marseldagistani1989 I guess he was talking to Napoleon's father.

[@pyromania1018]

No. This was the prediction made by the "religious man" after Ivan's dad divorced his wife and married Elena, an impoverished patrician young enough to be his daughter.

[@ronque23]

The Stroganoff’s were a beefy people.

[@RickReasonnz]

Don't get saucy

[@therunningman1]

More like Strokinoff.

[@ycart_tech6726]

mmmppphhh...cheesy!

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

Ron, chefs cannot govern countries...

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

@Eugene You little boring piece of crap, create something more interesting, or at least steal from somebody clever...Your copy and paste doesn't do you any good. Your salary will drop significantly this way very soon...

[@AftermathRV]

"Would be 10.000 hours long and would give all of us PTSD" A small price to pay for 10.000 hours of narrated warcrimes by (what my humble opinion is) one of the better narrators of youtube.

[@BaderAlOudah]

AftermathRV who would be better than Simon?

[@Dragon-Believer]

If you ever think about learning more about Russian History, don't. It's even more depressing than you think.

[@RageNukes]

@@BaderAlOudah Dan Carlin

[@BaderAlOudah]

RageNuke I’ll check him out

[@RageNukes]

@@BaderAlOudah His show is called Hardcore History. And if you really want 10,000 hours, then enjoy. The stories he tells are sooo long, but they are absolutely incredible. I recommend you start with his series "Blueprint for Armageddon."

[@MidnightMan5001]

"Look alive, crème de la Kremlin's arriving! Try to serve Ivan: NO surviving!"

[@ChunzBunz]

"Smack ya hard then hit the bottle!"

[@HEROXLX]

Lol

[@benshell8662]

You're nothin but an overrated lush, I'll crush ya

[@tsarpeteri8578]

IgnitedSage idiots

[@TrueRetroflection]

Ben Shell “I’m the first Tsar of all of Russia!”

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:25 - Chapter 1 - An evil will spawn an evil spawn 5:05 - Chapter 2 - Building the 3rd rome 8:20 - Chapter 3 - The fires of victory 10:40 - Chapter 4 - The jaws of defeat 13:45 - Mid roll ads 15:35 - Chapter 5 - The oprichina 18:30 - Chapter 6 - War is over 21:50 - Chapter 7 - The price of peace

[@EASYTIGER10]

Trying to invade Moscow? Those Tartars had some sauce.

[@Beyonder1987]

Long time ago. Even the Poles invaded and occupied moscow. The Polish lol

[@johnbockelie3899]

Ivan: " Just keeping up with that " Dracula" character over in Transylvania".

[@johnbockelie3899]

" Ahhh, I feel like torturing today,........YOU there, .......COME HERE !!".

[@southparkundersecretwisdom3230]

Poles achieved what Hitler or Napoleon could not

[@lashlarue7924]

😂🤣😂 You win the internet! 😂😂

[@Mykil47]

“But just before we get to that path to hell” lol brilliant segue into your sponsor.

[@AlvosElRey]

Right? I didn't know someone else noticed. Beautiful xD

[@eval_is_evil]

You are one of the rare commenters that properly spell the word "segue". Ave rector :)

[@Mykil47]

Tomi thank you, I try. And is that Latin? I know Ave means “hail” I think, like Ave Satani. Idk what rector means though. :?

[@VoiceWLogan]

I was just thinking that! 🤣

[@IDontWantThisStupidHandle]

Hmm, so the Romanov fame started and ended with an Anastasia... it's somewhat poetic, no?

[@lagitanavderoscio]

no it's bloody is what it is

[@StephenButlerOne]

Bloody poetic, one could say.

[@lagitanavderoscio]

@@StephenButlerOne lol

[@scottklocke891]

@@StephenButlerOne zthe conditon

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

No, this is simply for about how much you know about Romanovs.

[@williamtheconqueror7807]

"Do not wish to become a hero, for when the times and ages change, the gallant hero to the despicable villain becometh."

[@bretthess6376]

I assume this is a quote, where is it from please?

[@abookishmess]

👀 commenting to find out

[@williamtheconqueror7807]

@@bretthess6376 I made it up back then.

[@folkishappalachian6827]

Essentially once William the Conqueror, then William the Bastard. Perception is subservient to father time.

[@creativeschmuck8132]

When Ramsey Bolton and Joffrey have a kid.

[@creativeschmuck8132]

@@user-hm4cd8eh1i You sir are a genius!

[@jakkydrakki2289]

@@user-hm4cd8eh1i woooooosh

[@AvoidTheCadaver]

Didn't Ramsey get fed to his dogs? So strictly speaking...he was a Boyar

[@ksj2936]

@@user-hm4cd8eh1i ill see you on r/woooosh

[@linxionthe1th197]

@@user-hm4cd8eh1i They actually can, have you heard about a little word called a Donor?

[@redadmiralofvalyria867]

Honestly the fact that ONE of his wives was a Romanov is like divine destiny Especially considering how long the "house of Romanov" lasted compared to Ivan's reign

[@СергейТурутин-ч6г]

Лол, Иван Грозный -Рюрикович, время царствования его род ведет с 862 -1598 годы.

[@redadmiralofvalyria867]

​@СергейТурутин-ч6г Yeah, I actually realized that after looking up the Ruikids 😂 Should have known comparing a dynasty v a single ruler would be accurate, like comparing the Tudors(1485-1603) to Elizabeth 1st(1533-1606) Isn't it pretty ironic though that the Romanovs(Connected through/via marriage) got the throne after all was said & done? 👀

[@thewinteragendadraganclove2323]

To abuse a child in unspeakable ways and then give them almost absolute power, is the true anarchy of the plight we inflict upon ourselves.

[@HellenBach]

This man's trapped inside that studio making 8 videos a day, do you ever sleep?

[@aldhizak]

thats Terrible

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

No. His owners don't let him.

[@okaynevermind5130]

Simon answer that ! :'(

[@hollybyrd6186]

They throw him some kfc once in a while.

[@shahrulamar5358]

@@gfhomeNevashedelo 😃😮😃

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

What if Russia was big, said Ivan trying not to be terrible

[@satanasteguarda]

Goddamn you, now I have to watch that video again.

[@TheDeathshot44]

^

[@SumiNaga19]

I'm stupid I don't get way u mean

[@sharkbyte1565]

@@SumiNaga19 its from a video titled history of the entire world I guess

[@sharkbyte1565]

you can make a religion out of this

[@birdwife589]

that painting of him holding his son is so scary

[@MJSpiritual]

I always found that painting of Ivan holding his dead son pretty damned disturbing. The look of horror in the eyes is incredibly realistic.

[@kaybevang536]

“What if Russia is big said Ivan trying not to be terrible “ - Bill Wurtz

[@ssrmy1782]

Stalin would read everything he could get his hands on relating to Ivan. He was obsessed with him, and would frequently cite Ivan's methods of liquidating the Boyars as justification for his own decimation of friends, enemies & strangers alike.

[@jla6558]

Putin's idol was Stalin as he researched Russian history. Stalin's Idols were Hitler and Ivan the Terrible who were thoroughly studied. For a preview of the tactics under consideration by today's equally paranoid leaders of Russian conquest and genocide special operations, study the atrocities committed by the genocidal special operation campaigns of these earlier autocrats/dictators/csars.

[@richardarmstrong9770]

*Romanovs* : save Russian from Ivans bloodline *Russians* : Kill the Romanovs *Romanovs ghosts* : how many times do we have to teach you this lesson old man *Stalin* : now this looks like a job for me

[@Captain_Mercury]

actually Rasputin killed the romanovs

[@richardarmstrong9770]

Actually comrade they were killed in the basement by their own guards.

[@acidmack1041]

@@richardarmstrong9770 They were not killed by their own guards they were killed by the Ural Cheka who were the Bolsheviks secret police and were keeping the captive, the Romanov's own guards were long gone by that point, a lot of them murdered

[@acidmack1041]

@deekat3279 again, they were not killed by their own guards they were killed by the local Ural Cheka, Lenin's Bolshevik secret police who were keeping them captive

[@richardarmstrong9770]

Well regardless they believed them to be on their side and didnt realize their fate until the last moment it was a poor execution too they pumped dozens of bullets into the tzars wife and children. Because they had all that jewel encrusted clothing on.

[@TheMan-je5xq]

So we could call him Ivan “Stormborn”?

[@justcallmpeter]

Ivan the psychopath

[@JuniorJuni070]

No terrible is just fine.

[@enclaveofdoom]

Ivan the stormbringer

[@cyanide_lollipop3264]

...if only he'd had some dragons...

[@gent9358]

In the original Russian version he is essentially called Ivan the Warmonger.

[@andrewmosby6004]

Incredibly late, but thank you all once again for helping me as a primary source for a research paper. Your retelling of history is always a pleasure to listen to.

[@СветланаАбрамова-и6м]

Quote Ivan the Terrible: "Everything that happened to us bad, it all happened because of the Germans!“ "Has anyone ever met an honest man with blue eyes?“ "If you want to easily defeat a country, start feeding it with your own food." "God would rather forgive a hanged man than one who died because of vanity" " It is not proper for noble men to scold like commoners." "If a king is struck on the cheek, is it proper for him to substitute the other? How can a king rule the Kingdom if he allows himself to be dishonored?!"

[@i.victorian1266]

"I've been waiting for this episode for so long" THANK YOU SIMON Edit: This episode could of easily been a full hour and I wouldn't be mad at it. Thanks again Simon!

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

Think more...

[@darklink1113]

I read once that Ivan and Elizabeth the First were pen pals, and once asked her to marry him, and she actually considered the proposal.

[@jovee6155]

Great early start at ruling? Check Loved by his subjects? Check Fell ill and recovered a changed man? Check Is it Caligula? Nope it's Ivan IV

[@comradestalin9444]

Russians call him Ivan the terrible not because he was a bad ruler, we gave him this nickname since everyone feared Ivan. Even us Russians

[@26adex]

Only Russians feared him. When he was alive in Poland he was called Ivan the Coward for example

[@comradestalin9444]

@@26adex As they hated him, Ivan was a ruthless sadistic ruler and everyone knew it.

[@isachan0o844]

Oof those final lines about history repeating itself over and over hits differently now

[@registeelix]

You know what would be truly *terrible* ? If you don't do your biography at one million subscribers!

[@viktor9461]

He already said he won't.

[@2sexyfomyshirt]

@@viktor9461 really why not I'd love to learn about simon lol

[@viktor9461]

@@2sexyfomyshirt don't know, maybe he prefers not to describe his life to everyone.

[@DarkComatose15]

Rex Fulgur HE SHOULD

[@2sexyfomyshirt]

@@viktor9461 that's understandable

[@Kalababu08]

Impeccable story telling skills!

[@araspaulius]

I thoroughly enjoy your content, I love how you do promotions, balancing between selling out and leaving us wanting more. You deserve your views and subscribers, I see the effort you put into speech and timing. Professional cool and interesting content. Your professionalism inspires me, truly.

[@UnknowableThen]

I love the painting of Ivan so much, it portrays an emotion I can never fully understand.

[@Kryptix0III]

the ending aged incredibly well...

[@vickigrove8549]

The Time of Troubles would be worth its own video, I think. Pretenders to the throne, the occupation of Moscow by Poland, a treaty with Sweden, and national victory led by a prince and a former butcher! Stuff of legend!

[@LemurMaster]

So glad to see this. I name all my pets after history's villains, and our new kittens are Ivan and Genghis. We loved your breakdown of Genghis so much, it convinced my wife to embrace the name!

[@kjelltheviking6756]

When are you going to add Alexander?

[@michaelhurley3171]

You must have some very naughty pets 😈

[@mariano98ify]

@@kjelltheviking6756 "after history's villains" maybe to the persians he was a villain

[@kjelltheviking6756]

@@mariano98ify Well, that's not "history's villains" that's what western European's thought of as villains. Completely different since history's villains implies objective outlook on "villains" vs your subjective outlook on "villains". Nice try on quoting though like I couldn't read or comprehend what was said. Next time you try to "correct" someone make sure you're actually smarter than them sweetheart. :)

[@LemurMaster]

@ŇøHă Ģ. The trend began for me when I lived next door to a cat named "Adolph" who had a little black mustache, of course.

[@coldramen_1]

could you do a biography on Franz Liszt? many people that aren’t interested in piano music might not know him, but he changed so much about instrumental music

[@marinova1147]

I love his music but sadly know nothing about music in general so his brilliance is probably wasted on me. Could you recommend me a book or a video discussing what he changed about instrumental music?

[@coldramen_1]

@@marinova1147 I don’t know any books or documentaries, the knowledge I have on Liszt is what I have learned from music professors. The 2 major things that I remembered is that he created piano masterclasses and he was the first pianist to have music memorized in his performances. He also has produced some of the most amazing piano compositions of all time, the most famous being Hungarian Rhapsody 2. There’s probably some books or documentaries out there to find information on him, or at least he’s probably mentioned in romantic music history books/documentaries

[@terricovill8487]

The aspect of Biographies that I really enjoy (besides the history lessons) is the humor that the presentor interjected whilst narrating! I love a dry sense of humor!

[@atelierirae]

"Ivan the Dreaded" would be a good translation, but the inaccurate translation is most definitely accurate. 😄

[@borealsullivan5486]

Terrible and Dreaded are essentially synonyms, so...

[@stephenwarhurst6615]

Stalin quote - Everyone remembers Ivan the Terrible no one remembers the names of the Boyars

[@wadeyap5566]

"Imagine forest of corpses dripping on a buffet you call that a nightmare I call that a Tuesday" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@prikolicca]

Wrong person

[@scaryclouds1403]

Wrong person

[@DrLesleyStevens]

I'm surprised this makes no. Mention of the effects of syphilis on his mental state and behavior, which byy research played a role.

[@rerunson740]

You tell 'em Lesley...🤣

[@vechnoezabvenie]

He did pretty much the same as your Henry VIII did: consolidate the realm, for which he centralized the power, repressed the old elites and created new ones, and passed a lot of state reforms.

[@dylanthepickle6428]

No one can do a segue from “path to hell” to “squarespace” like Simon.

[@TheGenZProgrammer]

9:40 You either die knowing that you were a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a monster

[@diarradunlap9337]

Apropos not only for Ivan "Grozny" (Ivan the Awe-inspiring, Ivan the Terrible), but also for Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

Crazy stuff

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

You either live long and think hard before opening your mouth or you die hard and suffer long when you open your mouth before it.

[@alejandrodecesare5929]

Sounds like a Game of Thrones meme

[@jimoyster387]

Yeah no worries Batman

[@herrmajestat]

You forgot the part when they built St. Basil’s Cathedral and Ivan took their eyes away just so they won’t build anything more beautiful

[@seaturtlepoppy7679]

If that is true, that has got to be one of the most creative forms of torture I have ever heard of. I can’t imagine what that would feel like ...

[@MrVlad12340]

Seaturtle Poppy that is not true since same architects built other buildings later on, we dont know how he treated them but at least they had to have eyes to work.

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

Oh, Dear! This is episode from Tarkovsky's film! This isn't about Ivan, his time or even Moscaw, you idiot!

[@krazylyte]

gfhome1933 Nevashedelo lol what a fool

[@jacobgalloway9123]

This is truly enlightening. Thank you to you and your team!

[@brucethomson3242]

Dear Simon, please please please do not stop making these sublime videos, they're perfect.

[@doctornova3015]

My nickname for my younger sister (6 years my junior) was Ivan the Terrible. She had such a habit of pinching and biting when she was very little, that my family began referring to her by the moniker as well. Fortunately she grew up to be a very smart and kind career woman as a 43 year old wife and mother.thank God. Those pinches left quite a mark .

[@normanthomas9065]

Lol

[@annikboyer3395]

This is why I love Russian history so much! Much of their leaders spice things up one way or the other.

[@shahrulamar5358]

RUTHLESS LEADERS ARE COMMON IN RUSSIAN HISTORY. 😮😮😮

[@stephenheath8465]

Catherine Reign was the closest Russia got to taste Democracy

[@footisman2059]

@@stephenheath8465 Nope, the closest Russia got to democracy was after the communist revolution, as they held an actual election.

[@lucianoosorio5942]

“I’m Terrible, there’s no great who could defeat this Russian.” Ivan the Terrible

[@marquisdelafayette1929]

You should do the Marquis de Lafayette and how he defied the king to fight for free at 19and supplied his soldiers under him with food, clothing and arms). He pushed for the extra help from the king and finally got it which led to Rochambeau and De Grasse combining their troops with Washington and won the Battle of Yorktown . When he came bam 50 years later and 80,000 people in NYC came out to see him. Compare to the 4,000 people out of 8 million for The Beatles.

[@atadbitahistory9660]

"Ivan had all 70 of them stripped naked in the snow, before setting their beards on fire". I can't be the only one that looked at Simon's precious beard after hearing that?

[@emiloopi]

Love this channel! I’m sick in bed and binge watching all the vids 🤗

[@rerunson740]

You are beautiful! Have a great day!!!

[@bushmanPMRR]

Looking back over history, the wars, famines, plagues, despotic leaders and everything else that went on and think to yourself "My ancestors somehow managed to survive through all those events which has led to me existing now" Then take a look at humanity in general today, give your head a wobble and consider, these times we live in now: wow! what a time to be alive!

[@murzagildin]

"Ivan the Terrible: Worse Than You Think"

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

You can think?! Are you sure?

[@iram5192]

@@gfhomeNevashedelo how old are you?

[@glenmartin2437]

During WW2, there was a Soviet radio announcer who apparently broadcasted from the Ural Mountains, repeated interfering with Radio Berlin - at one point, Radio Berlin went off the air for an hour. The announcer was sometimes referred to as Ivan the Terrible.

[@SerTasera]

I'm not sure why I like the music you play during the Squarespace ad so much, but it's the only time I never skip an ad after the first viewing.

[@Saurophaganax1931]

Stalin should have recieved the epitaph “The terrible” or something to that effect. “Stalin the terrible” or “Stalin the monstrous” or “Stalin the cruel”. Even the most conservative estimates of his death toll would still earn him such a name.

[@MrEvanfriend]

Russia has a very long history of misrule.

[@noxiansummoner1730]

Ye pls invade it now.

[@frank2223]

That is if you see it with your Western eyes, but Russia has always been troubled more by external problems (Invasions, mainly from the West) than by internal problems, it is when Russia was not involved in wars repelling invasions, they lived in peace and prosperity ..

[@Projectwheelsindia]

It’s great to see Johnny Sins changing his profession like any other day.

[@MegaDragonOfficial]

Hey Simon, thank you so for this epic explanation for such an epic man. We are a metal band based in Qingdao, China and we just wrote a metal ballad of Ivan's life, much of which was inspired by this very video. When the song is finished, we would love to send it to you! Keep up the great work!

[@donradkos6655]

Fun fact(s?) Ivan's invasion of Lithuania was what pushed the nation into a formal union with Poland, forming the much beloved Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During this time, Stefan Bathory, one of Poland's elector kings planned an invasion of Russia The pope himself promised to fund such invasion as he desired a strong catholic bulwark in the region. Bathory passed away shortly before the invasion became reality and eventually bore such a mention in Ivan the Terrible's court chronicler's records " He was the greatest enemy of Russia. His death brought us more joy than it did sorrow to the Polish"

[@je25ff]

"After all that carnage, all that suffering, it had been for nothing' Seems like a major trend in Russia even to this day.

[@willysweetwonkajoe1432]

So exactly when does Rocky Balboa come in on this story

[@jailinmatthews-brown6704]

"Look alive, Cremé de la Cremlin's arriving try to serve Ivan? No survivin' "

[@Enigmatic_Lurker]

It's pretty bad, but for the first half of this video I just kept thinking "There are so many horrible, leaders throughout history who committed such _terrible_ deeds that I fail to see how Ivan was "more" terrible than modern people might have thought."

[@Fatherwader]

this dude has to be one of the best storytellers. he would have been a great history teacher, love his tiny opinions he inserts as well, my fav youtube channel

[@flibnit1]

Ivan: "The 16th Century Stalin? Uh-uh, no. Stalin was the 20th Century ME, okay?"

[@theparadigm8149]

Lol! 😂

[@jevinday]

That was great! I never learned about these kinds of historical figures in American school. Thanks for doing what you guys do

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

You'd better remaind nnocenrly ignorsnt then... Now you'll need to wash it all down the toilet for a long long time... before you'll find out the actual truth...

[@Lawliet734]

Your videos have improved over the early ones, but I still cannot treat them as anything but podcasts.

[@traviswhitfield8045]

Ivan the Terrible: "Look at me! I'm a monster!" Joseph Stalin: "Yawn"

[@Stormkrow280]

Ivan the Terrible: you are doing good Joseph, but you can do better, really get into the oppression now.

[@somedude1068]

People: Why did you do this?? Stalin: Ivan in my head told me to...

[@KageNoTora74]

Ivan the Fearsome would be an apt translation.

[@CommodoreFloopjack78]

The house cook wasn't Chef BOYAR-Dee, right? HAHAHAHAHA!! That's freaking hilarious!! I'll see myself out.

[@alejandrodecesare5929]

Queen Elena got served with a Boyardee Soup... a soup to for...I hope it was at least delicious

[@the_astrokhan]

In 1557 Sigmund II August was King of Poland but Grand Duke of the Grand duchy of Lithuania. The picture shown was that of Sigismund III Vasa, who was king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (which didn't exist before 1569). It might be a small detail but when trying to teach people about historical facts, it matters.

[@loveisinportant5570]

It's good that I mostly listen to these videos. Some of these earlier episodes are cropped so weirdly that I keep reflexively trying to scroll down to get Simon's entire head into the frame of the video. So much shirt, so little head.

[@shaggythewriter8185]

I thought that 8:12 was about to be the lead in to the sponsorship plug like, "..what better way to claim the title of the third Rome than to launch a..." website with Square Space I guess lol

[@siegel947]

biographics makes learning historic figures much interesting to research more historical events...

[@Kurtlane]

A few corrections and additions: The proper translation would be "Ivan the Stormy" or "Ivan the Tempestuous." Although "Terrible" is more appropriate. The Saint Basil Cathedral was built by Barma and Postnik Yakovlevs on the order of Ivan to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. The Grand Dutchy of Moscovy was not so tiny when Ivan IV came to rule. It was the largest and the most powerful of Russian dutchies, thanks to Ivan's ancestors Ivan I, Ivan II, Ivan III and a few others. Ivan IV's grandfather Ivan III married Sophia Paleologue, a Byzantine Greek princess, granddaughter of Manuel II Paleologue. This marriage made it possible for Muscovy, and later Russia, to claim direct descent from Byzantine throne, thus making it the third Rome (Byzantium being the second.) The claim became more persuasive after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Ivan IV called himself The Tzar of all Russias (not all Russians). There were lots of Russian dutchies at the time. Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky who repelled and defeated the Crimean Khan in 1572 was tortured to death the next year on obviously false charges. Ivan himself participated in the torture.

[@gfhomeNevashedelo]

Not appropriate. In such not bad research of official Russian history, you have few mistakes. Not talking about the fact that there is official Russian history and there is true Russian history. Make your pick...

[@Kurtlane]

@@gfhomeNevashedelo , what mistakes did I make?

[@gipsydanger7379]

Could you cover Otto Skorzney? The SS commando leader who rescued Benito Mussolini. And who would later work for the Mossad.

[@darthdonkulous1810]

I would love to see that, to be fair. Great shout!

[@norrij01]

Now that’s a man that knew how to craft a story of a life, irrespective of the actual merit.

[@seaturtlepoppy7679]

I think it’s been done by now (?).

[@kerrymitchell9901]

@@darthdonkulous1810 ⁶⁷8⁸a

[@desdes5622]

Admiring Ivan the Terrible is probably the biggest red flag I never thought of before.

[@christianwestling2019]

9:43 "You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain" - Harvey Dent