Reaction to Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible. Epic Rap Battles of History

[@whatitdodave]

My ERB reaction playlist! kzbin.info/aero/PLG217Y9Pofu6dn2PNbn71uh36sa2Hmjf6

[@kirby009ful]

@WHAT IT DO DAVE Novgorod is a city in Russia Dave

[@optimusprowse6448]

And about Pompey the Great... He was killed before he could give a speech. So yeah. that was that. :D

[@buffyjosmom]

Yes Novgorod is and was a real city that Ivan sacked. Vasilivich simply means son of Vasily, Ivan’s Russian name was Ivan Vasilyvich as his father’s name was Vasily. Yes Ivan died while playing a game of chess lol. Bucephalus was Alexander’s horse. Supposedly Bucephalus was considered too wild to tame, Alexander’s father was gonna have the horse killed, teenaged Alexander noticing the horse was spooked by its own shadow went in, turned the horse so he couldn’t see his shadow, got on him and rode him so his father gave him to him and Alexander was the only one the horse would allow on his back. Lol they were chanting Old Fritz which was Frederick The Great’s nick name. Lol Yes that line was about Frederick himself, there was a rumor that he was well gay. Yes that’s what happened to Frederick, he asked for a chair, sat down, fell asleep and died. Ok the horse story lol. Well Catherine’s enemies started a rumor that her sexual appetite was so great that it could only be satisfied by a horse. The rumor was that she died when the hoist holding up her horse broke while she was trying to have intercourse with her horse. However it wasn’t true, she died in her own bed of a stroke, thus the that horse story is a pile of s$&@. If you’d like to know more about Ivan, Catherine and Russian history I recommend watching Russia Land Of The Tsars.

[@eazeprestige8853]

I didnt know that about Pompey so I guess his part makes sense hahah

[@Epic0201]

Oh that actually is quite interesting they even played with that, i knew most of the other's stories but that one i didn't know, nice

[@ms_scribbles]

@@eazeprestige8853 Yep, he was caught and beheaded by Egyptian soldiers because Ptolemy thought it would please Caesar if they got rid of his enemy. It...REALLY didn't. Caesar was *pissed* that a Consul of Rome (even one he's fighting a war against) was beheaded like a common criminal by foreigners.

[@eazeprestige8853]

@@ms_scribbles hahaha ptolemy was trying to kiss ass and it backfired

[@xaderalert]

The "oblique attack tactics-ain't exactly straight" is a double. Frederick was known for his unconventional tactics in battle (specifically his "Oblique" tactic) not attacking straight on. But also, it is fairly well accepted that he was gay, aka "not exactly straight"

[@ruesurnameunimportant4816]

It made me laugh how hard he avoided the obvious!

[@world4saker]

the funny thing people accepted same sex love but then that cult Christianity came up

[@langdonledwig3734]

Except it is not a cult. And that is historically not true

[@world4saker]

@@langdonledwig3734 any religion that has the top guys as all knowing and you must fear him and must give everything to him, drink his special juice that is apart of him is you want to be saved and waiting for the end of the world to be in paradise. so many churches get money from it people but everything goes to the church they dont do things for everyone and the one that do, well those are the outliers.

[@theunsmartasian1087]

@@world4saker did you know that Frederick the Great was alive during 1700s? Which, get this, was after Christianity “came up”

[@derekfnord]

Catherine's closing line ("Empress to Tsar 8, bitch. Checkmate") is like 4 layers deep. I think it may be the single deepest line in any ERB. 1. Catherine was the 8th Tsar to rule the Russian Empire. 2. "Empress to Tsar 8" would be the Russian equivalent of saying "Queen to King 8" in chess, and the 8th rank would be the opposing king's starting space. So she's literally announcing taking the opposing king's place. 3. Like you mentioned, her beating Ivan in a chess game finishes off the theme in the whole video of each character dying the way they did in life (Alexander poisoned, Frederick in his chair, Pompey before he could talk (to Ptolemy in real life, or to the audience here), and Ivan playing chess). Only Catherine's death method, since the story about dying during sex with a horse was a lie, doesn't come true. 4. She way she pronounces "Tsar 8, bitch," it sounds a lot like "Tsarevich." So rather than addressing Ivan with the respect due the 1st Tsar, she calls him "son of the tsar." Plus, her whole vibe when she says it suggests she's using it less like a honorific and more like a diminutive... like, Run along and play now, little Tsarevich; Mommy's busy running the empire! 🤣

[@whatitdodave]

Jesus Christ what a bar!!!

[@bowdennthani732]

It'd like to add: 5. It is also a continuation from the previous bar, when she said "Don't call me queen, I'm far more Great". Since an Empress rules over an empire, which is greater than a kingdom - the domain of a queen.

[@Kupcake_MH]

Bro that’s crazy

[@CallofFreaky]

That’s insane. Thanks for this comment

[@darrenmcentire2374]

I missed that 4th layer actually damn

[@Sovreign071]

The chanting during Frederick's intro is "Old Fritz," which was his nickname.

[@ThomasVanhala]

Yes and Fritz is also something the English sometimes use to refer to Germens like during the great war.

[@nicoerbschloe3575]

The “I win, Ivan, I Vanquish” bar is a double due to its sound-a-like phrase Veni, Vidi, Vici, meaning I came, I saw, I conquered

[@midlifecrisis2988]

Vasiliyvich basically means son of Vasily. Ivan’s son would be Ivanovich

[@frosteagle464]

Hey you are right but also he is bascially calling him a little bitch vasliyvich which yeah and vasilyvich is ivans father name which he took from him and yeah that whole thing is a triple lol but great bar

[@artembentsionov]

It’s another way of saying “Junior” in this context

[@frosteagle464]

@@artembentsionov your right and og course calling him a little bitch as well lol

[@Syllaren]

Frederick died in his chair of assumed natural causes. Which is why Ivan was surprised when he went to choke him and he had already died. Also yes he seems to have been gay, or at least bi.

[@undertakernumberone1]

It's also possible that his childhood traume of seeing his good friend Katte executed in front of him, caused him to be somewhat asexual.

[@artembentsionov]

Ivan’s jab at Alexander was that Alexander invaded and conquered already settled and civilized lands, but his empire collapsed after his death. Meanwhile Ivan expanded Russia east of the Ural Mountains into mostly unsettled lands, and later tsars further expanded it all the way to the Pacific, and that territory is still Russian to this day

[@demonic_myst4503]

its still kind of an odd area to settle its like the northern areas of canda its apart the country but its not exactly too populated

[@shadowgunner1526]

@@demonic_myst4503 true, but its full of resources

[@demonic_myst4503]

@@shadowgunner1526 didnt know that the more you know thank you

[@johnirby8847]

Frederick makes fun of this by saying "Lions, and tigas, and bears, oh my!" Basically saying Ivan expanded in to a frozen land with no people to resist but couldn't push into Europe...or lands with people that could resist.

[@Metalhammer1993]

The horse story Ivan and Catherine alluded to was a lie Catherine's enemies spread, that she died having sex with a horse because just no man was enough anymore because she had "won herself out" and needed something bigger, you know like a horse. (horses have up to a meter down there)

[@copocopocopocopo]

It's probably sad that I know WHY they have a meter down there.

[@jebVlogs556]

@@copocopocopocopo yup

[@edwardblair4096]

It also fits with the theme that the characters in the battle die the same way as they did in real life. Ivan brings out the horse to "take care" of Catherine, but it doesn't work because the story was a lie.

[@rickypedia999]

@@edwardblair4096 I like how Catherine was _going_ to spare Ivan until he took that poor shot at her, so she came back to end it by bringing up his Chess death

[@ms_scribbles]

I love when ERB actually goes back to full-on history instead of always celebrities. There is SO much history packed into this one.

[@ms_scribbles]

Yeah, when Ivan had himself crowned the first Tsar, he was declaring himself the divine ruler of all of Russia. Also, he was Russian Orthodox, not Catholic. Novgorod was a real city, and a really big city at that for the time. As for why...nobody really knows, but Ivan was seriously insane and was prone to acts of violence when his paranoia overwhelmed him. As Catherine mentions, he even murdered his own son in a fit of paranoid rage. Nobody actually knows why Alexander died, but poisoning was the biggest, most lasting rumor. It's entirely possible that Alexander poisoned himself with alcohol by drinking too much.

[@ms_scribbles]

Bucephalus was Alexander's beloved warhorse who was with him through almost his entire campaign, but died somewhere around Pakistan and was buried like a hero.

[@ms_scribbles]

"Ain't exactly straight" is a double reference. First, he's talking of his use of the "oblique order", which isn't exactly straight because it focuses most of his forces on one end of a line, rather than evenly across, to punch through one of the enemy's flanks. The other reference is to the fact that Frederick was gay. It gave him a lot of trouble when he was the crown prince, but didn't seem to do him much harm when he became King of Prussia. However, that might be because everyone was busy worrying about the wars going on in Europe at the time and only cared that Frederick was successful militarily. His father forced him to marry as a condition of his release from prison, but while they were distant and never had children, I haven't ever read any evidence that he was ever cruel to her as many kings with unwanted wives would be in those days.

[@ms_scribbles]

Each of the Greats in this video die as the real, historical people died...mostly. Or the biggest rumor if it's unknown, in Alexander's case. Frederick the Great died peacefully in his sleep while taking a nap in his favorite chair, Pompey the Great was beheaded in Egypt on his way to speak with the pharaoh, and then there's Catherine the Great who was rumored to have died by having sex with a horse, which...as she says in the battle, it's a pile of crap spread around by her political enemies who didn't like that a woman had ruled for so long and so well. So, as men have done for thousands of years whenever a woman became powerful, they claimed she was so full of lust that she even had sex with animals. (I mean, she was no meek virgin an really liked that D, that's for sure, but she was no more sex-crazed than any male ruler with mistresses.) Catherine actually died of a stroke.

[@Grizzleboi]

You had it right with Catherine! The rumor that spread about her death was that it was caused during intercourse with one of her horses, though it was obviously never proven.

[@FallingGalaxy]

In fact it never happened and all evidence says it never happened. It was just something nasty to say about a woman with power, a thing most people felt uncomfortable with to begin with (Even the teacher who raised her own son turned him against her telling him women shouldn't lead/be in power, etc). Then again even today people act like that, so I shouldn't be using past tense. It's still when a man acts aggressive people back him as a 'brave leader' when a woman acts aggressive people insult her as an 'aggressive bitch'. It's the typical double standard. At least we are slowly tackling it.

[@k.v.7681]

@@FallingGalaxy Absolutely not comparable. All leaders have opposing parties. She had them more than most not because of her gender as is. Russia was pretty ok with women on the throne (as shown with her husband's aunt). That was just a means taken from social norms as an excuse, and pretty minor in why people were against her. She was a foreigner (She was a germanic noblewoman) that barely spoke russian, that had more or less stolen power from her husband, the rightful ruler, as to stay on top as long as possible even refusing to cede power to her son (most likely a bastard), the rightful heir(at least officially), after said husband died. She was VERY promiscuous, which is a problem in a system based on hereditary monarchy. And It was also an issue with puritanical tought: how do you claim divine authority while being a "sinner"? In addition to that, she used her lovers as political chips on european thrones, dismantling countries (like Poland) trough those means, so obviously that's not gonna be very popular with the other powers on the continent. In addition to that she extended the serdom sytem to Ukraine, where it didn't exist. (Serfdom was by all means slavery. The people were just tied to land and their rulers rather than a direct owner), after cracking down on russian peasants and rewritting law to acquire more internal power. So what do we have? A person that weakened the power of her population, implemented a slavery system, dismantled countries and cultures, usurped her throne twice, established a political structure based on nepotism and sex, and had had a son whose lineage was dubious. It's slightly more complicated than "poor women are oppressed".

[@sabin97]

i wouldnt doubt that she was into that......those people(regardless of their genitalia) were quite excessive in everything. food. sex. murder. slavery.... EVERYTHING.....

[@EatDatBitchAwp]

@@FallingGalaxy people in those days were calling women aggressive bitch?? I’m not sure that’s the language they’d use☠️

[@JShepLord]

@@EatDatBitchAwp I mean... it'd probably be in Russian...

[@TheCanadianGuy56]

The novgorod is like the most savage sacking of a city we have ever seen. We still don't fully know what made him do it either (Ivan) they never directly apposed him.

[@TheCanadianGuy56]

Bhcephalus was the name of his horse.

[@TheCanadianGuy56]

9:00 fredrick the great used some weird tactics that involved spitting up his troops, he was also homosexual.

[@jebVlogs556]

@@TheCanadianGuy56 facts. I also about to comment on the name of the 🐎

[@jebVlogs556]

@@TheCanadianGuy56 was Alexander the great bisexual or something °~°. No disrespect though cause he ruled a huge areas from parts of East Africa all the way to conquering Persia(all of Persia) at that time Persia was very peaceful(beautiful women by the way) @whatitdodave and traveling the deserts and knowing where to lay traps was a huge part of military strats for Alex. And yes he laid with men(on a daily) why these guys did all this fornicating back than is Beyond me 😳💚too much Sodomizing going on. Oh and Alex mother didnt want him to marry any woman outside his race. She killed alot of women she thought was unworthy of having his kids(look her too) she was a monster 😢. But a woman,a foreign woman mind you that would bear Alexander's kids would have claims on all the lands he conquered(and that's what his mother looking at)so if he had thousands of let's say Persian slaves and they wanted to secretly unite under their new leader who happens to be sitting on the throne(if Alex were to die),there would be some violence and insurgence amongst the Persian and other slaves. They rule those lands within a short time knowing all it took was a women to overthrow him by "Inheritance" to rule. That's what his mother feared. Go rewatch Alexander the great and see the look in Angelina Jolie eyes as sges grooming up Alex. What I commented here @whatitdodave is all historically possible.

[@TheCanadianGuy56]

@@jebVlogs556 i have no idea on Alexander but a good portion of romans back then did have younger men around for that.

[@simonhinkel4086]

The chorus at the beginning of Frederick's verse was "OLD Fritz, Old Fritz". That was his nickname. In german 'Frederick' translates to 'Friedrich' and the german nickname for that is 'Fritz' or complete 'Der Alte Fritz'

[@thiagomclima2004]

And, intentionally, also sounds like Ahlquist, Lloyd's surname.

[@optimusprowse6448]

Novgorod was/is a city, and this is what I found about it: On January 6, 1570, Ivan the Terrible, accompanied by Tsarevich Ivan and 1,500 soldiers, rode outside the city gates and had the population massacred for over a month.

[@zaehelhm3099]

"I'm guessing Ivan the Terrible is Russian" Earlier in the battle "I'm the first Tsar of all of Russia" Well... I'd assume so :p

[@whatitdodave]

Safe assumption I’d bet 🤣

[@Malkisarath]

Can I just say it is so refreshing to hear a guy whos first response to the name Catherine the Great isn't "she f-ed a horse." Even after all this time people still spread that sh-t around. It is one thing I love about this ERB. Not only did they call that story out a pile of S, but it causes Ivan's downfall. He beat Alexander by poisoning him and Fredrick by giving him a chair to rest in fitting the criteria of their deaths. He was unable to kill Catherine because he supplied the wrong method allowing her to take him out with a Chess reference. It is not ERB's subtlest work but it one of my favorites.

[@artturisiikanen3843]

i fucking hate that dave did not know it.

[@scardeo]

Yo the way you work through the bars even if you don't fully understand them is impressive a lot of reactors will just skip over and not put a lot of thought into it.

[@mrmurph9387]

Bucephulas was Alexander's horse, it was a very famous steed and Alexander thought he was untouchable while riding him. He had so much respect for his horse he name a city after him once he concord it in Persia.

[@Peatingtune]

The "Oblique Order" is a battle formation designed to give one army a local advantage when they are outnumbered. If you had 10,000 guys facing 20,000 the idea with an Oblique formation was that you'd concentrate a huge chunk of your men in a single area. You're outnumbered overall, but in that local area you outnumber them. The rest of your men would hold the line until your large force would punch through their line or wrap around from the edge. Great way to flank, but it could also win battles by crushing enemy morale. Think: you've got twice the number of men yet you look over and see your own guys running away. Probably not good for your confidence. The tactic even works in some video games, like the Total War series (and even an RTS if the situation is right).

[@MsFlyingSnake]

The translation of Terrible into English isn’t really correct. It’s more like the awe-inspiring great type-terrible. Not really bad, but so powerful that you can’t help but be scared.

[@skeletonwar4445]

Ivan the Terrific

[@InsaneGroove]

Which is, funnily enough, kind of the original meaning of "awesome".

[@JakkFrost1]

Hell, there's even a misunderstanding with the others. Technically, the English word "great" doesn't necessarily mean "good". It generally means big, larger than life, but that can just as easily apply to bad things.

[@joshwright7229]

Ot the beginning of the Fredrick the Great section they were chanting "Oh Fritz" Fritz being his nickname. Also each "Great" died in the same manner they died in history. Alexander poisoned, Fredrick died sitting on his throne uneventfully, Pompeii died right before he was about to speak in front of a crowd so he didnt get to rap (my favorite btw) and Catherine was rumored to have died having sex with a horse, but this was found to be just propaganda from her detractors to make her look bad.

[@bboyblock3030]

Alexander was played by the same guy that did the B frank scheme if I'm not mistaken, he's nice with the technical flows

[@bboyblock3030]

Also yes frederick was gay

[@MercenaryPen]

yup, that would be Zach Sherwin- guy has shown us some interesting flows at times

[@xheralt]

@@MercenaryPen Zach is as much of a co-creator of most ERB's as Lloyd & Peter.

[@NATHAN789456123]

no one ever mentions the greatest Alexander line, "I win I van I vanquish" love those clever hidden bars. veni vidi vici

[@skiller5034]

Friedrick's eye torn bar hits harder when you know that Ivan had St. Basil's Cathedral built, and found it so beautiful that he had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, blinded so he could never make something as beautiful ever again.

[@dunker-roo9552]

I absolutely love how ERB is lyrical, savage and educational lol

[@SirBenjaminAzure]

The horse story is that Catherine liked to get plowed by a horse. The joke is she died doing a horse.

[@thetakerofknees9737]

What 😃😃😃😃😃

[@SpearM3064]

Well... she was a female ruler at a time when politics was considered a _man's_ job (so her rule was "unnatural"). She was also shameless about her sexuality. A German scholar, Adam Olearius, claimed that Russians (in general, not Catherine in particular) had fondness for sodomy, especially with horses. This claim was often repeated in anti-Russian literature throughout the 17th and 18th centuries to illustrate the alleged barbarous "Asian" nature of Russia. Put the three together, and it's an easy step to apply this scurrilous story as the cause of her death. The true story is a little more mundane: She woke up, had her coffee, sat down to do paperwork, and died of a stroke.

[@artembentsionov]

While Ivan was by no means a nice person, “Terrible” is an inexact translation of his monicker. The word “Grozny” means something fearsome that is also awesome in its might

[@Krescentwolf]

It's not quite exact, but Terrible isn't a wrong translation. It's simply an older use of the word 'Terrible.' Nowadays we use it to mean simply 'bad' but it used to carry the meaning of awe-striking and powerful.

[@ms_scribbles]

@@Krescentwolf Exactly! It's not that the translation is wrong, it's just that it's using the older, more formal meaning for the word "terrible". "Causing terror", but not necessary through evil, just immense power.

[@nathancollins1715]

@@ms_scribbles The word terror itself has changed meanings greatly since then too. It used to mean "worthy of awe" or, in other words, "awe-full". Awful. It comes from the same root as terrific, which now ironically has entirely good connotations.

[@Black71Eagle]

As a Alaskan native ..they came to Alaska to hunt and trade ..so an agreement was reached but they were told to not settle or set up forts ..they eventually violated the agreement .. mine and 3 other tribes drove them out ..they then later "sold" Alaska to America ..that they never owned lmao ...they never told America about these events ..they learned later ..if my elders were telling me the truth we supposedly have artifacts from that time (armor weapons ect)

[@thesuminer]

The chanting as Frederick comes in is saying "Old Fritz" which was the nickname of endearment the people had given him.

[@cheesenugget692]

At the end of Alexanders beat, the flash frames of Ivan show him poisoning the cup. Subtle and easy to miss seeing him do it

[@Teradyne87]

My best guess for the "straight forward like the sword that I brought" line is relating to use of the sword itself. The sword he's wielding appears to be a gladius which is best suited for stabbing rather than slashing. "Straight forward" like a thrusting stab.

[@civilwarguy4740]

he doesn't say his sword is straight forward. The line is "this will be straight forward, i'll take up this sword that I brought and slice you in half like the Gordian Knot." The Gordian Knot was a knot that was said to be impossible to untie so Alexander's solution was to just cut it in half. So he's saying beating Ivan will be as straight forward as his solution to the knot.

[@Teradyne87]

@@civilwarguy4740 A very different implication due a misheard lyric on my part. Thanks.

[@anamethatpie]

@@civilwarguy4740importantly, the legend was that whoever could untie the Gordian knot would rule all of Asia. When presented to Alexander the Great, rather than try to spend hours to untie it like so many others, he simply cut it in half… and then started conquering asia 😂

[@big3fanboy19]

If I remember correctly that Bucephalus is Alexander horse

[@koyoteekoy916]

yes

[@DarthCaedus7]

A horse so loved he founded a city for him

[@big3fanboy19]

@@DarthCaedus7 what a chad thing to do I forgot about that

[@galadballcrusher8182]

As a Greek i should explain the name translates as " Ox-head" because it was ugly and looked fearsome kept get frantic and jumpy and attack anyone approaching it until Alexander figured horse was scared by its own shadow so he turned it to the sun and mounted it

[@Epic0201]

@@DarthCaedus7 speaking of, where would that city be today ?

[@artembentsionov]

Frederick was known for unconventional tactics. Oblique attack is to purposely weakening your battle line in order to mass more forces on one flank. If it works, then you can quickly rout an enemy by smashing through the flank and then surrounding him. But it can also backfire badly if your weakened line can’t hold. It’s a risky move with a big pay-off. And, as mentioned in other comments, he was most likely gay

[@Swissswoosher]

Old Fritz, Frederick the Great’s nickname (Fritz is a nickname for Frederick) . Also, Fritz was rumoured (and most likely) to be gay, that’s why “not exactly straight” is said by Frederick.

[@johnkenny2795]

The sacking of Novgorod is believed to be out of envy because of a number of factors being the people of Novgorod were better educated because of their use of birch bark, and they had better clothes, Novgorod is said to have been a cut above the other cities and trade connections to the rest of Europe because of merchant's and most of all they never listened to what Moscow told them to do. Ivan the terrible hated that they were doing better than the rest of Russia at the time and that he couldn't control them which lead to him sacking the city.

[@civilwarguy4740]

@6:25 he doesn't say his sword is straight forward. The line is "this will be straight forward, i'll take up this sword that I brought and slice you in half like the Gordian Knot." The Gordian Knot was a knot that was said to be impossible to untie so Alexander's solution was to just cut it in half. So he's saying beating Ivan will be as straight forward as his solution to the knot.

[@derekfnord]

7:15 - Bucephalus was his horse's name, so he's calling his horse. 8:15 - They're chanting "Old Fritz," which was a nickname for Frederick the Great. 8:55 - Frederick the Great's battle tactics were considered unusual (though brilliant), so his "oblique attack tactics" didn't come at you from an expected direction. Also, he is widely thought to have been gay, so "ain't exactly straight" describes both his tactics and himself. 11:00 - Yes, Frederick died literally in his chair. 🙂 13:45 - Catherine had many lovers, and her libido was fairly legendary. There was a rumor (definitely not true) that she died having sex with a horse.

[@skiller5034]

Likely she died having sex with "a stallion" as in a stud, which was later deformed as a literal horse.

[@CallofFreaky]

I love ERB cuz it’s such an entertaining way to learn about a subject I really enjoy. I have autism and add so I’m not good at reading long paragraphs and paying attention to explanations but the rapping plants the lines right into my brain and I remember it. It also makes me look up anything I don’t understand and I often end up reading a ton because I’m motivated and interested to know more

[@alterego9082]

Novgorod was a city in Rus that Ivan Terrible accused of siding with Polish Kingdom in war , so he conquered and burned the city to cinder, slaughtered all soldiers and had all civilians be taken to a frozen lake , his soldiers broke the ice in few places , put sacks on peoples heads and drowned them. All of them. In Poland we don't call him Ivan the Terrible , we call him Ivan the Cruel

[@artembentsionov]

Novgorod is one of the oldest Russian cities (over 1100 years old), even though it’s name literally means “new city”. Ivan thought the people of Novgorod were considering seceding, so he sacked the city

[@spiderfingers86]

This episode is Ivan the Terrible vs all the Greats

[@murfeel1173]

Too bad they couldn't squeeze Cyrus the Great in. :D

[@xheralt]

But that would be a spoiler.

[@aneeshmudaliar5561]

I swear I use Google more because of erb than my college projects

[@tecianicole]

Terrible in Ivan's title doesn't mean mean bad, even thought he was. Terrible in this instance equates to awe inspiring or reverence.

[@xheralt]

"Shock and Awe" tactics of the middle ages.

[@MoiraticaHeretica]

>On the screen right in front of him, said out loud just before he paused it: "Novgorod" >What he says: "Novogard!" How.

[@whatitdodave]

I’m stunned myself.

[@W1LDCARD857]

What they're chanting when Frederick the Great was playing the flute was "Old Fritz!" Since it was his nickname given to him by Prussians

[@alexpot5957]

Well.... The Gordian Knot was made by the gods and whoever could unleash it he would become the king of kings. Many kings spent a lot of time in the temple to solve it but Alexander took it "straight forward" and just cut it in half with his sword.

[@Spuggky45]

7:24 I love Dave’s look when Ivan hand Alexander that drink. It’s like Dave is think “there’s no way you’re stupid enough to drink that!”

[@TheTsalop]

Once again great reaction, love the smoothness of your voice :D I think they chanted "all Fritz" during the intro to Frederick.

[@hannesmayer3716]

In the Frederick-part they say "Old Fritz" in the background. That's a nickname of Frederick the Great ("Alter Fritz" in German). Frederick was famous for using the "oblique order" tactic in battle (attack on one flank, and hold the other back).

[@CasualGamerDude]

"IDK if Novgorod is a city or something" It aint anymore...

[@Mammutmango]

EpicLloyd is performing Fredrick's part. His Surname is Ahlquist. That's what they're chanting when he's busting his flute.

[@HorrorGenreLady]

They are chanting old Fritz it was Frederick's nickname.

[@lokephoenix1039]

Vasilyevich was Ivan’s surname (or the equivalent for the time), meaning “son of Vasily”

[@veritasmod7013]

"WHY DON'T YOU DROP DEAD, FRED!" My favorite line in this battle. Because it's my nickname.

[@AJ-ut8cz]

Bucephalus is the horse he named a city after.

[@lavabeard5939]

the empress to tsar 8 bitch, checkmate is also a chess reference because tsar 8 (king 8, or e8) would be where the king sits on the board

[@rc4780]

“Ain’t exactly straight” refers to the boyfriend Fred had when he was a teenager. They tried to run away together as Fred’s father had actively punished same-sex relationships. His father had his boyfriend publicly executed and made Fred watch.

[@cakemaverick6438]

@Cannabis Dreams also, to be fair, making your son watch someone they’re close to get executed is still awful

[@cakemaverick6438]

@Cannabis Dreams God I hope you never have kids if you think execution is a "faur" tactic to teach your kids a lesson. Somebody needs to call the damn FBI

[@BenRollinsActor]

They were chanting "Old Fritz", which was a nickname for Frederick the Great.

[@nooby165]

I think alexanders verse in this is one of my if not *the* favorite I have too this day

[@stevebuffinton1094]

Man you have a great presence and voice for teaching. I'm not sure what you're outside job is but man you'd make an awesome college professor. I really enjoy your flow when you instruct.

[@sabin97]

this is the first time i caught the "hop on my horsey and trot" and it's weird rhyme with the "gordian knot" bucephalus was his horse.

[@sarahdrake3007]

So fantastic

[@mikemath9508]

Kyle, the guy who plays Alexander, he's my favorite of the erb rappers. This might be my favorite of his, but I haven't watched them in a year or so , might be forgetting one

[@cakemaverick6438]

Zach Sherwin plays Alexander

[@drew5121]

You were thinking of the “SHIEEEELD WAAAALLL” from 300. That was Sparta.

[@drew5121]

Also, Bucephalus was his horses name

[@SSKPG]

14:18 it’s a widely held account (although among historians is known to be false) that Catherine the great had died when attempting to have “relations” with a horse. The urban legend says that the straps holding the horse over her bed broke and left her crushed under it.

[@Hoshimaru57]

Oh, KZbin is SO not gonna let me explain the horse thing. Basically when she died her enemies claimed that the cause of death was that she was crushed to death while trying to sleep with a horse. And for a while that’s what most of the Internet believed. BUT it was a myth and iirc she actually died of old age in her sleep.

[@restionSerpentine]

There was a rumor that Catherine the Great Died while being mounted by a horse, Continuing the theme of Ivan offering his oppenents what killed them.

[@CloudslnMyCoffee]

Always love watching people being taken aback by Zach Sherwin

[@lordmortarius538]

The swords that the Macedonians would have used were either Xiphos (double-edged straight short swords) or Kopis (single edged cavalry blades). These were secondary weapons for the infantry as the majority of his armies, like most in the Classical period, were phalanxes: lines of spearmen guarding each other with large shields. Alexander's spearmen used the sarissa, a special type of long spear 6 meters in length (about 20 feet). Bucephalus was the name of Alexander's horse, who he famously tamed as a child when he realised the horse was afraid of it's own shadow, the reason for it lashing out at it's handlers. He went on to ride Bucephalus into battle across the known world until his death.

[@SFWUxSavage]

Man love these reactions now I can't wait for the Dr seuess vs William Shakespeare

[@billlupin8345]

Greeks were known for the phalanx. Hoplites carried shortswords, designed for use with a shield, while being small light and portable. The primary weapon for them was the spear

[@jace8706]

3:38 Alexander starts a furious chain that could easily beat every other rapper in this battle even if they all joined together against him

[@ginganinja1548]

I hit scribe because you have such a calming voice. You should do some mindful breathing exercises on your channel because I think people could just close their eyes and listen to your voice all day.

[@christopherjamesbrown9026]

You should sell merch that says "shut up and turn it up" lol

[@whatitdodave]

Already in the works!

[@kevinkocher9347]

Novgorod is a port city in Russia named after it noble family that died at Ivan hands

[@heathra68]

I'm sure someone mentioned it, but Alexander wasn't poisoned, at least we don't know that he was/wasn't. The documents from his time seem more likely he passed from typhoid fever or malaria. The Alexander movie went with the poisoning story which is a theory that could be true, but doesn't have much evidence backing it up.

[@weastswagapino3855]

Novgorod was a slavic/norse nation that was primarily on the karellia peninsula and around the areas of modern st.petersburg. It was a large state originally founded by norse vikings during their raids on the russian states. Anyways Ivan ordered the sacking of oprichniki, a major novgorodian city, and the surrounding towns. Also you missed the "school you like aristotle" line. Alexander was the student of the greek philosipher aristotle who was himself student of socrates, and himself student of plato.

[@weastswagapino3855]

Also didn't see any responses answer what Bucephalus was. It was alexander's horse. He named a city after him.

[@ChubbyCharlie97]

Vasylch or how they spelled it is a play on Vasiliy who was his dad and also "little bitch" hence vasily-vitch

[@peacemaker63604]

The horse story is that after her death, her enemies spread the rumor that Catherine enjoyed the saddle aka liked to get ridden by a horse and is how she died, internal damage from riding a horse in a nsfw way.

[@ssfbob456]

Oblique attack tactics ain't exactly straight is a reference to the fact that it's widely believed Frederick was gay.

[@scrounge4cash584]

They are chanting "Old Fritz", which was a nickname for Frederick the Great.

[@MrSmexy702]

Gordian knot was how he became king. It was said anyone who could undo the knot could take the throne and people struggled to try and untie it until Alexander came by and cut it with his sword so it was no longer a knot. He his tales was of his unconventional ways that lead his success. Catherine the great had a alleged story she harnessed a horse and during intercourse the harness broke crushing her to death.

[@andrewwilliams9513]

Bucephalus was the name of Alexander's horse he rode into battle with

[@CasualVideoGamer]

I didn't dive too much into the comments, but a things I wanted to point out... (think of it as a trade of my love for history for your knowledge of rap) Ivan's moments of trying to "pacify" his opponents (the drink and the seat) were a reference to his own tactics. He was known to be rather deceiving, feigning defeat before turning around and obtaining victories in battles. Alexander the Great was said to have been poisoned, but no one knows by who. Some say from his own men who were tired of constantly warfare. Alexander wanted to keep going, but at the pleas of his men, he agreed to turn around and go back. He never made it back home, though. It's said that the main reason his cause of death isn't 100% known is because doctors of the time were afraid to touch his body, considering him having been a divine figure. Also, the line about cutting the Gordian is a reference to a legend about this infamous knot that no one's ever been able to undo. Alexander was the first and only guy smart enough to just take his sword and cut through the knot. It sounds silly, but it's a tale to express how he always thought outside the box. Fredrick the Great died in his seat, I think from a heart attack (hence his sudden death). Catherine the Great never had sex with a horse, nor anything of the sort. It was mostly propaganda by political rivals that were upset she was a Prussian-born that obtained power in Russia. Pompey was assassinated on his way to give a speech (his death here referencing his death, killed before giving his rap). I love this shit.

[@dominicpaoletti8665]

I subscribed as soon as you said you're a big Civ player

[@MacOriginalGamer]

Bucephalus was Alexander's favorite horse that carried him into battle.

[@David-zn2hx]

It's not known for sure how Alexander died but the most popular theories include him getting poisoned, him drinking himself to death, or him dying from malaria or something of the sort. ERB went with poison for the purpose of their vid.

[@KurNorock]

Novgorod is a city that was "sacked" heavily.

[@JeffOfTheMountains]

Bucephalus was the horse Alexander The Great rode during his conquests.

[@majinsole8554]

My man’s face when Pompey’s head flew off 😂 ~_~

[@supersasukemaniac]

all of them, (except Catherine) die the way they did in real life, or it's referenced. Alexander is poisoned, Fredrich dies in his sleep, Pompey is killed before he can really say anything, and the two times they reference Ivan dying during a chess game, the board is accurately set up the way it was the moment he died.

[@sarahdrake3007]

Love it

[@mifty9898]

They were saying old Fritz in the background. That was his nickname

[@alezahmando]

Novgorod is New Town translation, Vasilyavich is his middle name

[@MSTavares]

Novgorod is a Russian City, and the 3rd city you have while playing as Russia in Civ. Also the city saw the worst attrocities of Ivan, The Terrible while he was Tsar of Russia

[@heatherwalker6346]

The scene with fredrick the great were he says the line aint exactly straight. That was him referring to himself being into men and also having unusual tactics in battle.

[@megamawile8540]

Fetch me a drink so I can stay refreshed, he did. Now bring me my chair, also granted. Is he really so bad?

[@artembentsionov]

If you’re curious about Catherine the Great, there’s an excellent series on her life by EpicHistory on KZbin. There’s also a Russian historical drama called Ekaterina that’s available on Amazon Prime with English subtitles

[@soranraina4391]

"I win ivan i vanquish" was a badass line