1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:35,160 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Who is that over there? 4 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: A guy who describes himself on Twitter as dispassionate. That 5 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: is our super producer, Mr Max Williams. Give him a hand. 6 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: Uh they call me Ben mainly because that's my name 7 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: here in the US, and uh, Noel. I gotta say 8 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: this one is interesting because I would say you and 9 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: I are pretty, um, pretty compassionate people. You know what 10 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: I mean. We're We're a little warm and fussy. We 11 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: maybe a little compassionate, also dispassionate at times, which I 12 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: think could be considered a compliment, which means you don't 13 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: get swept up in the hullabaloo. It's true, and it's true. 14 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: He wants that you gotta keep a level head to 15 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: keep a keep a you know, what is it? Bright 16 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: eyes and bushy tails? No, that's not the what is 17 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: the what's the thing from Friday Night Lights? Bright dark eyes, 18 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: clean hearts? I don't know. I've never seen the show. 19 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: There's explosions in the sky. It's all about explosions in 20 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: the sky. No, we I would say so we're all 21 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: pretty warm and gentle individuals, you know, who would never 22 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: build a massive ice palace and four star of nemeses 23 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: to spend the night in the nude data just to 24 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: like scratch some weird like revenge ith. We'd never do that, 25 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: would we, guys? I mean you get in situations, no, 26 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: you some people just push right, Some people just push it, 27 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: you know, they just insist upon themselves. Uh, no, we're 28 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: we're doing inside jokes this early in the show. This 29 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: is it's true. No, you're You're absolutely correct. And what 30 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: we're exploring today is a story that comes to us 31 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: from the sixteen hundreds. It is the story of passion. 32 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: It is a story of empire, it is a story 33 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: of well, it's a story that almost anyone can connect 34 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 1: with once you get past the names. Today's story is 35 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: about someone called Avanna the Terrible, and we don't let 36 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: that turn you off, folks. Okay, she was great. Yeah, 37 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: a lot of people have a lot of you know, 38 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: monarchs and royals from back in the day get these 39 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: weird nickname names. You know. I would point out that 40 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: not all of them were that great, Not all of 41 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: the greats were that great. Her real name Anna Ivanovana. Yeah, 42 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: all the greats weren't that great, but usually the terribles 43 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: were pretty terrible. I don't think you get a nickname 44 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: like the Terrible unless you've done something pretty ghastly. Uh. 45 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: And Anna certainly did do that. But let's but she 46 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: wasn't born that way, as Lady Gaga would say. She 47 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: was born in se presumably a very normal, relatively healthy baby. 48 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: I mean, she's bored into board, into royalty. She was 49 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: born into royalty. But you know, she was a clean 50 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: slate for at least a second daughter of Czar Ivan 51 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: the Fifth, who is often referred to he got a 52 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: good one as Ivan the Ignorant. Yeah. Uh and apparently 53 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: that nickname may have actually been under selling his vast incompetence. 54 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: It wasn't a little John joke, Yeah, for no, he 55 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: did in fact suffer from some form of of a 56 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: mental deficiency. He actually oftentimes would enter some kind of 57 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: like fugue state where he would remain for hours and hours. Um. 58 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: He was only able to walk with the support of 59 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: you know, his staff, who you know, essentially carried him 60 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: around or at least had him had him looped his 61 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: arms over their shoulders. And he was essentially a czar 62 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: and ceremony only um Peter the Great on his uncle 63 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: was the cos are and did most of the actual zaring. 64 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 1: I love that man, most of the actual a zari, right, like, well, 65 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: my title is not technically tsar, but I do a 66 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: lot of czari. He was a cozar, but since his 67 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: brother was you know, mainly just there to be kind 68 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: of propped up and you know, perform rituals and such, 69 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: he was doing the heavy lifting. So let's h let's 70 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: get to Anna. Her mom is super into tradition, and 71 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: the way that her mom is into tradition is unfortunately 72 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: bad for her daughter. So Anna unfortunately was despite being 73 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:28,359 Speaker 1: born into the upper class, she wasn't superliterate. People described 74 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,479 Speaker 1: her as an unpleasant person. There was a lot of 75 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: misogyny then as now, and folks wrote about how unattractive 76 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: they thought she was physically, and they wrote about how 77 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:46,359 Speaker 1: unattractive they thought she was as a person. Apparently she 78 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: was rude, she was morbid. It's the old trope of 79 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,600 Speaker 1: who's going to marry this person? Because everyone had to 80 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: get married back then. In seventeen ten, she married a 81 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:06,599 Speaker 1: guy in Frederick William the Duke of Corlands and that 82 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: is part of modern day Latvia. And again we have 83 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: to put in the note. I know it's a controversial thing. 84 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you guys about this. What's the 85 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: deal with people who have like two first names as 86 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: as their whole name. That's a that's like, uh, that's 87 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 1: the thing, right. People tell you not to trust folks 88 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:31,799 Speaker 1: with two You've told me that, No, you've said that before. 89 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: I definitely find them a little suss. But it's not 90 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: their fault, you know, it's just sort of the nominal 91 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: terminism kind of situation, like if you're born with two 92 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: first names, you're inevitably going to become some sort of 93 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: conniving monster. But Frederick William, you know, made quite an 94 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: impression on she. Um was was really smitten by the guy. 95 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: She's incredibly excited. All she'd ever wanted was to be married. 96 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: You know, she had a door all of these really 97 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: nasty um insults, you know, she was like literally openly 98 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: people compared her the look of her face to a 99 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: Westphalian ham. This comes up in every source that we've 100 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: we've looked at about this story. I mean, it's obviously 101 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: worth mentioning because it really is you. That's something that 102 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: kind of followed her around, you know. That was like, uh, 103 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: I looked up ham, and I looked up west failure. 104 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: This is a true story. The it's just regular ham. 105 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: I don't but but you're right there, absolutely Westphalian. It's 106 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: it looks like a nice ham on the bone, you 107 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: know it. You know, it's like a really nice, thinly 108 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: sliced ham that looks great. It's fancy. It is fancy. Yeah, 109 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: you'd eat it with like some nice bread and cheese. Um. 110 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: I think that guy, Yeah, I think it was saying 111 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: she looked like a pig, which is very rude. It's very, 112 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: very very rude. She know, she was what you might 113 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: just describe as she She was a little plain looking. 114 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:10,239 Speaker 1: She didn't dress particularly lavishly, but she's a freaking person anyway. 115 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: So she was definitely treated really poorly, and so she 116 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: was excited to kind of like turn a corner and 117 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: and wed and become you know, a true princess, right uh. 118 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: And she said this of the of the marriage to 119 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: where she goes, I cannot but assure your Highness that 120 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: nothing could delight me more than to hear of your 121 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: declaration of love for me. For my part, I assure 122 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: your Highness that I share your feelings at our next 123 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: happy meeting, to which I look forward eagerly. I shall 124 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: god willing avail myself of the opportunity of expressing them 125 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: to you personally. Oh yeah, yeah, she's shooting her shot, right, 126 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,439 Speaker 1: that's what we call it in the parlance of the day. Um, yeah, 127 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: it worked out. You're right. The wedding is beautiful. There 128 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: are fireworks at the end of the ceremony, and this 129 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: is of course, this is a royal wedding, so it's 130 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: a it's a huge event. It's like a geopolitical event. 131 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: And then again people made fun of her and this 132 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: is this is really messed up. This is this is 133 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: beyond ridiculous. Yeah. I would say some of the stuff 134 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: in this episode definitely ventures into the realm of cruel 135 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: and unusual. Um, and this is no exception cruel and unusual. Yeah, 136 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: well said. So there's this guy we're talking about how 137 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: weird royal nicknames are. There's this Russian czar named Peter 138 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: the Great, and he has this thing with very short 139 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: people with people who are affect it by the condition 140 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: known as dwarf is um. Peter the Great was a 141 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: pretty tall dude. He was a little less than seven 142 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:14,960 Speaker 1: ft tall, which is wild, and he was obsessed. He 143 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: was obsessed with dwarves. So imagine this guy was like 144 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:27,599 Speaker 1: the most influential, important dude in the country. He basically 145 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: owns the country. He's six ft seven inches tall. He's 146 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:40,199 Speaker 1: obsessed with people of very short stature, and he will 147 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 1: make these folks be like his court jestures. It was 148 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: not a weird thing. Oh, I shouldn't say it wasn't 149 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: a weird thing. Sorry, it is very weird. But it 150 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: was not uncommon for him to do things like have 151 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: one of these folks he had hired as a permanent 152 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: jesterre two leap out of a high naked during a party. 153 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: Kind of the way for any fans of Always Sunny 154 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia that Danny de Vito emerges oiled up and 155 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: naked from a leather couch during the Christmas episode if 156 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: you remember it was it Christmas? I think it was 157 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: the Christmas episode anyway, or sell me into the couch? Yes, 158 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,559 Speaker 1: what sell me into the couch? Into the couch? That 159 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: reminds me of that scene and like I think Ace 160 00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: Venture and when nature calls when he sort of births 161 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 1: himself out of this weird like rubber zebra or something. 162 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: Maybe it's an elephant, I can't remember, but it's quite 163 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: disgusting and he's very like covered and like glistening fluids. Yes, yes, 164 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: so that was That was the kind of stuff this 165 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,959 Speaker 1: dude would pull. He's Peter the Great. He's on his uncle. 166 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:55,319 Speaker 1: Two days after she gets married to Frederick William. This 167 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: guy does like he does like a my gery of 168 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: of that marriage. He holds it in it's and he's 169 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: like he's baller about it. So, you know how like 170 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: Saturday Night Live usually opens with something satirical about the week, 171 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: this guy stage day fake wedding to ridicule his niece, right, 172 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: was it a real wedding? Well, no, it was. So 173 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: if anyone's seen um movies like The Favorite or there's 174 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 1: a new show on Hulu called The Great about Catherine 175 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: the Great, it's really fantastic. Actually it's about adjacent periods 176 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: in Russian history. Um, it's not entirely historically accurate, but 177 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: it definitely depicts a lot of the bizarre, fetishistic, bacchanalian 178 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: kind of behavior at court, especially when it involved men. 179 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: Lots of weird open sexual stuff, lots of like indoor 180 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: hunting of bears and like duck racing and things like that. 181 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: It's really weird um, you know, and often involved humiliating underlings, 182 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: humiliating lower class uh for you know money, really like 183 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: pay them like a pittance. So they would literally just 184 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: call them out from their homes to to kind of 185 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: parade them around, whether in like you know, weird outfits 186 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: or new they like throw fruit at them, just horrible, 187 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,839 Speaker 1: horrible stuff. And oftentimes they would make use of dwarves 188 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 1: um in a really cruel again borderline fetishistic way. And 189 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: that's exactly what Peter the Great did when he staged 190 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: this wedding as a mockery of Anna's wedding or in 191 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: his wedding um. And there's a quote from Lindsay hughes 192 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: biography of Peter the Great where he says at the feast, 193 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: the dwarfs sat at miniature tables in the center of 194 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: the room, while full sized guests watched them from tables 195 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: at the sides. They roared with laughter as dwarfs, especially 196 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,839 Speaker 1: the older lear ones, whose hunchbacks, huge bellies, and short, 197 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: crooked legs made it difficult for them to dance, fell 198 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: down drunk or engaged in brawls, and that yeah, that's again, 199 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: that's not from us. That is from the biography of 200 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: Peter the Great by Lindsey Hughes. So Hughes is pretty 201 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: clear in assuming this is meant to be a shot 202 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: at Anna. And it's not just that this weird spectacle 203 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:38,680 Speaker 1: is expressive of his contempt for all of the Russian court, 204 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: and he was known for this. It was he would 205 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: have these mockery's, he would have these spectacles in a 206 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: way that was meant to be for him. And it 207 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: sounds weird to say it, kind of social commentary. And 208 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: courtiers and Russia were own around Europe for a certain stereotype. 209 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: They were thought to be rude, and they were thought 210 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: to be drunkards. And it is possible that in some 211 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: ways Old Pete may have been making fun of his 212 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: own crew because the folks he forced into this fake 213 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: wedding sketch, I guess you would call it. Uh. He 214 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: made them wear Western clothing as well, and this was 215 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: thought to be possibly a pot shot at the Russian 216 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 1: courtiers because they were still not considered civilized by the 217 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: French and the British and so, um, this is like 218 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 1: a pretty rude thing to do. Anybody who is been married, 219 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: anybody who's getting married, anybody who was weirdly enough mentioning 220 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: ridiculous history at their marriage. Thank you. I think we 221 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: end up and mentioned in divorce courts more often, but 222 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: I appreciate the flex. Uh. If you've ever if you've 223 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: ever been married, you can imagine how insulting this would 224 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 1: be for the literal leader of the country. Two kind 225 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: of out of nowhere, say you look like ham and 226 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: your wedding is dumb, and I think it's funny that 227 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: you're happy, and we didn't mention this. We didn't mention this. No, 228 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: Frederick William had to go to that fake wedding, to 229 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: the mockery wedding. Ha ha ha. He's gonna like smiling 230 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: through grid teeth. Yes, this is delightful. Yes, yes, so clever. 231 00:16:55,320 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: Oh yeah yeah right, it's like it's like I'm making 232 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:08,359 Speaker 1: fun of you, which, yeah, I see, that's very clever. 233 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,440 Speaker 1: He's just just like, um, yeah, really really strange, really 234 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: really cruel and uh, something that ultimately sets some things 235 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: in motion and in a lot of ways in terms 236 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: of on a psyche um, you know, is it's almost 237 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: like a carry type situation. You know, Carrie is bullied 238 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,360 Speaker 1: to the point where you know it triggers her psycho 239 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,919 Speaker 1: kinetic fire mind powers and then she just like you know, 240 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: go scorched earth on everybody. That bucket of pigs blood 241 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 1: at the problem was just a bridge too far. John 242 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 1: trow Voltata, Yeah, isn't John Travolta and Carrie? Yeah? But 243 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: is he? Is he bad? He's like going to the 244 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 1: dance with her, isn't he? I don't know. I was 245 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: cutting it up for an episode of Feberal. I'm not 246 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: a great reference on this one. No, it's perfect, No, 247 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 1: keep it in mix, im, it's all, it's all staying. Okay. 248 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: I think he might be right. I think John Travolta 249 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 1: maybe is like the nicer of the bullies who like 250 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: sort of tries to stop it. He's definitely in with 251 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:14,880 Speaker 1: the bad with the rough crew. Though. Well, I think 252 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: it's like he's like the guy she has a crushed on, 253 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: that the bad guy. But they go to the dance 254 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: gather and like they're winning, like prom King and Queen, 255 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: and that's when the blood dumps. Okay, Okay, screaming at everybody. 256 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: He's like, why would you do? That's right? Okay, completely, yeah, 257 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: let's keep it all in. Frederick William is our John 258 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:41,479 Speaker 1: Travolta because he's not, you know, he's maybe, you know, 259 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 1: maybe feels a little sorry for Carrie Anna, but he 260 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: also doesn't doesn't necessarily despise her in the way that 261 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: everyone else seems to he He doesn't, you know, um, 262 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: I feel the need to to ridicule her. And again, 263 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: it's an arranged marriage, so he has a certain duty. 264 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 1: But also, like you know, you've seen these arranged marriages 265 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:07,960 Speaker 1: where the husbands are intensely cruel to their new wives. 266 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: But a lot of this, you know, a person can 267 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:16,760 Speaker 1: only take so much, including um, our boy Frederick William, 268 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: who was you know, not unlike the stereotype of the 269 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: Russian court, a bit of a lush And he actually 270 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,960 Speaker 1: got into a drinking contest with Peter the Great. And 271 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 1: again I'm picturing this and knowing where the story ends 272 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: up going, I would not be surprised if Peter the Great, 273 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: having forced this poor guy to go to the mockery 274 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: of his own wedding, probably also goaded him into this 275 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 1: drinking contest. And pushed him too far, um, trying to 276 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: keep up with Peter the Great Frederick Drake so much 277 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,920 Speaker 1: that he got very, very very sick and died two 278 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,159 Speaker 1: months after the wedding. Yeah, I can't say no to 279 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,959 Speaker 1: the king, right, you know you can't, can't you know 280 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: you can't. And we don't really know how he treated on. 281 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: Uh presumably you know, she had nothing negative to say 282 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 1: about him, and this like calls her to spiral into 283 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: despair or at the very least, she wanted to remarry 284 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: as quickly as possible. This is very important for her. 285 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,439 Speaker 1: Uh So we we we assumed that he was relatively 286 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: decent to her. That's why I was calling him the 287 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: John Travolta once I figured out, you know what part 288 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: he actually played in Carried No, we did good, We 289 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: did good work with that tangent. And it's yeah, uh 290 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: so you know what we didn't say this part. She 291 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:38,880 Speaker 1: is seventeen years old at this point, when when when 292 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 1: her husband dies and she is a widow at seventeen, 293 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: she lives a real black mark. Right and in this 294 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 1: type of period, right, I mean it would be you 295 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: you'd be almost considered like damaged goods or in some way, 296 00:20:55,119 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: you know, like other from society for sure. Yeah. Uh, 297 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: And she very much wanted to marry again. She wanted 298 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:12,639 Speaker 1: that she wanted that state of matrimony. So she wrote 299 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: hundreds and hundreds of letters saying the same thing. We 300 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,200 Speaker 1: know this is true. It's on the historical record from 301 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: her correspondence. And she needed the co sign of her uncle, 302 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 1: Peter the Great, the guy with a terrible sense of humor, 303 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: and he would not green light a one of them. Uh. 304 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 1: He kept saying, you know, we can, we can freestyle 305 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: on this part, but like I'm sure in some cases 306 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,879 Speaker 1: he had something that he had something to say that 307 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: he thought was funny. You know. He would be like, oh, 308 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: that guy's elbows look like you know, they look like 309 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,199 Speaker 1: what's an animal in Russia. I don't really know much 310 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: about Russian bears. He'd be like, is elbows looked like 311 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 1: bear elbows? Nope, And she would be like, damn, I 312 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:13,439 Speaker 1: gotta marry someone else now. Anyway, Eventually she she got 313 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: very bitter and uh, in no small way nihilistic. Um. 314 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:28,880 Speaker 1: The idea that is proposed by most historians is um, 315 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: it's the idea that this guy's if you turned her 316 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: into someone who just didn't like seeing other people happy. Right, 317 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 1: So Frederick William was John Travolta in the scenario. Then 318 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: Peter the Great is whoever the ringleader bully was, you know, 319 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 1: carry which I think it was mean girls mainly, and 320 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: then them kind of just like goating their dumb boyfriends 321 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: along for the ride. If I'm not mistaken. The girl 322 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: with the hat, it's the girl with the hat is 323 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,920 Speaker 1: Peter the Great. She's like the ring and all and 324 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: all the other guys are just like, we're allowed for this. 325 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: But exactly so, at this point, Anna is descending into 326 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: full carry the rage territory um, where like you said, Ben, 327 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,880 Speaker 1: she does not want to see happiness in anyone, especially 328 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: when it comes to romantic love. And this is this 329 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: is problematic, especially as someone that has or would you 330 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: continue to escalate in her power over others and her 331 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: ability to you know, exercise her will upon people in 332 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: her court. Uh. And that really happens when our boy 333 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 1: Peter the Great dies as well, um, leaving Anna to rule. 334 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 1: Anna Ivanovna is now um the well, I guess the 335 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: Empress right of Russia. That so the man would be 336 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: a czar and she was the empress actually the title 337 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: that she had was Duchess of Courland, because if we 338 00:23:56,400 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: will recall, that was what Frederick Williams title was. Uh, 339 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 1: So she rolled under that title for twenty years until 340 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: seventeen thirty when she was summoned to the Russian Supreme 341 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: Privy Council. Hold the telephone, that's something people say, Yeah, well, 342 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: who knows have we even gotten there yet? Unclear' Gonna 343 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: end this definitely proactive to parter right now, um, and 344 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:24,879 Speaker 1: then we'll be back uh in just a day or so. 345 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: Right for the stunning and tragic conclusion to the story 346 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: of Vanna the Terrible. Yeah, which again is it an 347 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:38,360 Speaker 1: unfair name? These answers will be revealed or at least 348 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,200 Speaker 1: speculated upon in Part two of this story. Thanks as 349 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: always one and only Max Williams are super producer. Thanks 350 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:51,679 Speaker 1: to Casey Pegraham, thanks to Gabe Lousier, Thanks to Jonathan Strickland, 351 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,399 Speaker 1: who you may remember as the Twister. Uh, we're probably 352 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 1: gonna have him back on at the end of the year. 353 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,280 Speaker 1: He said that he couldn't come on today's episode because 354 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 1: it was still too soon, which I don't know what 355 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: he means by that. It's okay it's okay. We we 356 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: were a big fan of riddles. Here are radiculous riddles. 357 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,480 Speaker 1: But it's never too soon to hang out with you guys. 358 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: It's always exactly the right time. And looking forward to 359 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: doing it again very soon. I see you next time. Books. 360 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I 361 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 362 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.