Incomparable villains and heroes surge through the history of medieval Russia. Ivan IV may have been dubbed the Terrible, but when he died, the Rurik dynasty that had ruled Russia for centuries came to an end. And what followed was far worse. This volume is the history of Russia's struggle through a period of weak rulers, false pretendants to the throne, foreign invasions and civil strife. Even the weather was disastrous, and famine was inevitable. War, butchery and betrayals ensued until the Romanov Dynasty took control. This is an original translation from classic Russian sources.