BBC - Empire of the Tsars Romanov Russia (2016) Part 1 Reinventing Russia

Lucy Worsley travels to Russia to tell the extraordinary story of the dynasty that ruled the country for more than three centuries - the Romanovs.

Part 1 Reinventing Russia

Lucy investigates the beginning of the Romanovs' 300-year reign. In 1613, when Russia was leaderless, 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov was plucked from obscurity and offered the crown of Russia, with absolute power. Lucy also charts the story of Peter the Great, the ruthless and ambitious tsar who was determined to modernise Russia at the end of the 17th century. Throughout his reign, Peter would demonstrate an unwavering commitment to establishing Russia as a naval power, including the creation of a new maritime capital, St Petersburg. Lucy shows how the Romanovs embraced and sponsored the arts on an astonishing scale - from building spectacular palaces to commissioning grand artworks - and also considers the impact the Romanovs had on the lives of ordinary Russians, who were often little better than slaves to the elite.

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