EPISODE · Jun 6, 2026 · 7 MIN
Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna: The Romanov Who Electrified the Court
from The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History · host Fexingo
For most of us, the Romanov dynasty conjures Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, or the tragic Nicholas II. But between Peter's iron fist and Catherine's enlightenment lies one of the most colorful, eccentric, and genuinely transformative reigns in Russian history: that of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter's youngest daughter. This episode dives into the glittering, chaotic world of the mid-eighteenth-century Russian court — a place of towering powdered wigs, all-night masquerades, and a tsarina who personally banned men from wearing facial hair under threat of a fine, but also built the Winter Palace, founded Moscow University, and kept Russia out of the ruinous Seven Years' War at just the right moment. We explore Elizabeth's improbable path to the throne (she seized it in a bloodless coup with the help of the Preobrazhensky Regiment), her obsession with fashion (she owned 15,000 dresses and forbade anyone else from wearing the same outfit twice), and her shocking vow never to execute a single subject during her reign — a promise she kept. Along the way we meet her lover Alexei Razumovsky, her nephew and heir Peter III, and the young Catherine who would eclipse them all. This is the Romanov story you probably missed: the party-girl tsarina who turned out to be a master politician. #TsarinaElizabeth #ElizabethPetrovna #RomanovDynasty #RussianEmpire #18thCenturyRussia #WinterPalace #MoscowUniversity #Rastrelli #AlexeiRazumovsky #PeterIII #SevenYearsWar #PreobrazhenskyRegiment #CatherineTheGreat #RussianHistory #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEuropeanHistory #RoyalWomen Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
What this episode covers
For most of us, the Romanov dynasty conjures Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, or the tragic Nicholas II. But between Peter's iron fist and Catherine's enlightenment lies one of the most colorful, eccentric, and genuinely transformative reigns in Russian history: that of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter's youngest daughter. This episode dives into the glittering, chaotic world of the mid-eighteenth-century Russian court — a place of towering powdered wigs, all-night masquerades, and a tsarina who personally banned men from wearing facial hair under threat of a fine, but also built the Winter Palace, founded Moscow University, and kept Russia out of the ruinous Seven Years' War at just the right moment. We explore Elizabeth's improbable path to the throne (she seized it in a bloodless coup with the help of the Preobrazhensky Regiment), her obsession with fashion (she owned 15,000 dresses and forbade anyone else from wearing the same outfit twice), and her shocking vow never to execute a single subject during her reign — a promise she kept. Along the way we meet her lover Alexei Razumovsky, her nephew and heir Peter III, and the young Catherine who would eclipse them all. This is the Romanov story you probably missed: the party-girl tsarina who turned out to be a master politician. #TsarinaElizabeth #ElizabethPetrovna #RomanovDynasty #RussianEmpire #18thCenturyRussia #WinterPalace #MoscowUniversity #Rastrelli #AlexeiRazumovsky #PeterIII #SevenYearsWar #PreobrazhenskyRegiment #CatherineTheGreat #RussianHistory #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEuropeanHistory #RoyalWomen Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
NOW PLAYING
Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna: The Romanov Who Electrified the Court
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.