Beginning with the Little Ice Age we will explore the end of the Rurikid Dynasty, the influence of the Time of Troubles, and the Great Northern War. We will study the rise of Romanov Dynasty emphasizing Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the subsequent rulers through the Dynasty's collapse under Nicholas II. Familial ties to other European rulers will be examined and how they influenced the royal family of Russia. With a mixture of court intrigue, love affairs, mayhem and murder sprinkled in, we will examine how each ruler affected Russia in its rise and decline into anarchy.