Secrets of Palace Coups (2000)

"Secrets of the Palace Revolutions" is a big historical project, directed by Svetlana Druzhinina - an acknowledged Russian director, best known for the trilogy "Gardemariny". Emperor Peter I killed his only heir Prince Alexey and issued the Decree of Succession, which provided that the Tsar would choose his own successor. But Peter I himself failed to do so before his death in 1725. In the decades that followed, the absence of clear rules of succession left the monarchy open to intrigues, plots, palace coups and counter-coups. The series has 8 films, and follows the reign of Romanov dynasty during the era of Palace Revolutions.