EPISODE 8

A most cruel master

An episode from the series THE BLOOD WIDOW

Synopsis

This series is inspired by the true story of Countess Dariya Saltykova who, due to her cruelty, went down in history as an infamous serial killer.

When her husband dies in 1755, Dariya is 26 years old and becomes one of the richest women in Moscow. She takes a lover but the latter's betrayal plunges her in fits rage that will never leave her. During several years, she will torture and kill her serfs, mainly women. She is finally found guilty of 38 murders but she is attributed at least a hundred more.

Queen Catherine II put an end to her tyranny by sending her to a monastery prison, where she spent 33 years until her death.