With a Pen and a Sword (Season 1)

With a Pen and a Sword (2007) is a Russian historical adventure series you can watch online on iFILM, adapted from Valentin Pikul's novel.

Set in the mid-18th century during the Seven Years' War, it cares less about the battlefield than about what happens behind it — bribery, court intrigue, romance and the murky trade of "secret diplomacy." At its heart is the Chevalier d'Éon, a diplomat and spy of Versailles posted to the Russian court, whose true identity baffled contemporaries for decades. Anton Makarsky, Elena Nikolaeva and Igor Vasilyev head the cast.

Director Evgeniy Ivanov makes the case that a war's outcome could turn on a well-placed letter rather than a cavalry charge. Stream With a Pen and a Sword (2007) online on iFILM.