The Russian Empire History Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

1.73 - Aleksandr Nevsky I - A Turning Point May 19, 2025

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Hero? Collaborator? Both? In 2008, Russians voted him their greatest historical hero, but does his life justify the acclaim?

1.72 - Suzdalia and the Mongols May 05, 2025

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We return to the Northeast to cover the succession to Vsevolod Big Nest, the struggle for Novgorod, and the arrival of the Mongols.

1.71 - Daniil of Galicia II - Galicia and the Mongols Apr 22, 2025

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After decades fighting for his birthright, Daniil must face a new enemy.

1.70 - Daniil of Galicia I - The Galician Succession Apr 07, 2025

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Roman Mstislavich had united Volhynia and Galicia, but his early death leaves his kingdom open to Rus and foreign pretenders. It will take his son, Daniil, years to recover.

1.69 - Batu Consolidates Mar 24, 2025

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Batu continues his campaign westwards. Despite winning his battles, circumstances force him to return to the Volga to consolidate his rule.

1.68 - A ‘Mongol Yoke’? Mar 10, 2025

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From the chroniclers seeing them as God’s punishment, to Tsarist historians trying to push them out of Russian history altogther, to Stalinists banning any mention of them other than as predatory parasites, this episode looks at some of the ways Russian historians have struggled to come to grips with the Mongols.

1.67 - The Mongol Western Campaigns II - The Fall of Rus Feb 24, 2025

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Batu continues his western campaigns and brings about the end of Rus.

1.66 - The Mongol Western Campaigns Part I - The Fall of Bulgaria Feb 10, 2025

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The Mongol Empire continues its campaigns of expansion. Chingis Khan has given his son Jochi the west, but first he must conquer it.

1.65 - Enter the Mongols Jan 27, 2025

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Word comes from the Polovtsi that there is a new force on the steppe. The Rus join them to fight them off.

1.64 Mindaugas the One and Only Dec 16, 2024

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Under pressure from Teutonic knights, Rus, and Poland, a new kingdom emerges from the Lithuanian tribes.