The History of Russia Podcast

So in today’s episode we’ll be taking another break from the chronological narrative and looking instead at mainly, the last three decades and a bit, at what went on in Russia from a commercial and business perspective. And to help us through this tumultuous and fascinating period of more recent Russian History we have someone who has spent four decades travelling and working in the Soviet Union a...

In this week’s episode ware going to look at four main items A short appraisal of Peter’s reign, a longer appraisal of Elizabeth’s time in charge, a look at the recent coup’s winners and losers and then finally, how Catherine and her advisors (well actually, one advisor) explained away the death of her husband. Oh and there's a heartfealt apology from me regarding a mistake I made last time out......

A longer than usual episode which provides an overall look at the world in 1762 - just at the point when Catherine was starting her reign in Russia. Britannia ruled the waves (or was starting to) and the age of enlightenment and the trans-atlantic slave trade were approaching their respective zeniths. The agrarian and industrial revolutions were just getting underway, and Augustus III of Poland-Li...

Whilst the new regime is finalising it's coup, over at Oranienbaum, a blissfully ignorant Peter has just drilled his Holstein guards and is now on his way to Peterhof to celebrate his name day. But when he get's there, Catherine is of course, nowhere to be seen . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time around we’ll be looking at the latest events in the Seven Years War, Peter’s Danish campaign, how becoming Tsar had affected his relationship with his wife Catherine and finally, and as the episode title in a fairly unsubtle way hints at, what Catherine and her allies decided to do about things. Apologies for the poor pronunciation throughout - there were just too many Schleswigs, Shliss...

This time around we’ll be looking at the events that unfolded in the years 1761 and 1762 which, as the title suggests, sadly involves the end of the line for the Empress Elizabeth. But, in an age when Russia had no clearly defined order of succession, much like today, no one was entirely sure what or who would happen next. For one person though, the change of regime in St Petersburg would represen...

This time around we’ll be covering the years 1759 and 1760. Years in which the Grand Duchess Catherine and Frederick the Great will be taking stock of their own respective situations and enacting plans to safeguard their own respective futures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Spring 1758 and Grand Duchess Catherine is attempting to extricate herself from yet another difficult situation. Meanwhile, over in Prussia, Frederick the Great, despite having just won major battles against the French and the Austrians, is trying to work out how to deal with the enemies that still surround him in every direction. One of them will get out of their hole, the other will keep on...

This week we’ll be putting the seven years war to one side whilst we concentrate instead on events that took place in Russia during 1757 and 1758 which, in no particular order, include the reasons for, and the political and personal fallout from, that Russian withdrawal, Catherine and Stansislaus’s affair, the Empress Elizabeth’s health and Peter’s pro-Prussian leanings. Click on one of the links...

It's 1757 and for the first time in a long time the Russian army gets to flex its muscles. Click on one of the links below to join the Boyar Duma where for a small monthly subscription you'll receive the following - Exclusive membership of the Boyar Duma and a shout out on the Podcast Ad-free podcasts At least one members only episode per month General release episodes at least 1 week earlier...

In this episode we’ll be taking a closer look at the affair between Catherine and Poniatowsky and we’ll be checking in on yet another health scare.  But as interesting as those subjects are, we'll be spending the majority of our time getting to grips with some new, major developments on the European diplomatic front - developments that would turn the old established order on its head and that...

This time around there are Just two main items on the agenda  - The Empress Elizabeth’s ongoing, and so-far frustrated efforts, to secure the Romanov succession and the political machinations and intrigues that would eventually lead to the outbreak of the Seven Years War. Oh and finally and as indicated by the title there is someone from outside of Russia who gets to play quite an important a...

This week, probably much to everyone's relief, we will be taking a break from the ceaseless round of court intrigue and instead we’ll be looking at what else was going on in Russia during the Elizabethan age. What else, apart from pilgrimages, cross-dressing balls, and controlling her dynasties destiny was Elizabeth up to and what was going on, away from St Petersburg and Moscow in the ever expand...

This week, I'm afraid, it's more court based chicanery and Intrigue (hence the title). However to avoid just doing a rinse and repeat, I’m going to speed things up a bit and the aim will be to get from where we are now, which is 1748, right through to the year 1753 where we will start to see that both at home and abroad, things were beginning to take on a different shape... Click on one of th...

This week we’ll be covering the years between 1745 and 1748 and looking at how Peter, Catherine and Elizabeth were all getting along through the events and outcomes related to yet another series of court intrigues and incidents  Plus we'll invetigate  the European diplomatic and political scene in the aftermath of the recent war and then finally we’ll be waving goodbye, or saying auf wie...

In this weeks episode we rejoin the main chronological narrative and take a look at the ups and downs of our key characters during  1744 and 1745.. On the up were the Empress Elizabeth, Sophie of Anhalt Zerbst, Maria Theresa of Austria and Alexei Bestuzhev Sliding down were Johanna of Brunswick and Frederick the great  And Peter Fyodorovich..... well he's got problems of his own. Click o...

In this episode we take a step back from the goings on at the Russian court and the war of the Austrian Succession and instead take a peek at the overall state of the Russian Empire and the overall state of Eliazabeth’s mind. Click on one of the links below to join the Boyar Duma where for a small monthly subscription you'll receive the following - Exclusive membership of the Boyar Duma and a...

It's January 1744 and Peter Fyodorovich the heir to the Russian throne and his aunt Elizabeth have got some German visitors to entertain and one of them is the almost 15 year old Sophie Friederike Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst. In the meantime Prussia and France are again plotting against Bestuzhev and the Austrian empress, Maria Theresa, has her eyes on Silesia. Click on one of the links below to join...

This weeks episode is centered around the eponymous Lopukhina Conspiracy but who is doing the conspiring and who is being conspired against? Plus events in Sweden are brought to a head, George II, the King of England gets involved in the war of the Austrian Succession, things take a downward turn for the Brunswicks and the Empress Elizabeth goes ballistic when she sees someone wearing pink! Click...

Elizabeth has been busy putting her house in order which means that I have a number of loose ends to tie up.  Plus we get to meet a distant relative and we'll also see what's been going on with the Austrians, French and Prussians.   Click on one of the links below to join the Boyar Duma where for a small monthly subscription you'll receive the following - Exclusive membership of the Boyar Duma  an...

Elizabeth Petrovna is the new empress of Russia. However, she's busy getting her house in order and there is a coronation to plan. So whilst she's off doing that, we'll undertake a quick retrospective of Anna Ivanovna's reign and then we'll take a look at the causes, and the initial events, of the War of the Austrian Succession.     Click on one of the links or logos below to join the Boyar Duma w...

Today in a slightly longer episode than normal we’ll be covering the period between October 1740 and December 1741 which is 15 months and not a year but I think you’ll agree that ‘The 15 months of living dangerously’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Diplomacy with with the Persians, war with the Ottomans, an outbreak of Bubonic Plague and reform on the home front - plus I pronounce 'L'Hermitage' in a really strange way... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a couple of decades of peace most of Europe get's back to a more normal state of affairs with The War of the Polish Succession. Meanwhile back in Moscow, Anna had her own succesion decision to make and Elizabeth Petrovna needed to be careful.   To sign-up for membership of the Boyar Duma  Go to the podcast website https://www.historyofrussia.net and visit the Membership Page or the Patreon L...