The Russian Empire History Podcast

Vladimir’s death plunges Rus into chaos as his sons fight over the succession.

This episode looks at Vladimir’s reign from the baptism of Rus until his death. Did he manage to do anything else noteworthy?

What happened at the baptism of Rus, and inventing St. Vladimir/Volodymyr from the Tale of Bygone Years to Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir continues to expand his territory and to consider the role of religion in his kingdom.

The death of Svyatoslav found Rus unprepared for the succession. The three sons he left in charge of Kyiv, the Drevlians, and Novgorod, soon turn to fighting among themselves.

In the late Soviet period and in post-Soviet Russia, Lev Gumilev’s passionary theory of ethnogenesis and pseudo-historical ideas of a Jewish-Khazar chimera gained enormous popularity, leading to elaborate conspiracy theories of shadowy forces behind contemporary events. Read the blog post at: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/133-135-imaginary-khazars Subscribe on Patreon, Spotify or...

Vladimir Putin says he believes in the “passionary theory”. What does he mean, and where do the Khazars come in?

Part I of a short series looking at the Khazars after the fall of Khazaria. Was there a connection between the Khazars and East European Jews?

In this episode, we look at the first Rus ruler with a Slavic name, but a not so Slavic personal style. If it wasn’t for those treacherous Byzantines, things could have turned out very differently...

In this episode, we continue our introduction to Volga Bulgaria with a look at the ruling dynasty, the capital city, and their conversion to Islam.

In this episode, we begin exploring the formation of Volga Bulgaria, a major medieval European kingdom that will play a significant role in our story. Subscribe for exclusive member episodes via Patreon, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In this special episode, I discuss how Byzantium viewed Rus and aspects of their relationship with Dr Monica White of the University of Nottingham.

Olga of Kyiv has been venerated as a saint and gained popularity in modern times as a vengeful warrior queen, but how true are those stories? Listen to this episode to find out the true story of Olga. https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/129-olga-of-kyiv Subscribe on Patreon, Apple Podcasts, or Anchor for Spotify to access exclusive member episodes.

In this episode, we look at what the Tale of Bygone Years tells us about Rurik’s successors, Oleg and Igor, and try to figure out what actually might have happened.  Read the blogpost: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/128-oleg-the-seer-and-igor-rurikovich

In this episode we look at the traditional founder of the ruling dynasty of Rus, discuss what the Rus chronicles were and how they were created, and cover the mistranslation of Rus titles. Read the blog post: therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/127-rurik-and-what-was-the-tale-of-bygone-years-anyway For exclusive episodes, support on Patreon, subscribe through Apple Podcasts, or Anchor for Spotify.

This episode concludes our introduction to the Rus with a look at their move into the Dnieper valley and the trade routes to Byzantium and Western Europe. Sign up with Patreon, subscribe through Apple Podcasts, or on Anchor for Spotify listeners to get access to exclusive episodes and support the show. Support the Plant and Hire Alliance campaign to send 10,000 generators to Ukraine https://www.ju...

In Part II, we look at Scandinavian and Rus encounters with the Bulgars and Khazars. 

This episode starts a short series considering the early Rus with a look at where Rus began.

The final part of this mini-series looks at the first tentative steps of Scandinavian travelers into the East. Read the blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/episode-123-before-the-rus-part-iii-scandinavians-in-the-northern-forest Sign up for our Patreon, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, or support on Anchor (for Spotify listeners).

An introduction to one of the biggest controversies in Russian and Ukrainian history - who were the Rus?

Continuing our survey before the Rus with a look at the eastern part of the region. The Bulgars reach the central Volga, Magyars move south, Khazar power preventing new incursions from the steppe starts to crumble. Read the episode blog post: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-121-before-the-rus-part-ii-bulgars-chuvash-pechenegs-magyars Support this podcast and get access to e...

This episode begins a look across the region as it transitions from antiquity to the early medieval period.  Read the episode blog post: https://therusianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-20-before-the-rus-part-i Support the podcast on Patreon or Anchor, or subscribe through Apple Podcasts for exclusive Member Episodes.

The Khazars began as Byzantium’s closest allies, sealed with the marriage of the khagan’s daughter to the emperor’s son. But one decision by the Khazars turned them into enemies. Read the episode blog post: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-119-from-friends-to-enemies

I’m joined in this episode by Russian historian Alexander Etkind, author of the 2013 book Internal Colonisation to discuss whether the Russian Federation actually could, or, indeed, should break up. Read the episode blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/special-episode-4-the-russian-federation-could-it-will-it-should-it-break-up-with-alexander-etkind

The Khazar Khaganate was the first steppe empire in the west that had an economy capable of self-sufficiency. In this episode, we look at the development of agriculture by Slavs and steppe settlers in the black earth region of the forest-steppe belt, and other regional economies of Khazaria. Read the episode blog post at https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-118-time-to-settle-do...