The Russian Empire History Podcast

The sons of Yaroslav divide Rus among themselves. How long will they live in peace?

As Yaroslav reaches the end of his life, an attempt is made to set the rules of succession in Rus.

Christian Raffensperger is Professor of History and Chair of the Department, Kenneth E. Wray Chair in the Humanities, and Director, Emarth Institute for the Public Humanities at Wittenberg University covering Medieval Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. His works include ‘Reimagining Europe: Kievan Rus in the Medieval World, 988-1146’, ’Ties of Kinship: Russian Genealogy and Dynastic Marriage’, ‘The Kingdom of Rus’ and more.

Christian joins me to discuss why Medieval Europe is much more than just France and England, Rus royal marriages, and why using the right titles is important.

Christian’s book recommendation for listeners is Russia in the Early Modern World: The Continuity of Change by Donald Ostrowski. Find it on Amazon at https://amzn.to/46FXMMp a purchase through this link helps support this podcast.

As the last brother standing, Yaroslav has finally become the sole ruler of Rus. What will he do now?

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.

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.

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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

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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

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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.

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Support the Plant and Hire Alliance campaign to send 10,000 generators to Ukraine https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ukraine-gensets

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

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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 exclusive member episodes by subscribing through Patreon, Anchor, or Apple Podcasts.

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

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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

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This episode introduces the Finno-Ugrians, the original inhabitants of the forests of Northeastern Europe, whose descendants continue to maintain a distinct culture in modern Russia.

Read the blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-115-the-finno-ugrians

In this episode, we look at the origins of the Bulgars, claimed as ancestors by several peoples of the Russian Empire from the Volga Bulgars to the Gagauz in modern day Moldova, and also, through Bulgaria, the source of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Read the episode blog post at: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-114-bulgars-of-the-western-steppe

In this special episode, the podcast is joined by Oleksa Drachewych to discuss Putin’s claims regarding Ukrainian statehood and nationhood. 

Episode blog post: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/special-episode-3-putins-ukrainian-delusions-with-oleksa-drachewych

Dr. Robert N. Spengler is an archeobotanist specialising in the domestication of plants and how they were spread across Eurasia. He joins me today to discuss the role of the steppe in spreading many of the important foods, from grains to fruit and spices, that we all enjoy today. 

You can learn much more about this subject in his award winning book Fruit from the Sands: The Silk Road Origins of the Foods We Eat, available in physical, ebook, and audio versions here: https://amzn.to/34FLloZ

See the episode blogpost here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/special-episode-2-from-the-steppe-to-your-table-with-robert-n-spengler

Iranic dominance of the steppe is ending, a new force has arrived. In this episode we take a brief look at the origins of the Turkic peoples and the first Türk Qaganate ahead of a series of episodes on the Turkic migrations into the Western steppe that would lead to the Khazars and Volga Bulgaria.

Read the show blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast/blog/episode-113-children-of-the-wolf 

In this episode, we look at the impact of the Scythians in their time and in later Russian history.

Read the show blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/the-scythian-legacy

In this episode we return to the narrative with a look at the Scythian migration from Central Asia into the southern Russian and Ukrainian steppe, and the first empire created by a steppe people. 

Episode blog post https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-110-the-first-steppe-empire

This episode rounds out our look at the Scythians with the Sarmatians, who displaced the Royal Scythians as the rulers of the Western steppe, and the Saka, the Scythians who stayed in the East. 

Check out the episode blogpost at https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-111-sarmatians-and-saka

In this episode we look at how a Bronze Age initiation ritual evolved into a cornerstone of steppe culture that drove the expansion and migration of nomadic peoples for centuries.