The Russian Empire History Podcast

Aleksandr Nevsky is dead. His brother Andrey already blew his chance to succeed, but submission to the Mongols means the rules are changing.

Aleksandr has used the Mongols to claim his throne, now he has live with them.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

In this episode, we look at how the Teutonic Knights went from hospitals in the Holy Land to conquering Prussia.

Through the second half of the 12th century, the pieces start to fall into place for the conquests of the 13th century.

The Baltic crusades were not the only force driving German colonisation in the Baltic. In this episode we look at the rise of the Hanseatic League, a new commercial network across Northern Europe.

Big claims have been made for the impact of the Baltic Crusades on Russia’s relationship with the West. This episode looks at whether they stand up to scrutiny.

In this special episode I am joined by Jack Wilson, AKA The Jackmeister: Mongol History to talk about who the Mongols were, where they came from, why they set out to conquer the west, and more.

Vsevolod Big Nest continues to try to impose his will on the Rostislavichi and Olgovichi as Rus enters the thirteenth century.

Svyatoslav’s death leaves Ryurik as sole ruler in Kyiv, but he soon finds that Vsevolod Big Nest thinks he’s really the guy in charge.