The Russian Empire History Podcast

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.

As the twelfth century draws to a close, Svyatoslav of the Olgovichi makes another play for Kyiv, but finds himself forced to share power with Rurik Rostislavich.

His troops have sacked Kyiv and his brother sits on the throne. What next?

By the twelfth century, Bulgaria had become the regional power on the Volga. Conflict with the emerging and ambitious Suzdalia was inevitable, but the Bulgars proved quite capable of holding their own.

In this episode, we catch up on the Bulgars and see how life on the Volga compares to Rus.

Northwest of Rus live the Baltic peoples. After centuries of relative isolation, they are attracting unwanted attention from their neighbours.

We have already met the Qipchaks as the Polovtsi, the steppe enemies of the Rus. But they are more than just that.

In this episode, we look at what we know about how the ordinary people of Rus lived.

A special fiftieth episode answering questions from listeners. What was the Rus army like, what languages were spoken in Rus, marriages and diplomacy, and more.