The History of Russia Podcast

This week in an action packed episode we look at the life and times of the next two people who get to rule the roost in the Rus territories, Igor son of Rurik and his wife Olga.Plus we'll meet the Drevlians and cover the growing importance of Kiev, the first glimpses of Christianity amongst the Rus, a new Alphabet appearing in the lands to the west, the obligatory raid or two on Constantinople and a couple of secret weapons.To get in touch or leave a comment -Email - Nordicworld@outlook.comTwitter -

We start with a tour around some of the Rus' neighbours and then take a look at the mysterious figure of Oleg who is now in charge and is about to head south...The podcast's web-site is historyofrussia.podbean.com and this is where I post any visual aids, such as maps, stats, and timelines for any of the episodes that need them. And if you want to get in touch then either leave me a comment via your podcasting platform of choice or if you’ve got a question then drop me a mail at

This time we start off with an outline of the Byzantine empire and a look at what was going on down there around the time, or just prior to, the foundation of NovgorodAnd then we’ll take a look at the ‘discovery’ of a new Rus base and then finally we’ll check out what was going on in Novgorod and what Rurik was up to (and spoiler alert - it’s not a lot but there is one notable event).   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At last the chronological narrative begins and we’ll be investigating how and when and by whom, the first proto-russian political entity, of a sorts, was founded. We’ll also look at the different chronicles and sources that track the history of the period, spend a bit of time looking at their background and then look at some of the issues these sources present and try to piece together what probably happened. And finally we'll do a whistle stop tour around Europe and Asia  and see what’s going on in

This time around I’ll be looking at the historical background, covering a vast period that will start way, way back when the first known human habitation occurred in the area we now know as Russia.And along the way we’ll meet Neanderthals, Denisovans, Proto Indo-Europeans, Kurgans, Scythians and Slavs I’ll end-up some 1.5 to 2 million years later just prior to the birth of the first political entity or state that was considered to be proto Russian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more

In the first of two scene setting episodes we are going to start off with a high-level look at the geography of Russia pointing out the main features which will hopefully serve as a useful backdrop for future episodes.I'll also put a couple of maps up on the website - https://www.historyofrussia.netAnd then we’ll cover how, in the past (and still today), the geography of Russia has shaped the country’s history, politics, ambitions and fears.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more

Hello and welcome to the History of Russia Podcast!The aim of this fairly short introductory episode is to tell you all about the podcast, why I hope it’s worth listening to, the general direction and scope, and when episodes will be released. The podcast's web-site is https://www.historyofrussia.net and this is where I'll  post any visual aids, such as maps, timelines and other useful information for any of the episodes that need them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more