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 work

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

Vladimirs death plunges Rus into chaos as his sons fight over the succession.

This episode looks at Vladimirs 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 Gumilevs 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 conte