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-ol

In this episode, we look at what the Tale of Bygone Years tells us about Ruriks 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

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-a

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.Sign up with Patreon, subscribe through Apple Podcasts, or on Anchor for Spotify listeners to get ac

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-forestSig

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://ther

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-iSupport the podcast on Patreon or