A Brief History of Russia

In this episode of A Brief History of Russia, David Clark reveals a surprising truth: Russia’s real origin isn’t the once-glorious Kievan Rus, but the humble Grand Duchy of Moscow. Follow Moscow’s epic rise — from a bottom-ranked principality under Mongol rule to the powerful Tsardom that laid the groundwork for a Eurasian empire, spanning six pivotal centuries.

Why did this unremarkable state outshine rivals like Novgorod? The story starts with Ivan I, a ruler often overlooked yet critical to Moscow’s fate....

In this episode of A Brief History of Russia, David Clark tackles a compelling question: What does it mean when we say Russia carries "Mongol genes"? It’s not just about bloodlines—though many Russians (including figures like Lenin, Dostoevsky, and Mendeleev) have Mongol ancestry, and Tatars (descendants of the Mongol world) are Russia’s second-largest ethnic group. Instead, the focus is on the deeper, lasting impact of over 200 years of Mongol rule on Russia’s political DNA, mindset, and governing logic.

Why is Ivan the Terrible both feared and seen as “great” by Russians? After Moscow ended Mongol rule, he built Imperial Russia’s foundations: institutionalizing autocracy, controlling nobles via the Service Nobility Decree, and subduing the Church with the Council of a Hundred Chapters. Though cruel (even killing his heir), he created a centralized state that enabled later expansion. Next: his role in Siberian conquest.​

Ever wondered how Russia took over Siberia (70% of its land today)? It started with Ivan the Terrible’s era and Cossack leader Yermak. Timing (Mongol Empire’s fall, no rival powers) and tech (arquebuses from English trade) helped. Russia used a low-cost model: Cossacks took risks, the state gained. Siberia brought fur wealth and shifted Russia’s identity east. Next: Peter the Great’s westward push

Ever wondered why Peter the Great is Russia’s most influential tsar? He pushed sweeping Westernization—moving capital to St. Petersburg, reforming army, economy and education. His drive came from childhood European exposure and a brutal defeat by Sweden. The reforms made Russia a Baltic power with industrial growth, but split society into Westernizers and tradition lovers. Next episode: the monarch who continued his Western wave.

 In 988 AD, thousands of people in Kievan Rus plunged into the Dnieper River — not to cool off, but to be baptized. That moment marked the birth of Eastern Orthodoxy in Russia, a faith that would shape the nation’s soul, politics, and destiny for over a thousand years. In this episode, David Clark explores why Prince Vladimir chose Orthodoxy over other religions, how it unified the early Russian state, and how it planted the seeds of Russia’s conservatism, expansionism, and the powerful idea of being the “Third Rome.” 

In this episode of A Brief History of Russia, David Clark unravels the dramatic collapse of Kievan Rus — once a flourishing and cultured medieval state — that was suddenly wiped off the map by the Mongol invasion. But as we’ll discover, this destruction was more than just tragedy; it reshaped Russia’s destiny. From the chaos of civil wars to the rise of absolute power, the Mongol conquest planted the seed for a new, centralized Russia. How could devastation give birth to an empire? Let’s find out. 

 This episode takes you back to where Russia’s story truly began — on the vast plains between Europe and Asia, where Vikings met Slavs and a new civilization took shape. 
It’s a tale of power, trade, and identity — how Kievan Rus rose from chaos to become the seed of a great empire.
And beneath it all lies a timeless question: Is Russia part of Europe… or something entirely its own? 

 Why is Russia so hard to understand — even for the experts? From its vast empire to its shifting identity between East and West, Russia’s story is one of power, paradox, and destiny. Join historian David Clark as he unpacks a thousand years of ambition, conflict, and transformation — revealing how Russia became the force it is today.