Episodes
The Poltava Betrayal: Mazeppa's Gamble and Ukraine's Turning Point
In 1709, Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa made a fateful choice—abandoning Tsar Peter I for the invading Swedish king Charles XII. The Battle of Poltava that followed wasn't just a clash of empires; it was a hinge point for Ukraine's identity, caught between Moscow and the West. Lucas and Luna unpack the man behind the legend, the battlefield's brutal realities, and how Mazepa's name became a slur in Russian propaganda for centuries. They explore the Cossack Hetmanate's fragile autonomy, Peter's…
The Donbas Frontier: Coal, Identity, and the Long Shadow of Empire
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna dig into the turbulent past of Ukraine's Donbas region, the coal-rich borderland that has become a flashpoint of modern geopolitics. They trace its origins from the wild steppe frontier of the Russian Empire, through the industrial boom sparked by Welsh entrepreneur John Hughes, to its role as a Soviet 'All-Union Stokehold' and a crucible of miners' identity. Along the way, they explore the region's ethnic patchwork of Ukrainians, Russians…
Catherine II's Abolition of the Zaporozhian Sich
In 1775, Catherine the Great ordered the destruction of the Zaporozhian Sich, the Cossack stronghold on the Dnipro River. This episode unpacks the final years of the Sich, the pressures of the Russo-Turkish War, and the fate of the Cossacks who fled across the Danube. Lucas and Luna trace the rise of the Sich as a warrior republic, the betrayals and realpolitik that sealed its doom, and the brutal but orderly dissolution that followed. They also follow the last Koshovyi otaman, Petro…
The Zaporozhian Sich: Cossack Republic on the Dnipro
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Zaporozhian Sich, the fortified Cossack stronghold beyond the Dnipro rapids that functioned as a unique warrior republic for centuries. They trace its origins to the 16th century, when runaway serfs and adventurers gathered on Khortytsia Island, and examine how the Sich's democratic institutions — the Cossack Rada, the election of the hetman, the division into kureni — created a society unlike any other in Eastern Europe. The conversation covers daily…
Cossack Spring: The 1648 Uprising's Untold Roots
In this episode, we step back from the battlefield to explore the social and economic currents that made the Khmelnytsky Uprising possible. We talk about the Cossack register, the magnate estates on the Dnipro frontier, and the simmering resentment over the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's policies. We walk through the 1638 'Ordination' that stripped Cossacks of their rights, the role of the Orthodox brotherhoods in Lviv, and how the Cossack myth of freedom collided with the reality of serfdom.…
Cossack Music: The Soul of Ukraine's Steppe
In this special 200th episode, Lucas and Luna explore the music of the Zaporozhian Cossacks — from the battle songs that rallied warriors to the melancholic dumas that preserved history. Discover how the kobzars and bandurists became the keepers of Ukrainian identity, singing epics that bypassed censorship and immortalized heroes like Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Ivan Mazepa. Learn about the kobza, the bandura, and the torban, and hear how these instruments were played in the Sich. We also touch on…
The Donbas: Miner-Made Identity and Coal-Fired Loyalties
Ukraine's Donbas region has its own story—one shaped by coal dust, steel mills, and the frontier of the Russian Empire. From the late 19th-century industrial boom that drew workers from across the empire to the Soviet-era 'Shakhtars' who became a privileged labor aristocracy, the Donbas developed a distinct identity that often clashed with the national movement in Western Ukraine. This episode unpacks how the region's economic roots led to its political loyalties in the 20th century, from the…
Ukraine's Great Famine: The Holodomor of 1932-33
In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the Holodomor, the man-made famine that devastated Ukraine in 1932-33. They discuss Stalin's collectivization policies, the brutal grain requisitions, and the deliberate starvation of millions. The conversation touches on the dekulakization, the role of local officials, and the ongoing struggle for recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide. They also explore personal accounts and the enduring impact on Ukrainian memory and identity. This is a deeply…
Ukraine's Cossack Navy: Black Sea Raids and Chaiky
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the daring world of the Zaporozhian Cossack navy, exploring how these fierce warriors built swift chaiky boats to raid Ottoman shores, sack Kaffa, and even threaten Constantinople itself. They discuss the tactical genius of Hetman Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, the role of the Sich as a naval base, and the surprising alliances with the Crimean Tatars. The conversation reveals a lesser-known side of Cossack history, one that turned the Black Sea into a…
Ukraine's Cossack Navy: The Black Sea Fleets of the Zaporozhian Sich
Lucas and Luna explore a little-known chapter of Ukrainian history: the Cossack naval campaigns on the Black Sea. From the construction of seagull boats (chaiky) in the Dnipro rapids to daring raids on Ottoman ports like Sinop and Trebizond, they trace how the Zaporozhian Cossacks became a formidable maritime power in the 16th and 17th centuries. Along the way, they discuss the legendary hetman Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, who led a fleet of 200 boats to capture Kaffa in 1616, and the role of…
The Holodomor: Ukraine's Famine of 1932-33
In 1932-33, Soviet Ukraine was struck by a famine that killed millions. The Holodomor, or "death by hunger," was not a natural disaster but a man-made catastrophe fueled by collectivization, grain requisitions, and the denial of aid. This episode explores the policies that caused it, the lives it shattered, and the contested memory that still shapes Ukrainian identity today. Lucas and Luna discuss the role of Stalin, the Bolshevik leadership in Moscow and Kharkiv, the kulak dekulakization…
The Khmelnytsky Uprising: Cossack Revolt That Reshaped Eastern Europe
In 1648, a disgruntled Cossack officer named Bohdan Khmelnytsky ignited a revolt that would topple the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's grip on Ukraine and set the stage for centuries of conflict. This episode unpacks the uprising's causes, key battles like Zhovti Vody and Korsun, and the devastating massacres that accompanied it. We explore Khmelnytsky's shifting alliances — from Crimean Tatars to Muscovy — and the Pereiaslav Agreement that followed, a pact that eventually led to Ukraine's…
The Orange Revolution: Ukraine's 2004 Stand for Fair Elections
In November 2004, Ukraine erupted. Viktor Yanukovych's fraudulent presidential victory sparked a seventeen-day protest that became the Orange Revolution. Lucas and Luna unpack the stolen election, the poison attack on Viktor Yushchenko, and the hundreds of thousands who took to Kyiv's Independence Square, or Maidan, in freezing cold. They trace the roots back to the Soviet era, through the Kuchma years, and into the constitutional court's dramatic decision to rerun the vote. The revolution's…
The Chyhyryn Campaigns: Ukraine's Last Stand Against the Ottomans
In the late 1670s, the Cossack Hetmanate found itself caught between the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia, and the small town of Chyhyryn became the epicenter of a war that would decide Ukraine's fate. This episode of The History of Ukraine follows the dramatic campaigns of 1677 and 1678, when Ottoman armies besieged the Cossack capital. We explore the leadership of Hetman Ivan Samoilovych, the role of the Russian boyar Grigory Romodanovsky, and the stubborn defense that turned Chyhyryn into a…
The Kyivan Caves: Underground Saints and the Birth of Ukrainian Monasticism
Beneath the golden domes of the Kyivan Pechersk Lavra lies a labyrinth of caves where monks have been buried for a thousand years. This episode descends into the dark corridors to meet the ascetics who made Kyiv a holy city — from Saint Anthony, who founded the monastery after returning from Mount Athos, to Saint Theodosius, whose rule shaped its daily life. We explore how the caves became a pilgrimage site, a fortress against invaders, and a repository of relics that survived Mongol…
Nestor's Chronicle: How a Monk Wrote Ukraine's Origin Story
Episode 190 goes back to the very beginning of recorded Ukrainian history: the Tale of Bygone Years, a 12th-century chronicle written by the monk Nestor at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. This foundational text contains the earliest written accounts of the Kyivan Rus' state, including the legendary founding of Kyiv by Kyi and his brothers, the invitation of the Varangian prince Rurik, and the baptism of Volodymyr the Great. But the chronicle is more than an ancient story—it has been a political and…
Union of Brest: The Birth of Ukraine's Greek Catholic Church
In 1596, a religious compromise in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church — a Byzantine-rite church in communion with Rome. This episode unpacks the Union of Brest: why Orthodox bishops chose unity with the pope, the backlash from Cossacks and Moscow, and the church's role as a bastion of Ukrainian identity under Polish, Russian, and Soviet rule. We also explore the towering figure of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, who led the church through two world…
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army: Ukraine's WWII Underground War
In this episode, we explore the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its role in World War II, a guerrilla force that fought both Nazi and Soviet occupiers in a desperate bid for an independent Ukraine. Lucas and Luna discuss the formation of the UPA from factions of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), led by figures like Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych. They examine the controversial early collaboration with Nazi Germany's Nachtigall and Roland battalions, the shift to…
The Ruin: Ukraine's Devastating Civil War
When Bohdan Khmelnytsky died in 1657, Ukraine didn't find peace—it plunged into a decades-long civil war known as the Ruin. This episode traces the collapse of the Cossack Hetmanate into bloody chaos, as rival hetmans like Ivan Vyhovsky, Petro Doroshenko, and Yuri Khmelnytsky fought for control, each aligning with different foreign powers. We examine the short-lived Hadiach Treaty of 1658, which proposed a Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth, and the Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667, which…
Carpatho-Ukraine: The 24-Hour Republic
In 1939, a tiny Ukrainian state was born in the Carpathian Mountains—and died within a day. This episode follows Avgustyn Voloshyn, the Greek Catholic priest who led the Carpatho-Ukrainian independence movement, as he declared sovereignty on 15 March 1939 in Khust. Within hours, Hungary invaded, crushing the republic with overwhelming force. We explore the interwar context of Czechoslovakian Transcarpathia, the rise of Ukrainian nationalism, the brief but fierce resistance of the local Sich…
The Ukrainian Language: Suppression and Revival
In this episode of The History of Ukraine, Lucas and Luna explore the Ukrainian language as a battleground for national identity. From the Valuev Circular of 1863, which banned Ukrainian publishing, to the Ems Ukaz of 1876 that further restricted its use, they trace how the Russian Empire sought to suppress a language it dismissed as a 'Little Russian dialect.' The conversation moves through the Soviet era's brief Ukrainization under Mykola Skrypnyk, followed by Stalin's purges and the policy…
The Forgotten Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia
After the Mongol invasion shattered Kyivan Rus', a resilient western principality rose to carry the flame of Rus' identity. This episode explores the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia under Prince Danylo (Daniel of Galicia), who fought off Mongol overlords, secured a crown from the Pope, and built a flourishing realm that blended Byzantine, Western, and local traditions. We discuss Danylo's diplomatic tightrope between the Golden Horde and Latin Christendom, the founding of Kholm (Chełm) and Lviv…
Brest-Litovsk Treaty: Ukraine's 1918 Independence Window
In February 1918, a fragile Ukrainian People's Republic signed a separate peace with Germany and Austria-Hungary at Brest-Litovsk. In exchange for grain, the Central Powers recognized Ukraine's independence and drove out the Bolsheviks. But the price was occupation, and within months the Germans replaced the socialist Central Rada with the conservative Hetmanate of Pavlo Skoropadsky. This episode unpacks the negotiations, the treaty's promises, the brutal grain requisitions, and the fleeting…
Konotop 1659: The Cossack Victory That Shook Moscow
In 1659, a coalition of Cossacks under Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky and Crimean Tatars crushed a massive Muscovite army at Konotop. This episode unpacks the battle itself—the swampy terrain, the feigned retreat, the slaughter of Tsar Alexis's elite cavalry—and the fragile diplomacy behind it: Vyhovsky's gamble on the Treaty of Hadiach, which promised a Ruthenian principality under Polish protection. Why did this stunning victory lead not to independence but to civil war and the eventual Russian…
Mazepa: Ukraine's Hetman Who Betrayed the Tsar
Ivan Mazepa, the Cossack Hetman who led Ukraine into the Great Northern War on the side of Sweden, is one of the most controversial figures in Ukrainian history. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Mazepa's early life at the Polish court, his rise to power under Peter the Great, and his dramatic decision to ally with Charles XII of Sweden. They discuss the Battle of Poltava in 1709, where Mazepa's gamble failed, and the brutal reprisals that followed—including the destruction of the…
The Pereiaslav Agreement: Ukraine's Union with Moscow
In 1654, Bohdan Khmelnytsky convened a council in the town of Pereiaslav and pledged allegiance to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of Moscow. This episode unpacks the complex motivations behind the Pereiaslav Agreement: Khmelnytsky's desperate need for a powerful ally against Poland, the Cossack leaders' hopes for autonomy, and Moscow's expansionist ambitions. We examine the disputed articles of the treaty, the oath-taking ceremonies, and the immediate aftermath — including the Russo-Polish War that…
The Battle of Kruty: Ukraine's Thermopylae
In January 1918, as Bolshevik forces advanced on Kyiv, a small band of Ukrainian students and cadets fought a desperate rearguard action at the Kruty railway station. Outnumbered roughly ten to one, they held for hours before being overwhelmed. Their sacrifice became a cornerstone of Ukrainian national mythology—a symbol of youthful idealism and the fierce price of independence. But what really happened? This episode separates legend from fact, examining the political turmoil of the Ukrainian…
The Kyiv Notarial Archives: A Lost Window into Early Modern Ukraine
In 2014, a forgotten cache of 16th- and 17th-century notarial records was discovered in Kyiv's archives—and then immediately threatened by war. Lucas and Luna explore what these dusty acta and grody tell us about daily life in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: property disputes, marriage contracts, Cossack inheritance, Jewish communal records, and the extraordinary 'testament of a widow' that reads like a novel. They trace how the Uniate Church, Magdeburg Law, and local scribes created a…
The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church: A Century of Struggle
In a story that stretches from the ruins of the Russian Empire to the battlefields of today, this episode explores the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) — a national church born in 1921, crushed by Stalin, revived in diaspora, and finally recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch in 2019. Lucas and Luna trace the church's founding at the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Church Council, the role of Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivsky, the brutal liquidation by the NKVD in the 1930s, and the post-Soviet…
The Wandering Diplomat: Ukraine's Pylyp Orlyk and Europe's First Constitution
When Hetman Ivan Mazepa fell at Poltava in 1709, his scribe and successor Pylyp Orlyk escaped into a life of exile that would produce one of the most remarkable documents of the Enlightenment era. Orlyk's Constitution of 1711, written in the Ottoman border town of Bender, established a Cossack republic with separation of powers, free elections, and protections for the Orthodox Church — decades before the US and French constitutions. This episode follows Orlyk's journey from Mazepa's right hand…
The Zaporozhian Sich: Ukraine's Cossack Republic
In this episode of The History of Ukraine, Lucas and Luna explore the Zaporozhian Sich — the fortified Cossack camp that evolved into a unique military republic on the Dnipro River. We trace its origins from the 14th-century frontier of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to its role as a sanctuary for fugitive peasants and outlaws. We discuss the structure of the Sich: its elected hetman, the Cossack Rada or council, the strict codes of conduct, and the radical egalitarianism that made it a beacon of…
The Ukrainian Legion in WWI: Austria's Unlikely Allies
In 1914, as World War I erupted across Europe, a small band of Ukrainian volunteers in Austrian Galicia formed the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (Ukrainski Sichovi Striltsi, or USS) — a legion that would fight for the Habsburg Empire while dreaming of an independent Ukrainian state. This episode explores the USS's formation under the patronage of Archduke Wilhelm von Habsburg, a Habsburg prince who adopted a Ukrainian identity and became known as Vasyl Vyshyvanyi. We trace their baptism by fire at…
The Holodomor: Stalin's Famine and Ukraine's Memory
In 1932-1933, Soviet Ukraine experienced a man-made famine that killed millions. Lucas and Luna explore the mechanics of the Holodomor: how Stalin's collectivization and grain requisitions turned hunger into a weapon. They discuss the role of the NKVD, the 'black boards' listing villages to be starved, and the desperate measures people took—eating cats, dogs, even cannibalism. The conversation covers the international response (or lack thereof), the decades of Soviet denial, and how Ukraine's…
Khmelnytsky's Secret Diplomacy: Ukraine's Ottoman Alliance
In the mid-17th century, as the Cossack Hetmanate fought for survival against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky pursued a daring diplomatic gambit: an alliance with the Ottoman Empire. This episode explores the secret negotiations, the role of Crimean Tatar intermediaries, the proposed vassal status that would have made Ukraine an Ottoman protectorate, and why the alliance ultimately collapsed. We discuss the 1651 Treaty of Bila Tserkva, the Ottoman sultan's offer of…
The Chernobyl Cross: Ukraine's Nuclear Gothic
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadow of Chornobyl—not the 1986 disaster itself, but the eerie Ukrainian Gothic that grew around it long before. They discuss the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone as a landscape of ruins: the abandoned town of Pripyat, the Duga over-the-horizon radar array, and the ghost villages of Poliske. Lucas traces how the zone became a symbol in Ukrainian literature and art, from the 'zone of alienation' in Strugatsky brothers' Roadside Picnic (set in an unnamed…
The Lithuanian Era: Ukraine's Forgotten Golden Age
Before the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania absorbed most of Ukraine in the 14th century. This episode explores how Lithuanian rule — often overlooked — shaped Ukrainian identity, law, and language for centuries. We discuss the 1362 Battle of Blue Waters where Algirdas defeated the Tatars, the adoption of Ruthenian as an administrative language, the rise of Orthodox Lithuanian princes like the Ostrogskis, and the cultural flourishing that made Kyivan Rus' traditions…
The Kyivan Rus' Conversion: Volodymyr the Great's Choice
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal moment when Kyivan Rus' embraced Christianity under Prince Volodymyr the Great in 988 AD. They discuss the legendary 'test of faiths' — Volodymyr's envoys reporting back on the religions of neighboring powers — and why Byzantine Christianity won over Islam, Judaism, and Western Christianity. The conversation covers the baptism at Kherson (Chersonesus), the mass baptisms in the Dnipro River, and the political motivations behind the conversion…
The Kyiv Protocol: How Ukraine Missed the Mongol Warning
In 1223, a mysterious army appeared at the Dnipro's edge — swift, disciplined, utterly alien. The Kyivan princes, squabbling over succession, dismissed the warnings of the Polovtsian steppe lords. Lucas and Luna reconstruct the tragic diplomacy that preceded the Battle of the Kalka River: the Mongol envoys who offered peace, the murder of those envoys, and the fateful decision to march east without waiting for Volodymyr-Suzdal's troops. Along the way, they examine Subutai's famous…
The Kyivan Cave Monastery: Underground Saints and Monastic Power
This episode takes you inside the Kyivan Cave Monastery, the spiritual heart of Kyivan Rus' and modern Ukraine. We explore how this subterranean complex, founded in 1051 by Saints Antonii and Theodosii, became a pilgrimage center, a scriptorium, and a political force. Lucas and Luna discuss the relics preserved in the Near and Far Caves, the monastery's role in chronicle-writing, its clashes with Mongol invaders, and its transformation under Polish and Russian rule. They also touch on the…
The Galician Fortress: Ukraine's Habsburg Window
This episode of The History of Ukraine takes us to the western edge of the Ukrainian lands under Habsburg rule, exploring the fortress city of Kamianets-Podilskyi and the broader story of Austrian governance in Galicia. We discuss how the Habsburgs, unlike the Romanovs, offered Ukrainians a space for cultural and political development—from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to the rise of Lviv as a center of national awakening. We examine the 1848 Spring of Nations in Lemberg, the figure of…
The Tryzub: Ukraine's Trident Through the Ages
From the golden trident of Prince Volodymyr the Great to the coat of arms of modern Ukraine, the tryzub is one of the world's oldest national symbols still in use. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins of the trident on Kyivan Rus' coins, its possible meaning as a falcon or a symbol of the Holy Trinity, its disappearance under imperial rule, and its dramatic re-emergence in 1918 and again in 1992. They discuss the role of the tryzub in Ukrainian nationalism, its suppression during…
The Union of Brest: Ukraine's Religious Schism
In 1596, the Union of Brest created the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, a compromise that allowed Orthodox Christians in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to recognize the pope while preserving Byzantine rites. But this union came at a terrible cost. It split Ukrainian society into Greek Catholics and Orthodox, a divide that fueled Cossack uprisings, deepened tensions between East and West, and remains a live fault line today. Join Lucas and Luna as they explore the political chess game…
The Radziwill Chronicle: Ukraine's Medieval Illustrated History
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Radziwill Chronicle, one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of Kyivan Rus'. Dating from the 15th century but copying older 13th-century originals, this book contains over 600 miniature paintings that depict the history of the East Slavs from the legendary Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv to the Mongol invasion. Lucas explains how the chronicle passed through the hands of the Radziwill family in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, how it survived…
The Khotyn Fortress: Ukraine's Medieval Gate to the World
In this episode, Lucas and Luna journey to the Dniester River to explore the Khotyn Fortress, a stone-and-wood stronghold that changed hands between Moldavia, Poland-Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia. They focus on the 1621 Battle of Khotyn, where Cossack hetman Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny led 40,000 Zaporozhian Cossacks alongside Polish-Lithuanian forces to halt an Ottoman army of 150,000. The episode details Sahaidachny's brilliant defensive tactics, the role of Cossack…
The Crimean War in Ukraine: Sevastopol and National Awakening
In this episode of The History of Ukraine, Lucas and Luna explore the Crimean War of 1853–1856 and its profound impact on Ukrainian national identity. From the Russian siege of Sevastopol and the epic defense of the Malakhov Kurgan to the Allied occupation of Crimea and the war's role in exposing the Russian Empire's weakness, the conversation covers key figures like Admiral Pavel Nakhimov, Florence Nightingale, and the little-known Greek Battalion of Balaklava. The war devastated the Black Sea…
The Baturyn Massacre: Ivan Mazepa's Burning Capital
In November 1708, the Cossack capital of Baturyn was razed by Russian troops loyal to Tsar Peter I. This episode tells the story of the massacre that wiped out nearly his entire garrison and civilian population — an act of vengeance against Hetman Ivan Mazepa, who had defected to Sweden. We explore the siege, the betrayal by a colonel, the mass graves discovered centuries later, and how the event has echoed through Ukrainian memory as a symbol of imperial retribution. Lucas and Luna discuss the…
The Black Sea Slave Trade: Ukraine's Dark Medieval Commerce
Long before the Cossacks launched their famous naval raids on the Black Sea, the same waters were the highway for a vast and brutal slave trade that shaped the economy and politics of Ukraine for centuries. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Black Sea slave trade — centered on the Crimean port of Kefe (Caffa) and the Genoese merchant colonies — became one of the largest forced migration networks of the medieval world. They trace the trade from its origins in the Mongol Golden…
The Pact of Andrusovo: Ukraine Divided Between Empires
This episode dives into the Treaty of Andrusovo, signed in 1667 between the Tsardom of Moscow and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. We explore how this agreement ended the Thirteen Years' War but cleaved Ukraine in two along the Dnipro River. The left bank fell under Moscow's control, the right bank remained Polish. For the Cossack Hetmanate, it was a betrayal of their hopes for autonomy. We follow the negotiations led by Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin and the Polish envoy Jan Gembicki, and examine…
The Kyivan Rus' Princess Who Ruled Byzantium
Long before Olga of Kyiv, another Rus' woman sat on the Byzantine throne — Anna Porphyrogenita, the sister of Emperor Basil II, married to Grand Prince Volodymyr the Great in 988. But this episode focuses on a less-known figure: the Rus' princess who became empress of Byzantium. In the 11th century, a daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, named Anastasia or perhaps Dobronega, married King Andrew I of Hungary. But more intriguing is the case of Eupraxia of Kyiv, daughter of Vsevolod I, who married Holy…
The Treaty of Pereiaslav: Ukraine's Fateful Alliance with Moscow
In 1654, Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the Zaporozhian Cossacks swore allegiance to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich at Pereiaslav, a decision that reshaped Eastern Europe for centuries. But what exactly was agreed? Was it a military alliance, a protectorate, or the beginning of Moscow's absorption of Ukraine? This episode unpacks the fraught negotiations, the competing versions of the treaty, and the immediate aftermath—Russia's invasion of Poland-Lithuania, the betrayal at Vilnius, and the Cossacks'…
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