Tales from Imperial Russia

Tales from Imperial Russia is a fortnightly podcast narrating ordinary and extraordinary lives from the Russian Empire. In episodes about 10-30 minutes long, we will avoid the oft-retold stories of emperors and battles to focus ...more

Latest Episodes

23

December 08, 2023 00:24:52
Episode 23: The Other Rasputin. The Tale of Iliodor (Trufanov)

Episode 23: The Other Rasputin. The Tale of Iliodor (Trufanov)

Between 1905 and 1912, the monk Iliodor (Trufanov) set Russia ablaze with his inflammatory right-wing rhetoric, causing scandal after scandal. In this episode, we...

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22

November 24, 2023 00:36:20
Episode 22: From Riches to Ruin. The Tale of Ivan Tolchenov

Episode 22: From Riches to Ruin. The Tale of Ivan Tolchenov

In 1796, the merchant Ivan Tolchenov was secreted in his magnificent mansion in Dmitrov, hiding from his creditors. This episode seeks to understand how...

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21

November 10, 2023 00:30:47
Episode 21: Empire of Light and Colour. The Tale of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii

Episode 21: Empire of Light and Colour. The Tale of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii

The colour photographs of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii fascinated the imperial public of the early 20th century, persuading Emperor Nicholas II to sponsor expeditions across the...

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20

October 29, 2023 00:50:56
Episode 20: Genteel Country Lives. The Tale of the Chikhachev Family

Episode 20: Genteel Country Lives. The Tale of the Chikhachev Family

Andrei and Natalia Chikhachev, middling nobles, spent their lives running their small estate of Dorozhaevo in Vladimir province and raising their family. In this...

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19

October 12, 2023 00:53:49
Episode 19: Strike! The Tale of Vasilii Gerasimov

Episode 19: Strike! The Tale of Vasilii Gerasimov

Abandoned in 1852 when scarcely two weeks old, Vasilii Gerasimov ultimately became a child worker at the Kreenholm cotton factory, where he worked for...

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18

September 29, 2023 00:38:32
Episode 18: Russia's Last Troubadour. The Tale of Kirsha Danilov

Episode 18: Russia's Last Troubadour. The Tale of Kirsha Danilov

The 1804/1818 song collection of Kirsha Danilov introduced the Russian reading public, in many ways for the first time, to the people's immensely rich...

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