Siberia is the world’s largest wilderness and last frontier. The Russian conquest this vast territory begins in the 1500s, but will take more than a century to complete. By the end of Russian expansion, the Tsar rules not just all of Siberia, but also Alaska and even parts of California.

How did a regional power in far-eastern Europe come to control such a vast land? And why did they do it? Here, Dan tells the first half of the story, from Russia’s medieval origins until the opening of the frontier and the founding of the Romanov dynasty.

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Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRQYSSR91oAy-_2_2BQ5wjI01GWSWvtUWn0ZCkQBMuQhSikJwqyId2HlWg_bQiTZ7YrS-T7Fz6gnFWb/pub?lsrp=1

Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan