We know we promised to never do a two-parter again, but with the history of Russia being so jampacked with curious characters and disastrous disasters, Alex just couldn’t help himself. So, join us in the first part of our history of Russia to learn all about the development of the early Russian state – from the contentious role of the Varangians in the creation of the Kievan Rus to Nicholas III’s centralisation of power, and finally to Peter I’s and Catherine II’s roles in solidifying Russia’s place as a major world power.