
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Sept 5, 1698. Tsar Peter the Great of Russia returns home from a year-long European tour. When noblemen, religious figures, and friends gather to welcome him home, Peter pulls out a straight razor, holds it to their throats, and…forcibly shaves their beards. This event will go down in history as a first step toward Russian geopolitical power. Before Peter’s reign, Russia was an isolated nation that was largely ignored by the rest of the world.
How did Peter the Great almost single-handedly drag Russia onto the world stage? And how did his great beard-shaving endeavor lead to the Russia we know today?
Special thanks to our guest, Lynne Hartnett, Ph.D., Professor of History, Villanova University, and author of Understanding Russia: A Cultural History.
Artwork: Russian political cartoon depicting Peter the Great as a barber, ca. 18th century
** This episode originally aired August 31, 2020.
Get in touch: [email protected]
Follow on Instagram: @historythisweek
Follow on Facebook: HISTORY This Week Podcast
To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios4.5
40594,059 ratings
Sept 5, 1698. Tsar Peter the Great of Russia returns home from a year-long European tour. When noblemen, religious figures, and friends gather to welcome him home, Peter pulls out a straight razor, holds it to their throats, and…forcibly shaves their beards. This event will go down in history as a first step toward Russian geopolitical power. Before Peter’s reign, Russia was an isolated nation that was largely ignored by the rest of the world.
How did Peter the Great almost single-handedly drag Russia onto the world stage? And how did his great beard-shaving endeavor lead to the Russia we know today?
Special thanks to our guest, Lynne Hartnett, Ph.D., Professor of History, Villanova University, and author of Understanding Russia: A Cultural History.
Artwork: Russian political cartoon depicting Peter the Great as a barber, ca. 18th century
** This episode originally aired August 31, 2020.
Get in touch: [email protected]
Follow on Instagram: @historythisweek
Follow on Facebook: HISTORY This Week Podcast
To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

78,338 Listeners

23,860 Listeners

1,809 Listeners

3,791 Listeners

764 Listeners

4,025 Listeners

6,090 Listeners

4,526 Listeners

19,181 Listeners

19,030 Listeners

3,260 Listeners

2,833 Listeners

2,118 Listeners

1,534 Listeners

112 Listeners