Damon Boar
106 episodes listed below
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A podcast exploring everything related to the History of Russia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Damon makes Russia's history legible by connecting court succession, war, public health and expansion within a sustained chronological account.
Damon builds Russia's past as a continuing chronological narrative, then steps sideways when the wider picture matters. Catherine's court, the Romanov succession, the Seven Years' War and Pugachev's rebellion appear alongside surveys of the world in 1762 and 1780.
Catherine's newborn is whisked away as state business; if that's your kind of intrigue, press play.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A Russian retreat turns into a fraught story of court intrigue, political blame, and uncertain death.
This PlayNext single-episode review treats the Russian court of 1757 and 1758 as a place where Apraxine's retreat becomes less a military question than a contest over blame.
Catherine's letters draw a late-night reckoning as Frederick's war widens on every side.
Episode 79 keeps one eye on the battlefield and the other on the Russian court, using the Seven Years' War to show how quickly private judgment could become political danger.
Peter's Danish campaign and treatment of Catherine push the crisis toward his arrest.
Peter's first months as Tsar are framed as a volatile mix of wounded pride, public insult, and political risk. His choices have unsettled the army and clergy, while the Danish campaign adds pressure to an already strained marriage with Catherine, whose pregnancy and distance…
Catherine's reform project enters an autocracy with no settled habit of debating law.
Catherine the Great's push to recast Russia's legal order meets a political culture with little muscle memory for collective debate. The episode shows why the Nakaz left serfdom untouched, then follows the Legislative Commission as members receive the document, hear Alexander…
A clear, pointed review of Russian serfdom and the reforms that tested Catherine's enlightened image.
Episode 89 sets Russian serfdom against Catherine's legal reforms and the Nakaz, pressing on what enlightened rule could mean in a society where most ethnic Russians were still bound by systems of practical and legal enslavement.
A measured look at how Catherine turned a takeover into authority.
The episode keeps its focus on Catherine's early months on the throne, moving through the coronation, the politics of rewarding the people who backed her rise, and the slower job of lining up government, church, and army behind her.
A patient court chronicle that finds motion inside a seeming holding pattern.
Episode 73 presents late-1740s Russian court politics as a measured chain of pressure points. It follows Elizabeth and Bastuzhev as they try to control Peter and Catherine, then moves through the Choglikov-Kosheleva scandal, the decline of the Choglikovs, and the gradual…
A brisk, clear chapter on succession, influence, and the pressures building around Catherine's Russia.
Episode 99 is a brisk state-of-play chapter for late-1770s Russia. Paul’s marriage and the succession question sit beside Catherine’s wider control of events, and Damon keeps the chronology clear while moving from family stakes to the political weather around Russia.
Phoebe Judge narrates true crime history and interviews the authors who uncovered it.
Dramatized deep dives into American history, from the Galveston hurricane to Harper Lee's Mockingbird.
Dana Schwartz narrates the violent lives of monarchs, warlords, and queens.
Tracy Wilson and Holly Frey narrate overlooked history, from Courbet's realism to IUD regulation.
Mike Duncan narrates Rome's full history solo, from Aeneas to Romulus Augustulus's exile in 476.
Episode 77 turns to 1757 and puts the Seven Years' War front and center.
Damon steps away from straight chronology and looks at Russia's last three decades through business.
Catherine shifts from seizing power to holding it.
Damon starts by resetting the timeline after Catherine II's coronation.
Damon opens by setting a bleak tone.
Damon opens with a brisk reset.
The show pauses its main Russian narrative for another State of the Nations survey.
Damon stays with the Pugachevshchina, the rebellion led by Pugachev that keeps growing.
Peter hanged a rat as a war criminal for eating two of his papier-mâché soldiers, and he is heir to the Russian throne.
Episode 97 of the History of Russia podcast covers the tumultuous personal life of Catherine the Great from 1772-1775, tracing the fall of her long-time favourite Grigory Orlov, her brief unsatisfying affair with Vasilchikov, and the dramatic rise of Grigory Potemkin through calculated monastery withdrawal and political maneuvering.
Peter III's fall is traced step by step through the end of June and the start of July 1762.
Episode 100 takes stock of Russia's story from the mid-9th century river trade routes to the world of 1780.
Damon returns after a break and resets the story at the Russian court.
Damon wraps up the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774.
Damon picks up the story in 1770.
This episode explores Grigory Potemkin's rise in Catherine the Great's court after the 1762 coup, including a mysterious eye injury and court intrigues, then shifts to the early years of the Russo-Turkish War, detailing Russian military strategies and key battles.
Damon records while the village is quiet.
This episode covers Russia's wars with the Ottoman Empire and Sweden during Catherine the Great's reign, leading up to the victory at Stalingrad.
The host recaps previous episodes and introduces the early 1780s as a calm period before the storm, focusing on four key topics.
The host announces a pause in the podcast due to personal challenges and plans to return with shorter, more frequent episodes.
This episode covers the transition from Empress Elizabeth to Catherine the Great, with a recap of the War of the Austrian Succession.
This episode includes ads and a membership pitch, but the show is dedicated to exploring the history of Russia.
This episode begins with ads for Cancer Research UK, Shopify, and Skittles, then transitions into a wedding speech before introducing the podcast's support from members.
This episode covers the reign of Tsar Fyodor III and the rise of Sofia Alekseyevna in late 17th-century Russia.
The host introduces the episode on the Romanovs, recaps previous content, and apologizes for delays due to family illness.
This episode covers the election of a new Tsar in 1613, ending the Time of Troubles, and begins exploring the early reign of the first Romanovs.
This episode covers the Novgorod Republic and the life of Alexander Nevsky after the Mongol conquest of Rus.