An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

562. Peter the Great: The Rise of Russia (Part 1)

May 04, 2025

Description

Why was the early life of Peter the Great - Tsar and autocrat of all the Russias, who endures to this day as an iconic symbol of Russian might - drenched in blood and violence? What amalgamation...
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Books Referenced

Peter the Great: His Life and World

Author: Robert K. Massie

Context:

Dominic references this book as a source for the episode, stating 'There's a wonderful book about Peter the Great by Robert K. Massey, and I've had to restrain myself from just quoting enormous chunks.' He then quotes from it multiple times, including descriptions of the violence during the Streltsy uprising. The author's name appears as 'Massey' in the transcript but this is likely Robert K. Massie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian.