Romanovs and the Great Game: Central Asian Conquest

The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History · Sep 17, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While the Romanovs are often remembered for their tragic end in Yekaterinburg or their lavish lives in St. Petersburg, a significant portion of their power came from the brutal expansion into Central Asia. This episode explores the late nineteenth-century race against the British Empire to dominate the Silk Road regions, focusing on the conquest of the Khanates of Khiva, Bukhara, and Kokand. We look at how generals like Mikhail Skobelev used overwhelming military force to redraw maps, and how this imperial ambition created deep resentment among the Yomud Turkmen and other local populations…