The Romanovs and the Time of Troubles: From Boris Godunov to Michael Romanov

The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History · May 28, 2026 · 10m · transcript

Before the Romanov dynasty could rise, Russia had to survive the Time of Troubles — a chaotic period of famine, civil war, foreign invasion, and false tsars. This episode follows the collapse of the Rurikid dynasty with the death of Tsar Feodor I in 1598, the disastrous reign of Boris Godunov, the appearance of the False Dmitry backed by Polish-Lithuanian forces, and the brutal siege of the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. We explore the role of the Cossacks, the boyar infighting, and the foreign intervention that nearly ended Russian statehood. The conversation culminates in the Minin and…