Episodes

  • The Romanovs and the 1917 February Revolution

    The Romanovs and the 1917 February Revolution
    Jul 17 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the February Revolution of 1917, the unplanned uprising that toppled the Romanov dynasty after three centuries. They examine the cascading failures of World War I: the Brusilov Offensive's pyrrhic victory, the shell shortage of 1915, the rise of the Progressive Bloc in the Duma, and the catastrophic winter of 1916–17. Lucas explains how bread riots in Petrograd spiraled into a general strike, how soldiers of the Petrograd garrison mutinied rather than fire on crowds, and how Tsar Nicholas II's abdication at Pskov ended with his family under arrest. The episode also covers the formation of the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government under Georgy Lvov, setting the stage for the October Revolution. Along the way, they discuss key figures like Mikhail Rodzianko, Alexander Kerensky, and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, whose refusal of the throne sealed the dynasty's fate. A detailed look at how a seemingly stable autocracy collapsed in less than a week. #FebruaryRevolution #Romanovs #RussianHistory #1917 #NicholasII #PetrogradSoviet #ProvisionalGovernment #BrusilovOffensive #WorldWarI #ProgressiveBloc #AlexanderKerensky #MikhailRodzianko #Abdication #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope #Revolution #History #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • Nicholas II and the Khodynka Tragedy of 1896

    Nicholas II and the Khodynka Tragedy of 1896
    Jul 16 2026
    In May 1896, Moscow's Khodynka Field became the site of one of the worst stampedes in history. Over 1,300 people died during the coronation festivities of Tsar Nicholas II. Lucas and Luna explore the lead-up to the tragedy, the inadequate crowd control, the government's cover-up, and how Nicholas's handling of the disaster foreshadowed his failures as a leader. They discuss the role of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the free beer and souvenir cups that drew enormous crowds, the mass graves dug overnight, and the bitter irony of the evening ball at the French embassy. This episode sheds light on a pivotal moment often overshadowed by Bloody Sunday and the revolutions that followed. #KhodynkaTragedy #NicholasII #RussianHistory #Coronation1896 #TsaristRussia #Moscow #GrandDukeSergei #Stampede #ImperialRussia #Romanovs #BloodySunday #RussianEmpire #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope #19thCentury #CrowdDisaster #RussianRevolution Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Nicholas II and the Lena Goldfields Massacre

    Nicholas II and the Lena Goldfields Massacre
    Jul 16 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Lena Goldfields Massacre of 1912, a pivotal but often overlooked event that shattered the last remnants of faith in Tsar Nicholas II's regime. Set in the remote Siberian goldfields of the Lena River, the episode details the appalling working conditions, the strike that erupted in response, and the brutal massacre of hundreds of unarmed workers by Imperial troops. Lucas explains how this tragedy galvanized opposition, sparked massive protests across Russia, and exposed the deep rift between the autocracy and the growing industrial working class. The conversation also touches on the role of the Okhrana, the complicity of foreign investors, and the Lena Gold Mining Company's attempts to suppress the truth. Listeners will gain a nuanced understanding of how a single event in a far-off corner of the empire accelerated the revolutionary tide that would eventually sweep away the Romanov dynasty. The episode weaves together vivid storytelling with historical analysis, making it a compelling listen for anyone interested in the final years of Imperial Russia. #LenaGoldfields #Massacre1912 #NicholasII #ImperialRussia #Okhrana #LaborHistory #Siberia #Strikes #Revolution #RomanovDynasty #RussianEmpire #Early20thCentury #IndustrialUnrest #WorkerRights #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope #RussianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Nicholas II and the 1905 Revolution: Bloody Sunday to the October Manifesto

    Nicholas II and the 1905 Revolution: Bloody Sunday to the October Manifesto
    Jul 15 2026
    In 1905, the Russian Empire convulsed. A peaceful march to the Winter Palace ended in massacre, sparking strikes, mutinies, and the first nationwide revolution. Lucas and Luna unpack the events: Father Gapon's march, the Bloody Sunday shooting, the Potemkin mutiny, the general strike that paralyzed the country, and Nicholas II's reluctant October Manifesto. They explore the creation of the Duma, why it failed to satisfy anyone, and how the revolution set the stage for 1917. Specific figures include Georgy Gapon, Sergei Witte, and Admiral Rozhestvensky. This episode covers the St. Petersburg Soviet, the Battleship Potemkin, and the Fundamental Laws of 1906 — the Tsar's attempt to claw back power. A turning point that revealed the cracks in autocracy. #1905Revolution #BloodySunday #NicholasII #RussianEmpire #OctoberManifesto #Duma #GeorgyGapon #PotemkinMutiny #SergeiWitte #StPetersburgSoviet #Autocracy #Revolution #RussianHistory #Romanovs #1905 #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Nicholas II and the 1913 Romanov Tercentenary

    Nicholas II and the 1913 Romanov Tercentenary
    Jul 15 2026
    In 1913, the Romanov dynasty celebrated 300 years on the Russian throne with lavish ceremonies across the empire. But beneath the surface of parades, church services, and imperial pageantry, the festivities revealed deep cracks in the monarchy's foundation. This episode follows Nicholas II, Alexandra, and their children through the tercentenary events—from the grand procession in St. Petersburg to the pilgrimage to Kostroma, where the first Romanov was crowned. We explore how the celebrations were designed to boost legitimacy after the 1905 Revolution, the glaring absence of the common people, prophetic whispers of disaster, and the sharp contrast between the glittering balls and the rising discontent that would erupt just four years later. Featuring the Romanovs' visit to the Ipatiev Monastery—ominously sharing a name with the house where they would meet their end—and the symbolic choices that hindsight makes painfully ironic. A story of pomp, power, and the illusion of unity on the eve of catastrophe. #RomanovTercentenary #NicholasII #1913 #RussianEmpire #Kostroma #IpatievMonastery #AlexandraFeodorovna #TercentenaryCelebrations #RomanovDynasty #ImperialRussia #RussianHistory #StPetersburg #MoscowKremlin #Rasputin #1905Revolution #WinterPalace #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Romanovs and the Russo-Japanese War Disaster

    The Romanovs and the Russo-Japanese War Disaster
    Jul 14 2026
    In 1904, Tsar Nicholas II plunged Russia into a war with Japan over rival ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The conflict exposed the crumbling Romanov autocracy: incompetent generals, a fleet that sailed halfway around the world only to be annihilated at Tsushima, and a domestic crisis that boiled over into the 1905 Revolution. Lucas and Luna explore the siege of Port Arthur, the 'Mad Dog' General Kuropatkin, the patriotic frenzy that soured into defeat, and how Russia's first major war against a non-Western power presaged the empire's collapse. Along the way they consider the Battle of Mukden, the Dogger Bank incident, and the Treaty of Portsmouth that made Theodore Roosevelt a peacemaker. A story of hubris, naval catastrophe, and a tsar's fatal miscalculation. #RussoJapaneseWar #NicholasII #PortArthur #Tsushima #Kuropatkin #Manchuria #1904 #1905Revolution #DoggerBank #TreatyOfPortsmouth #TheodoreRoosevelt #MakinoNobutake #RussianNavy #ImperialJapan #EasternEurope #History #FexingoHistory #War Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • The Romanovs and Peter the Great: Building St. Petersburg from the Swamp

    The Romanovs and Peter the Great: Building St. Petersburg from the Swamp
    Jul 14 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Peter the Great's audacious project to build a new capital, St. Petersburg, on the marshy delta of the Neva River. They discuss the city's founding in 1703 during the Great Northern War, the forced labor of hundreds of thousands of serfs and Swedish prisoners, the role of Dutch and Italian architects like Domenico Trezzini, and the symbolic meaning of the city as Russia's 'window to the West.' Lucas explains the engineering challenges of draining swamps, the high death toll, and the cultural transformation Peter enforced—from the Table of Ranks to mandatory Western dress. Luna asks about the legend of the city being built on bones, and Lucas weighs the myth against the grim reality. They also touch on the transfer of the capital from Moscow in 1712 and the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The episode ties Peter's ambition to the later Romanov legacy, setting the stage for the dynasty's imperial identity. #PeterTheGreat #SaintPetersburg #RomanovDynasty #GreatNorthernWar #NevaRiver #DomenicoTrezzini #TableOfRanks #WindowToTheWest #PeterAndPaulFortress #RussianHistory #ForcedLabor #SwampBuilding #1703 #1712 #Menshikov #TsarReformer #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Romanovs' Last Tsar: Nicholas II and the 1905 Revolution

    The Romanovs' Last Tsar: Nicholas II and the 1905 Revolution
    Jul 13 2026
    In this episode, we explore the 1905 Russian Revolution, a pivotal crisis that shook the Romanov dynasty to its core. We follow the story from Bloody Sunday in January 1905, where peaceful protesters were gunned down outside the Winter Palace, through the summer of strikes and the Potemkin Mutiny, to the October Manifesto and the establishment of the Duma. We examine the roles of key figures like Father Georgy Gapon, who led the march, and Sergei Witte, the tsar's chief minister who drafted the manifesto. We also discuss the limits of the reforms: the Fundamental Laws of 1906 preserved the tsar's autocratic powers, and the Duma was dissolved when it became too critical. The episode closes with the legacy of 1905 — how it exposed the regime's fragility and set the stage for 1917. #1905Revolution #NicholasII #BloodySunday #OctoberManifesto #Duma #SergeiWitte #GeorgyGapon #PotemkinMutiny #FundamentalLaws #RussianHistory #RomanovDynasty #FexingoHistory #History #EasternEurope #StPetersburg #Tsar #Autocracy #Revolution Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins