Advertise on podcast: Unobscured

When she traded her name for an empire, Alexandra faced a world that bewildered her—imperial Russia. Even her wedding was overshadowed by death. The darkness of those waters left her searching for a lineline. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His hometown was a crossroads. Money and merchandise passed him by, so when Grigory set out on the road himself, it just made since. But he walked into a future that no one could see coming. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tsar and his people wrestled for control of the empire. A voice whispering that control was his divine right was exactly what Nicholas wanted to hear. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the right hand of the Tsar, Grigory Rasputin turned his newfound power and prestige to vicious ends. And he wasn't the only one. Predators across the empire were howling for blood. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicholas and Alexandra found themselves in an endless cascade of battles. Comfort and rest was in short supply. Every path before them seemed to lead to the same dead end. But one voice promised to guide them home. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Venomous rumors wrapped Rasputin and the Romanovs in a whirlwind. Grigory himself was at the center of the storm. But when the holy man seemed to promise the only path to healing, it made his grateful patrons turn a blind eye. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grigory struggled to heal. But as he swam back to life, another more successful assassination shot a hole in divine autocracy, and The Great War swept over the empires of his world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The empire was bleeding. Who was to blame? As the accusations flew thick and fast, Grigory Rasputin proved once again that the ladder of chaos was an old friend. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seemed Grigory Rasputin was untouchable. If the plots laid against him weren't exposed before they hatched, then the hands set against him failed in their courage at the last moment. But even for a man like Grigory, some day the charm runs out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grigory was mortal. The autopsy proved that. But as the Romanovs grappled with that reality, the world found that legends and myths were much harder to kill. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our interview with Douglas Smith, award-winning historian, author, and translator. His book "Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs" is a major study of Rasputin's rise and influence, and the very best historical work available on the life, death, and legacy of the Siberian peasant who became advisor to the Tsar. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our interview with Dr. Joshua Sanborn, Professor of History at Lafayette College. His book on the collapse of the Romanov regime, "Imperial Apocalypse: The Great War and the Destruction of the Russian Empire," provides a rich history of the Great War through stories of the people on the ground. Restoring focus on the Eastern Front of the war, Dr. Sanborn's work traces the forces changing early twentieth centry Russia, and through Russia, the world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.