17th Century Eastern Europe

In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg dive deep into the fascinating yet often overlooked realm of 17th century Eastern Europe. Join Rudyard and Erik as they bring this pivotal era to life: unravel the rise and fall of Poland-Lithuania, Russia's emergence as a great power, and Sweden's surprising dominance, and discover how Cossacks, Ottoman Turks, and visionary leaders shaped the region's destiny. With a blend of scholarly insight and engaging storytelling, Rudyard uncovers the absurdities, triumphs, and tragedies that defined this transformative century 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co/ - SPONSOR: GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg - FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @SamoBurja (Samo) @TurpentineMedia - TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:39) Rudyard's Personal Connection to 17th Century Eastern Europe (03:15) The Three Great Frontiers of Western Civilization (06:18) Eastern Europe as a Frontier (08:18) Serfdom and the Role of the Church in Eastern Europe (13:44) Sponsor: Givewell (17:56) The Time of Troubles in Russia (22:10) The Rise and Fall of Poland-Lithuania (28:51) The Cossacks and the Deluge (34:41) The Rise of the Romanovs and the Conquest of Siberia (42:11) Sweden and the Rise of Gustavus Adolphus (49:56) The Turkish Empire and the Siege of Vienna (56:41) The Khanate of Crimea and the Saratov Line (59:56) Peter the Great, Charles XII, and the Great Northern War (1:04:41) Conclusion and Book Recommendations - BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: "Europe's Steppe Frontier: 1500-1800" by William H. McNeill "The Rise of the West" by William H. McNeill "Poland: A History" by Adam Zamoyski "Russia: A History" by Olli Vares "The Age of Reason Begins" by Will Durant "The Age of Louis XIV" by Will Durant