Hi everyone,
I've recently been reading some general books about geopolitics and have decided I want to learn more about the formation of the Russian Empire.
I'm fairly knowledgeable about Russian history from 1861 onwards, having studied this period both in school and at university (focusing more on Soviet history at degree level), however Muscovy and the formation of the Russian Empire is a blind spot for me that I would like to learn more about.
Specifically, I'm looking for history books that provide an introduction (so political histories will do, although ideally with fairly up-to-date scholarship) on the collapse of the Kievan Rus, transition to Muscovy, and the expansions of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and later Catherine the Great (apologies if this is a flawed periodisation).
I'm aware there's some issues with the historiography of this period, notably that there is a gap in Anglophone scholarship and that a lot of the writing about this period is from a Marxist perspective, so the more neutral the pieces, the better.
I'd be happy to take recommendations that simply detail the lives of the individuals named above, although I would also like to learn more about the wider context for how Russia was formed as well.
Thanks in advance.
by teemodidntdieforthis