{"podcast":{"title":"Legacy","slug":"legacy-6673187","podcast_index_feed_id":6673187,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68e4c0be965488b63a6987c5","website_url":"https://wondery.com/shows/legacy/?utm_source=rss","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/68e4c0be965488b63a6987c5/1769609822433-03c5fb3c-c526-4fb3-94af-0f0a1d20a738.jpeg","author":"Original Legacy Productions","episode_count":159,"summary":"Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan tell the wild stories of some of the most extraordinary men and women ever to have lived – and ask whether they have the rep they deserve. Should Nina Simone’s role in the civil rights movement be more celebrated than it is? When you find out what Picasso got up to in his studio, can you still admire his art? Was Napoleon a hero or a tyrant - or both? (And, while we’re at it, was he even short?) Legacy is the show that looks at big lives from the perspective of now – and doesn’t always like what it sees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-23T12:18:46.780803+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-6673187"},"episode":{"title":"Rasputin | How Rumour Broke an Empire | Feat. Sir Antony Beevor","slug":"rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor","published_at":"2026-05-14T08:05:31+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-6673187/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-6673187","url":"https://shows.acast.com/originallegacy/episodes/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e4c0be965488b63a6987c5/e/6a048acfd58f9c365b158f09/media.mp3","summary":"How does a Siberian peasant mystic end up controlling the most powerful empire in Europe? Could the rumours that destroyed a dynasty have been entirely false — and did they matter anyway? And, without Rasputin, would there have been no Lenin — and would the 20th century have looked completely different? Peter sits down with Sir Antony Beevor — bestselling author of Stalingrad , Berlin , and D-Day — to dig into his new book on one of history's most mythologised figures: Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian wanderer who charmed the Tsarina, antagonised everyone else, and whose murder was so catastrophically bungled it reads like black farce. 0:00 From Siberia to the Imperial court — how a peasant mystic reached the centre of power 5:30 Holy fools, wandering pilgrims, and why Russia was always fertile ground for figures like Rasputin 10:00 The voice, the eyes, and the seduction: how Rasputin actually worked on people 13:00 The Tsarina's obsession — and why Antony Beevor is certain the rumours were fake news 17:30 How Rasputin's ministerial choices set the railways on fire and sparked a revolution 24:00 Rasputin was right about the war — and then made everything worse anyway 27:30 The assassination: poisoned cakes, Yankee Doodle, and a murder plot of spectacular incompetence 32:00 Putin, Nicholas II, and why historians should be wary of historical parallels 36:00 Without Rasputin, no Lenin? The counterfactuals Antony loves but won't fully follow Join Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more. legacy.supportingcast.fm Stay connected with Legacy: Instagram: @originallegacypodcast TikTok: @legacy_productions Explore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Join Legacy…","meta_description":"How does a Siberian peasant mystic end up controlling the most powerful empire in Europe? Could the rumours that destroyed a dynasty have been entirely fa…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2350,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/legacy-6673187/episodes/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-6673187/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}