Podcast – The History of Byzantium
A weekly podcast
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Podcast – The History of Byzantium
Episodes
Podcast – The History of Byzantium
A weekly podcast
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Episodes of Podcast – The History of Byzantium
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Michael Komnenos Doukas would have had a forgettable career if it wasn’t for the chaos which followed Manuel Komnenos’ death. But the twists of fate allowed him to found a new state in Epirus (Western Greece) which would eventually seize huge p
We follow Theodore Laskaris as he escapes from Constantinople and establishes a new state at Nicaea. Crowned as the new Roman Emperor he must face down rivals on every side including the Turks. Map: The Empire of Nicaea Period: 1204-12 Picture:
With Baldwin and Boniface dead the Bulgarians run riot across Thrace. Their Tsar Kaloyan attempts to capture Thessalonica and ponders whether he could become the new Roman Emperor. Picture: St. Demetrius Killing Kaloyan. Mosaic from Visoki Deča
After throwing a huge strop Boniface, the Marquis of Montferrat, is made King of Thessalonica. He sent his men to conquer most of Greece but the Bulgarians were on his tail. Picture: The Acrocorinth where Leo Sgouros took refuge from Boniface P
The Latins agree to stay for another year and to conquer the whole of the Roman Empire. They elect Count Baldwin of Flanders and Hainaut to be their Emperor and all seems well. It only takes a year for everything to fall apart. Picture: Statue
The narrative returns as we head back to 1204 and the sack of Constantinople. The arrival of the Latins had actually splintered the Roman world into at least 13 different states. With a little help from the 2008 film ‘Vantage Point’ we will be
I speak to Rob and Jamie from the podcast Totalus Rankium. Their show is a light hearted ranking of every Roman Emperor from Augustus to Constantine XI. It’s a really fun listen and they include all the amusing stories which I edited out of Byz
Professor Kaldellis’ new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In the final episode in this series he answers more of your questions. Amongst the topics we cover are citizenship, class, counter-factuals, academia
50 episodes ago Dr Maximilian Lau came on the podcast to talk about John II Komnenos. Max kindly shared his book with me before publication to guide the podcast through John’s reign. Now he is back on the show to catch up on the next century of
Professor Kaldellis’ new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. He has kindly agreed to talk to us about it across 4 episodes! In this first conversation we discuss the new Roman government that Constantine establi
Tom Holland is the author of half a dozen brilliant books on the ancient world. He has now written three on the Roman Empire. The latest ‘Pax’ takes the story from the death of Nero to that of Hadrian. It’s the golden age of Roman power and yet
American author Robert Bruton takes us through his Master’s thesis on the role of climate change and plague in the decline of Roman fortunes in the 6th century. He is also writing a trilogy of historical fiction novels about the life of Belisar
I talk to Katherine Pangonis about her new book – Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean. In it she travels to Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch to tell their stories and experience what remains. It’s a fantastic book f
We take a look at the pros and cons of the Komnenian system. Then trace why it was causing enough resentment to lead to provincial separatism. We then move on to discuss the army and the bureaucracy and the people of Constantinople. Looking at
More questions to tackle this week. Comparing the sack of 1204 to the sack of Rome in 410. Questioning the Byzantine system of succession and the routes of their decline. And pondering whether other Emperors rose to power like Alexios Angelos –
Professor Anthony Kaldellis has just completed a new history of Byzantium which will be published in October 2023. So I cheekily asked him if he would list his 10 greatest Emperors. Graciously he agreed to apply his immense knowledge to this fr
I answer more questions about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. What was the reaction of other nations? Did people see it as sign of the end times? What did the Byzantines think of the Templars and Hospitallers? What were the r
I answer more questions about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. We talk about why the Roman response was so feeble and if anything else could have been done? Along with questions about the tombs of the Emperors, statues, coins
Antakya after the earthquake (ABCNews.go.com) This is a special episode to urge listeners to donate to the ongoing relief effort in Turkey and Syria. I interview two expert guests about the situation with a particular focus on the city of Antak
Isaac Angelos does his best to secure his position and confront the Bulgarians. But he is overthrown by his brother at the head of a coalition of aristocratic families. Period: 1189-95 Pic: Alexios III Angelos (Miniature portrait from a 15th-ce
I speak to author Ben Duval, author of the book: “Saladin the Strategist: How the Crusaders Lost the Holy Land.” We go through Saladin’s career starting with how he captured Egypt. Then how he built the coalition which defeated the Crusaders. F
Isaac Angelos begins his reign by defeating the Normans and making as many alliances as he can to secure his position. Unfortunately he rejects an offer from two Vlach Chieftains Peter and Asen. They turn on the Romans and found the Second Bulg
Killing of Stephen Hagiochristophorites by Isaac Angelos, c. 1473, miniature by Jean Colombe in Les Passages d’outremer, BNF. A 15th century depiction of the death of Andronikos. Original in the Bibliothèque Nationale, France. Andronikos contin
When Manuel Komnenos died he left an 11 year old son as his heir. The Regency Council set up to protect him fails. Manuel’s cousin Andronikos seizes the throne instead and begins a reign of terror. Period: 1180-83 Pic: Andronikos I Komnenos. Mi
I answer listener questions about Manuel’s reign. Period: 1143-80 Stream: Means and Ends Download: Means and Ends RSS Feed: The History of Byzantium If you want to send in feedback to the podcast: – Either comment on this post. – Or on the face
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