A brilliant general becomes Emperor of Nicaea. It only takes him a few years to regain the great city of Constantinople. Unfortunately everyone is out to get him and it takes a lifetime of juggling to stabilise his empire.
The Myths and History of Greece and Rome will be back next weekend.
Welcome to nearly sixty years of total and utter chaos. Four empires and at least twenty emperors fight, make alliances, break alliances and generally fail to get on. Something has to give!
The Angeli prove themselves to be so incompetent that the capital of the Empire cannot withstand the crusading armies. Calamity results.
Andronicus Comnenus could not, quite obviously, be allowed to continue as Basileus. If only his demise, like that of Domitian for example, had been planned. Then, perhaps, the chaos and incompetence that followed could have been avoided.
Manuel Comnenus thinks big but is a bit to pro-western. His cousin, though, is an entirely different kettle of fish!
John the Beautiful fails to achieve all his aims as he goes and dies at exactly the wrong moment. He is succeeded by his son: how will he do?
Alexius’s son proves himself to be the equal of his father!
The Pope launches the first crusade with mixed results for Alexius and hie empire!
A quick look at France, Germany and England in the 300 years up to the start of the First Crusade.
Everyone knows about 1066 and all that. The Normans' other conquests are less famous but equally important. Just ask Alexius Comnenus!
Disloyalty and bad planning lead to disaster.
The great Macedonian Dynasty comes to an end. The Empire begins its final spiral into nothingness.
Basil's death begins a steep decline. If you want to be emperor then marry Zoe!
Basil II finally has time to give his full attention to the Bulgars. It's not pretty!
Basil II takes control of his empire, finally dispatching the pesky Bardases! And then he plans... a lot.
The Empire is still on the rise despite the meddling of two men called Bardas!
Romanus II succeeds his father but is partied out before too long. Romanus's loss is the Empire's gain.
An important announcement about Christmas scheduling and my new recording technology.
Having taken the place of his own son-in-law as senior emperor Romanus Lecapenus begins ro rule. He does a surprisingly good job. Shame about his sons!
Leo the Wise finally solves his marriage problem and has the legitimate heir he's always wanted. Then he dies too early!
Trying to produce a son can be a challenging activity. Just ask Leo!
Michael III is known to history as Michael the Drunkard. While this may have some truth, it is mostly slander - perpetrated by a certain Basil the Macedonian.
Christmas Day dawns and Leo V is a troubled man. By the end of it he would be a dead one. The Empire, though, is soon rolling in cash.
The Khagan of the Bulgars proves to be more than a match for Nicephorus. Meanwhile the hermit's prophecy begins to come true!
Leo IV could have been a good emperor but didn't get the chance. Unfortunately his wife did!
What's been happening in the west in the 300 years since Rome fell? Time to find out!
My new ebook: Legends of King Arthur and His Knights is now available on all Amazon stores. The ASIN code is B01I8IB7J8.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I8IB7J8 for the UK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I8IB7J8 in the US
After decades of turmoil a strong emperor finally assumes the purple. His reign may have been good news for the people but it was bad news for icons! And as for his son....
The Empire realises, far too late, that exile is not enough for a deposed hated emperor..... he just might come back!
Is there finally some light? Maybe. Bring on a vigorous young emperor and a brand new weapon!
Heraclius completes his mission against the Persians. Has he done enough?
A huge welcome to Elias Belhaddad who will take us through the rise of a new force. The world will never be the same again!
Phocas's reign comes to an end in a brutal manner. His successor proves to be just what the Empire needs.
The Empire successfully keeps its enemies at bay for more than 20 years. And then...?
Justinian was certainly a great man; a man of drive, vision and courage. His achievements were many... but at what cost?
Justinian sends his best general, the great Belisarius, to North Africa to evict the Vandals. If successful he will plough on and have a go at the big one: the reconquest of Rome.
Justin is the Emperor but he's not really in charge. His nephew, Peter Sabbatius, gains a new name and a lot of power. Not only that, Peter has the ambition and drive to exercise his power.
The Eastern Empire is healthy and flourishing but the Western Empire is gone. It's time to reflect on the reasons why.
The fact that the Roman Empire used to contain a city called Rome quickly becomes a distant memory. Constantinople has its own problems. Stability is provided by an old man who proves that age is no barrier to imperial success.
Rome may have fallen but it's not taking this podcast with it. The Eastern Empire is still going strong but will undergo major changes, making our histories of Greece and Rome merge into one.
And so Rome falls. The inevitability is clear but the shock is still remarkable. On the other hand life continues as normal.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Barbarian generals and emperors battle for control of the Empire while other barbarians annex large parts of it. The countdown towards the fall of Rome gathers pace.
And so we reach the beginning of the end. The signs have been there since the death of Theodosius the Great but now everyone can see them, including a certain very famous barbarian king!
It is the turn of Carthage to get a good sacking and this time the perpetrators are so efficient that they had the whole concept named after them! Worse than that, the ancient city is lost to the Empire as it is occupied by the barbarians.
...but it's not just a rumour. The unthinkable has happened.
The fall-out from Adrianople is severe and long lasting; too much for a teenager. Fortunately Gratian has a plan.
