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 parts of the Roman world. Period: 1204-15 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Period: 1204-12 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Period: 1204-07 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Period: 1204-07 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 following the different perspectives of these actors as they deal with the fallout from the sack. We begin with the story of Alexios V Doukas who fled the city just before it fell. Period: 1204 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Byzantine history. They have a sister show where they rank American Presidents. Find both shows here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexander Christie-Miller was the Turkish correspondent for the Times Newspaper between 2010 and 2017. He has written a book called ‘To the City’ about the people who live along the Theodosian Walls in Istanbul today. He tells the story and charts the sweeping changes they've experienced in Turkey over the past 50 years. It's a brilliant read, ideal for those of you who have visited Istanbul or plan to. Alexander Christie-Miller is from Wiltshire in the UK, studied in Dublin and was then in Istanbul for 7 years. He was the Times Turkish correspondent during that period and his writing has also appeared in Newsweek, The Atlantic, Der Spiegel and the White Review amongst other publications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 and AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In this episode he answers your questions. Including succession mechanisms, taxation, the Senate, usurpers, Belisarius, Maurice and many more topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s update I’m going to tell you about when the narrative is coming back, about podcast tours to Turkey in 2024 and about how Anthony Kaldellis is answering more questions than I told him to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new book has come out about that most famous of Byzantines. It's called Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint by Peter Sarris and it is excellent. It is not a dramatization of his career but a brilliantly researched account of his life and time in office. Track his evolving thinking through the amazing range of sources we have for his reign and gain a deeper understanding of the interesting times he lived in. The book is on sale everywhere including on Audible.com. To listen to the book for free check out Audible's service here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This beautiful map of the Crusader States has just been put on sale. Adomas, the artist, is offering 15% off any map at his store for podcast listeners. Just use the code Byzantium at his online store. mapklimantas.etsy.com ‘The Emperor’ by Matthew Storm: http://tinyurl.com/juj44cdb. The Heraclius story is so epic that it took two books to cover. Book 1 is called the Exarch’s son. And Book 2 is THE EMPEROR: Heraclius Battles Persia for the Life of Rome. ‘The Gardens of Byzantium’: http://tinyurl.com/nhh6b4jw A romance about Asana (a Persian woman) and a Roman soldier who are brought together by Heraclius’ war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In our third conversation we walk through the narrative picking out interesting things to talk about. The creation of Constantinople, Justinian's personality, Heraclius' achievements and life under the Sassanian occupation to name a few.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Byzantine history and to give us the great news that the book has been published. The book is 'Emperor John II Komnenos: Rebuilding New Rome 1118-1143'. You can buy the book here and if you use the discount code AAFLYG6 you can 30% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Illness Update December 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In our second conversation we discuss the adoption of Christianity as the Roman religion. How much did Roman society change as a result? Why was early Christianity so riven with disputes? We also talk about the function of the law in Roman society. How did it help define individual rights and responsibilities beyond criminal behaviour?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 established in 330AD. What was the 'personality' of government? How did it achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the people? Was it really a Republican Monarchy?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 insecurity and anxiety lie under the surface. I talk to Tom about how he gains insight into people so utterly different to us.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 2023 Update Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.