As we look back at Byzantium I turned once more to Professor Anthony Kaldellis. I asked him to present a list of ten influential East Romans who were not featured heavily in the political narrative. Anthony Kaldellis is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is the author of over a dozen books on Byzantium including the definitive history ( The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium ). Find out more here . Timestamps: Photios: 0.47 secs - 15m 08s Michael Pse...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 11 min
As we look back at Byzantium I turned once more to Professor Anthony Kaldellis. I asked him to present a list of ten influential East Romans who were not featured heavily in the political narrative. Anthony Kaldellis is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is the author of over a dozen books on Byzantium including the definitive history ( The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium ). Find out more here . Timestamps: Gregory of Nazianzus: 6m 10s - 21m 12s J...
Jan 06, 2026•1 hr 15 min
I talk to Eric Halsey about his new book State Builders from the Steppe: A History of the First Bulgarian Empire . In it he chronicles the rise and fall of the Bulgars as they arrive in the Balkans and forge a state that would be a thorn in the Byzantine side. I thoroughly recommended the book. It’s well researched, easy to read and it’s nice to hear about a subject so intimately entwined with Byzantine history from a different perspective. Find the book on Amazon or check out the Bulgarian Hist...
Dec 30, 2025•47 min
To mark the 1000th anniversary of his death we revisit the bachelorhood of Basil II. My guest is Mark Masterson — until recently Associate Professor of Classics at Victoria University of Wellington (retired 2025). His work explores masculinity, desire, and male social bonds in the Roman world. In his book Between Byzantine Men he discusses an oration written in Basil's day which may shed light on his intimate life. Find out more about Professor Mark Masterson here and check out his two books on ...
Dec 15, 2025•45 min
More Patreon Zoom Calls, more podcasts and more thank yous https://www.patreon.com/historyofbyzantium Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 19, 2025•2 min
I talk about what will happen with the podcast next. Send your questions to thehistoryofbyzantium@gmail.com This Sunday the 20th July I will be hosting 3 Zoom calls for Patrons at 1, 5 and 9pm UK time. It looks like I will be doing an AMA on Reddit this weekend too. I’ll post the Reddit address on the website as soon as I have it. If you’d like a History of Byzantium podcast t-shirt to commemorate 13 years of this obscure hobby of yours then go to etsy.com/shop/ImperialWares Hosted on Acast. See...
Jul 15, 2025•3 min
Mehmed II becomes Sultan in 1451 and immediately makes plans to conquer Constantinople. Period: 1448-53 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 13, 2025•1 hr 42 min
John VIII Palaiologos asks the Pope for an Ecumenical Council to reunite the churches. To his surprise the Pontiff says yes and a huge Byzantine contingent travels to Italy. Period: 1425-48 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 20, 2025•27 min
With the Ottoman civil war raging Manuel II Palaiologos tries to improve the Roman position and ensure his sons succeed him. Period: 1402-30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 06, 2025•30 min
Manuel II Palaiologos refuses to play vassal to Sultan Bayezid. So the Ottomans set up a permanent blockade of New Rome. The siege would last for eight years and only a miracle could save the Romans. Period: 1391-1402 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 30, 2025•30 min
John V Palaiologos faces rebellions from his sons and Grandsons. Forcing the Romans to become both Ottomans vassals and the pawns of Venice and Genoa. Period: 1371-91 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 23, 2025•26 min
We look at the details of how the Ottomans ran their state. Including the creation of loyalty to the ruling dynasty, succession policy, military recruitment and slave trading. Period: 1280-1371 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 15, 2025•26 min
We follow the last century of narrative from an Ottoman point of view. Period: 1280-1371 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 09, 2025•19 min
John V Palaiologos takes charge of the Empire but finds he has only one option left to save his state. He must travel West and beg for Latin help. Meanwhile the Turks conquer Thrace. Period: 1355-71 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 02, 2025•28 min
Finally in sole control of the Empire John Kantakouzenos makes plans to restore the Roman world. His plans come to nothing though as he immediately faces war, invasion and plague. Period: 1347-55 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 25, 2025•29 min
In order to gain the throne John Kantakouzenos destroys what is left of the Roman Empire. He allows the Serbs to conquer Macedonia while his Turkish allies enslave his people. Period: 1343-47 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 18, 2025•23 min
Andronikos III Palaiologos died on the 15th June 1341. Four months later his nearest and dearest were at each others throats. His right hand man John Kantakouzenos declared himself Emperor but was rejected by the people at every turn. Refusing to give up he invited foreign powers to intervene on his behalf. Period: 1341-43 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 11, 2025•28 min
Andronikos III Palaiologos takes charge of a Roman state still recovering from the loss of Anatolia and the raids of the Catalans. He takes on the challenge with enthusiasm and tangles with the Turks, Latins and Serbs. He also reunites Epiros and Thessaly with Constantinople. Period: 1328-41 Check out my episodes on the First Crusade which have been turned into videos by @Empire-Builders Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 04, 2025•23 min
This is part two of my Q&A with Father John Strickland. We talk about the Protestant reformation, Autocephalous churches and connections to Byzantium amongst other topics. John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He wrote a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. He’s also recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books which you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at www.ancientfai...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 4 min
This episode is brought to you by Telepaideia, a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. Visit www.paideiainstitute.org/telepaideia to browse the course catalogue and register! It’s my pleasure today to welcome back Father John Strickland to the podcast. Four episodes ago we talked in detail about the Divine Liturgy and its place at the heart of Byzantine life. I put out the call for listeners to ask questions. Par...
Feb 12, 2025•57 min
This Saturday – the 8th February 2025 is the Intelligent Speech online conference. A gathering of fellow history podcasters. Who will be talking about Deception – lies and forgeries. There are 3 keynote speakers in Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, Otto English and Wesley Livesay. Along with a host of fun roundtables packed with podcasting talent. I will be on two panels. They are back to back so from 11 am – 1pm Eastern Standard time you will get all the History of Byzantium you need. I will be on a panel d...
Feb 03, 2025•1 min
This episode is brought to you by Telepaideia, a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. Visit www.paideiainstitute.org/telepaideia to browse the course catalogue and register! I interview David Hendrix the man behind the incredible website ' The Byzantine Legacy .' It was David who showed me around Istanbul when I first visited in 2018. His website is an amazing resource for anyone who wants to know what survives ...
Jan 30, 2025•42 min
Happy New Year. I have two interviews coming out shortly for you to enjoy. One with David Hendrix of the Byzantine Legacy website ( www.thebyzantinelegacy.com ) and a return visit from Father John Strickland to answer more questions about Orthodoxy. Both those episodes are being sponsored by Telepaideia. a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. You can take beginner classes in Latin and Ancient Greek. Visit www.pa...
Jan 24, 2025•4 min
We look at listener questions about feudalism, the Catalans, the Armenians and many other topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 16, 2024•40 min
We look at listener questions about Andronikos II. Why was he so useless? Why did no one overthrow him? How poor was the Empire? And many more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 09, 2024•32 min
I have another 3 things to tell you. Tomorrow, as in Sunday 1st December, I will be hosting 3 Zoom Calls for Patrons, where you can ask me anything. This is a reminder for those of you already on Patreon. And if you’re not but want to get on the call then you could just sign up for $1 and join in the conversation. The calls are at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm in Coordinated Universal Time. Which is essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time but apparently we don’t want to show off too much about that. Anyw...
Nov 30, 2024•3 min
It's time we talked about Orthodoxy in more detail. I ask Father John Strickland to explain the Divine Liturgy, and it's Byzantine origins, to me. John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He has also written a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. And he’s recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books. He also wrote the Making of Holy Russia : The Orthodox Church and Russian Nationalism be...
Nov 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Marco Cappelli, the man behind the Storia D'Italia podcast, has created a Roman history comic book. Ammianus - the Twilight of an Era tells the story of the incredible change that took place across Italy during the 6th century. The comic is so good it made me cry. I interview Marco about why he decided to make this and where the inspiration came from. Get your own copy in Italian, English or Latin! And in physical or digital form here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...
Nov 15, 2024•47 min
Professor Nicholas Morton returns to tell us about developments on the sea during the Crusading era. We discuss why Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi were able to dominate the waves. And talk about the ships they used and how they fought. Dr Morton is Associate Professor in Middle Eastern and Global history at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. His new book The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East is available now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...
Nov 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Hello everyone, Here are 3 podcast-related things you may be interested in. Roman Graphic Novel Friend of the show Marco Capelli has made a comic book set in 6th century Italy. It follows two figures that we know about from an Ostrogothic jewellery collection that was discovered in 1938. A Roman Patrician Stephanus who marries a Gothic noblewoman Valatrud. They are subjects of King Theodoric who is trying to create a functioning Gothic-Roman kingdom in Italy. But their union comes shortly before...
Sep 27, 2024•6 min
