The Siege of Nicaea and the Turkish attack of 16 May 1097 from Victory in the East by J France
Alexios directs the Crusaders to Nicaea where they set up a siege. Behind the scenes though the Emperor was busy negotiating with the city’s garrison.
Period: 1097
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The History of Byzantium 
Great episode!
I was wondering since the population of the city was mostly Roman and Christian, were there no attempts to open the gates or something like that?
Also, was the average crusader aware that this was the case? Or was it just the top leadership?
I think most would have known. They knew they were taking it back for Alexios. But I think there would have been a sense that anything not nailed down was up for grabs. And once looting begins people who get in the way tend to get hurt. I’m sure there were many who would have left the people alone or protected those hiding in churches. But given that everyone looked foreign to the Crusaders there would have been assaults on people. The Turkic garrison would have been killed on the spot (probably) and anyone in their vicinity would have been in danger.
Yay!
Really enjoyed this episodes. Your podcast is all around getting better and better. I kept imagining an epic drama being filmed, but couldn’t see how a movie script could bring the nuances you convey in hte narrative and the rich back story that all your listeners now have, to recreate this fascinating time and place and these lives. (I would so like to see a movie that showed the story from all sides, Turks, Romans, and Crusaders.) Marvelous! Thank you!
TV shows are much better for this very reason.
Definitely would love a nuanced Crusades TV show. Not sure if we will get one for a long time though. Game of Thrones may have muddied the water on presenting nuanced epics.
Where would you put the start of such a TV show? At Manzikert?
You could. I think the major challenge for a TV show is to explain who the Byzantines are. Most people watching won’t know.
I think a TV series having seasons based on Emperors. The first Season could be Justinian, then do ones on subsequent important Emperors. I would like a season on Leo III and the 717 seige of Constantinople. Alexius and Crusades is a must too.
I would say start at Manzikert and with the collapse of Byzantine Anatolia, then introduce the conflict between Alexios and the Hauteville family.
Explaining the Byzantines will be complicated, but I would assume the nuances can be explored naturally through conflict with the Latins about what does it mean to be ‘Roman’.
Im curious. What do these crusaders generally call Alexios?
“Emperor”, “emperor of the Greeks”?
Also, do they call the everyday Romans ‘Greeks’ at this point?
George, love the idea! We can only hope.
The Latin historians generally say Greeks yes.
Really really enjoy your podcast. Working my way back to the early episodes. You recommended Lynn Perkins’ History of the Ottoman Empire. I can’t find it anywhere. Do you know what happened or is it still up somewhere?
Try
https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-history-of-the-ottoman-empire-lynn-BT81dnDwce0/
I book-marked a website for the Ottoman Empire podcast ages ago, but have never listened to it. Looks as though there has been one new episode in the last two years, and that was 17 months ago. Perhaps Robin knows more about it.
I’m afraid I don’t know – it seems to have disappeared