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: Laskaris’ forked beard on his coins (Dumbarton Oaks)
Stream: Episode 290 – The Despot, Theodore Laskaris
Download: Episode 290 – The Despot, Theodore Laskaris
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The History of Byzantium 
did the Byzantium army stop using cataphract heavy cavalry
I would have thought they would have been able to stand up
western knights.
Pat Cronin
croninp.nd@gmail.com
Basically yes. The use of whole units of heavy cavalry really only took place during the period of expansion between 950 and 1000. Once Basil II was campaigning in the Balkans for decades there was no need for them. They are very expensive to train and maintain and fighting in the broken terrain of the Balkans meant they were no longer needed. The tradition was not revived once the Latins became a permanent feature in part because it was simpler to hire other Latins to fight for you.
Great episode, but there was so much info and so many characters packed into it, it could have easily used an extra 10-15 minutes 🙂