We look at listener questions about this period of narrative. Were the Varangian Guard still employed at Nicaea? Had Greek Fire been lost? How many Emperors are actually Saints? Why did Nicaea win? Should they have moved back to Constantinople? Were the Romans Greeks now?
Period: 1204-61
Pic: Saint Constantine I
Stream: Questions XIV
Download: Questions XIV
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The History of Byzantium 
Hey Robin I wanted to ask what happened to the buchellari and the cataphracts? were they still around when the byzantines took back constantinople from the latins?
Hey, the Cataphracts disappeared long ago. Probably by the end of Basil II’s reign. They were only useful in specific circumstances. When Arab armies stood and fought they were devastating. Once Basil was chasing shadows in the Balkans he would have had little use for them. The Byzantines started hiring Latins to be their heavy cavalry and ceased to develop their own. Bucellarii is harder to say. That term refers to a specific period. But obviously commanders still had their own retinues. In the Komnenian era we just don’t know enough about the specifics of the Roman army. Komnenian nobles still had retinues but I doubt they were called that or served the exact same functions since so much had changed. Probably the Komnenian nobles began to develop household retinues in imitation of the Latins.
Hello Robin, I’ve been trying to decipher the term you mentioned in the last 2 minutes,… the Byzantine writers referred to themselves as… (……..) oscones?…called in the attic dialect towards the end of this episode. Can you please shed some light on this. I can’t make it out on the audio..how is it spelled for further research. Thanks kindly!
Hello again Robin, I found the term Ausones… very interesting! Thanks for creating this content and the pleasant surprises within.. kind regards, Panos of Monemvasia