Picture: Justinian | Heraclius | Basil II | Alexios Komnenos, from thecollector.com
For our 300th episode I decided to do something different. I chose my 10 Greatest Byzantine Emperors.
Stream: The 10 Greatest Byzantine Emperors
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With Constantinople back in Roman hands we explore the one vantage point we’ve ignored: the last Latin Emperor Baldwin II. Dr John Giebfried returns to give us Baldwin’s biography.
Pic: Seal of Baldwin II
John completed his PhD in Medieval History at St Louis University in 2015 and has subsequently worked at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Georgia Southern University, East Georgia State College, and since 2022 has been a faculty member at the University of Vienna, where he teaches History and Digital Humanities. His academic work focuses on the Crusades, the Crusader-States, and European interactions with the Mongols.
Period: 1215-61
Stream: Baldwin II with John Giebfried
Download: Baldwin II with John Giebfried
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Map: The Nicaean Empire in 1257 from The Byzantine Hellene by Dimiter Angelov
Theodore Laskaris II beds down his father’s conquests in Europe. But his early death sees his family sidelined by Michael Palaiologos. The new Emperor needs some victories to legitimise his seizure of power and the fates reward him beyond all expectations.
Period: 1255-61
Stream: The Providence of God
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Picture: Silver Coin (Aspron trachy) of John III Vatatzes
With the Bulgarians and Turks hobbled by the Mongols the field is clear for Nicaea. John Vatatzes annexes a huge swathe of European territory and is widely recognised as the true Roman Emperor.
Period: 1237-54
Stream: The Rise and Rise of Nicaea
Download: The Rise and Rise of Nicaea
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We talk to Dr Nicholas Morton about the arrival of the Mongols into the Byzantine world. Their confrontation with the Seljuks of Anatolia will have serious consequences.
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.
In it he offers a panoramic account of the Mongol invasions of the Middle East during the thirteenth century, examining these wars from the perspectives of the many different societies impacted by their conquests, including of course Byzantium.
Stream: The Mongol Storm
Download: The Mongol Storm
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While Epirus was rising and falling, Nicaea was consolidating. John Vatatzes, the new Emperor, was competent at home and abroad. After years of consolidation he decided to besiege Constantinople. But he didn’t act alone he invited an unlikely ally to join him.
Period: 1215-37
Pic: John III Vatatzes from ‘Rulers of the Byzantine Empire’ published by Kibea
Stream: The Forgotten Siege
Download: The Forgotten Siege
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Theodoros Doukas the leader of the Roman state of Epirus leads his people to ever greater heights in the 1220s. He captures Thessalonica and drives towards Constantinople itself. Doukas declares himself Emperor but does he have the resources necessary to reach the Hagia Sophia?
Pic: Electrum coin with Theodoros (left) blessed by Saint Demetrius.jpg
Period: 1215-30
Stream: The Rise and Fall of Epirus
Download: The Rise and Fall of Epirus
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Today we look at Constantinople itself. What was the physical state of the city and what was the Latin administration like? Guiding us today is Dr John Giebfried.
John completed his PhD in Medieval History at St Louis University in 2015 and has subsequently worked at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Georgia Southern University, East Georgia State College, and since 2022 has been a faculty member at the University of Vienna, where he teaches History and Digital Humanities. His academic work focuses on the Crusades, the Crusader-States, and European interactions with the Mongols.
Stream: Governing Constantinople with John Giebfried
Download: Governing Constantinople with John Giebfried
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Today we look at the parts of the Roman Empire we haven’t covered so far in the post-siege narrative. This includes Attalia, Trebizond and the multiple acquisitions of Venice. Helping me is Dr John Giebfried from the University of Vienna.
Stream: Episode 292 – Venice and the Rest of the Empire with John Giebfried
Download: Episode 292 – Venice and the Rest of the Empire with John Giebfried
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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
Stream: Episode 291 – Michael Doukas of Epirus
Download: Episode 291 – Michael Doukas of Epirus
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The History of Byzantium 