Podcast

Solidus of Leo IV. That’s Leo on the left with his son Constantine next to him (no beard). On the reverse are Leo III and Constantine V (from Dumbarton Oaks collection)

Leo IV begins his reign promisingly before dying at the age of 30. He would be replaced in power by his wife Irene. We look at the rituals an Empress would be forced to go through to be accepted into the Palace to try and gain an insight into Irene’s position as regent.

Period: 775-780

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Listen to the latest podcast to find out about the new fundraising sale and your chance to get 4 new episodes of “The History of Byzantium.”

Download: An update on the Fundraising Sale and the new RSS Feed

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The interior of the Hagia Eirene restored by Constantine V (Wikipedia)

Constantine V faces a conspiracy against his throne and his response is violent. He continues to rebuild his capital and campaign against the Bulgars. Yet despite all his success he was remembered as the Dung named.

Period: 765-775

Download: The Dung Named

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The Balkan Mountains today (from maudestandard.wordpress.com)

Constantine V gathers an Ecumenical Council to gain acceptance for his views on the place of icons. He also goes to war with the Bulgar Khanate. We close by discussing his personal life and the capture of Ravenna by the Lombards.

Period: 755-765

Download: The Headless Council

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Constantine V by Plamen Vulchev (from ‘Rulers of the Byzantine Empire’ published by KIBEA)

Constantine V (From the Modena manuscript, Chronicle of John Zonaras)

Constantine V (Dumbarton Oaks coin collection)

Constantine V becomes Emperor but is immediately forced into a two year civil war. Once back in power we follow his reorganisation of the army and military planning in the face of the Caliphate’s own internal struggles.

Period: 741-755

Download: The Quest for Legitimacy

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The city of Afyonkarahisar in Turkey. This is the site of Akroinon where Leo won his victory in 740.

We look at Leo’s second decade in power. First tracing the military and political developments and then going back to look at the development of Iconoclasm.

Period: 730-741

Download: Leo’s Reign in the 730s

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The Miliaresion of Leo III and Constantine V (Wikipedia)

We look at Leo’s first decade in power. First tracing the military and political developments and then going back to look at domestic policies.

Period: 718-729

Download: Leo’s Reign in the 720s

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A Byzantine Icon depicting the Crucifixion, Birth and Resurrection (cytanet.com.cy)

Mosaic of St Demetrios with donors from the church of Hagios Demetrios in Thessalonia (Wikipedia)

We take a look at the whole period of Iconoclasm as an introduction to this era.

Period: 718-843

Download: Iconoclasm

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Zombies of Byzantium by Sean Munger

An interview with author Sean Munger about his book “Zombies of Byzantium.” The novel is set during the Siege of 717-18 and sees an outbreak of the undead just as Maslama and Leo battle in Constantinople.

Sean is also the man behind the Cry for Byzantium Twitter Feed. There he tells the history of the Byzantine Empire one tweet at a time.

Download: Zombies of Byzantium

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Greek Fire as depicted in the Madrid Skylitzes

Tervel leads the Bulgars on an attack on the Arabs by Vasil Goranov

Maslama puts Constantinople under siege. The Romans look to the heavens for a sign that God still favours them.

Period: 717-718

Download: Lost to the West

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