Podcast

Pic: Chlemoutsi Castle (in Andravida in the Peloponnese) was built by the Latin rulers of the Principality of Achaea. 

We talk about the Latin occupied parts of Byzantium. What was life like for the conquered and the conquerors? Was the occupation a colonial enterprise?

Period: 1204-61

Stream: Colonial Occupation

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Picture: Crusaders attack the tower of Damietta in a painting by Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen

Professor Nicholas Morton returns to tell us the story of the Fifth Crusade.

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. In its pages you can also find out more about the drama of the Fifth Crusade.

Period: 1218-19

Stream: The Fifth Crusade

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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

Download: 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

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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

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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

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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.

Reacting to the Past Games

Stream: Governing Constantinople with John Giebfried

Download: Governing Constantinople with John Giebfried

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