In response to a listener question I decided to produce a whole episode talking about points of comparison between Byzantium and ‘Game of Thrones.’
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I talk to Katherine Pangonis about her new book – Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean. In it she travels to Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch to tell their stories and experience what remains.
It’s a fantastic book for those who want to learn more about these ancient power centres and be inspired to visit them.
We spoke to Katherine about her first book ‘Queens of Jerusalem’ back in episode 238. She returned to tell us about the devastating earthquakes in Turkey in February 2023. Find out more about her at her website.
Stream: Twilight Cities with Katherine Pangonis
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We look at the stories of three different Romans who had to deal with their city being sacked. Through their experiences we come to a better understanding of the loss felt by those who lived through the fall of Constantinople in 1204. NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG EARS.
Pic: Illustration of the sack of Thessalonica by the Arab fleet in 904, from the Madrid Skylitzes
Stream: Loss, Suffering and Enslavement
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Our final batch of questions for this century includes queries about the Hippodrome, diplomatic marriages, national identity and political legitimacy. We also enjoy an update on the Crimea, the Jewish communities of Byzantium and the Varangian Guard. I also talk about the perception of time and rank some dynasties.
Pic: Augustus. Does his dynasty compare favourably to the Komnenoi?
Stream: Questions XIII
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We take a look at the pros and cons of the Komnenian system. Then trace why it was causing enough resentment to lead to provincial separatism.
We then move on to discuss the army and the bureaucracy and the people of Constantinople. Looking at how each was affecting political stability in the run up to the Fourth Crusade.
Pic: The remains of the Church of St John at Philadelphia (modern Alaşehir). Philadelphia was one of the centres which broke away from Constantinople to go it alone.
Stream: The Collapse of the Komnenian System
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Nathan Websdale is a PHD candidate at Oxford University and President of the Oxford University Byzantine Society.
His work is focussed on ethnic identification, social inclusion and self-determination in the Byzantine World, c.1200-c.1230.
Nathan graduated with a BA (First Class) in History from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2016 and an MA (Merit) in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies from the Intercollegiate University of London in 2017.
I talk to Nathan about the thorny issue of provincial separatism before and after the Fourth Crusade.
Picture: A map showing the areas which were not under Byzantine control before the sack of Constantinople in 1204. The shaded areas were being held by provincial rebels or foreign powers. From the article ‘La decomposition de l‘empire byzantin’ by Nicolas Oikonomides (from the book Byzantium from the Ninth Century to the Fourth Crusade)
Stream: Provincial Separatism with Nathan Websdale
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More questions to tackle this week. Comparing the sack of 1204 to the sack of Rome in 410. Questioning the Byzantine system of succession and the routes of their decline. And pondering whether other Emperors rose to power like Alexios Angelos – on the back of a foreign army.
Pic: The Sack of Rome by the Barbarians in 410 by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre, 1890
Stream: Questions XII
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Professor Anthony Kaldellis has just completed a new history of Byzantium which will be published in October 2023. So I cheekily asked him if he would list his 10 greatest Emperors. Graciously he agreed to apply his immense knowledge to this frivolous topic.
He is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. This is his third interview on the History of Byzantium. I talked to him about two of his books ‘The Byzantine Republic’ and ‘Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade.’ But he is the author of over a dozen books on Byzantium along with translations of texts and many articles. Find out more here.
Stream: The 10 Greatest Emperors with Anthony Kaldellis
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I answer more questions about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. What was the reaction of other nations? Did people see it as sign of the end times? What did the Byzantines think of the Templars and Hospitallers? What were the religious differences between the Orthodox and the Catholics?
Pic: A member of the Knights Templar in the popular imagination
Stream: Questions XI
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I answer more questions about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. We talk about why the Roman response was so feeble and if anything else could have been done? Along with questions about the tombs of the Emperors, statues, coins and ships.
Pic: Baldwin of Flanders enters Constantinople by Eugène Delacroix (1840)
Stream: Questions X
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The History of Byzantium 