Manuel’s Italian campaign begins brightly but ends in failure. Meanwhile his cousin Andronikos tries to kill him and more bad news arrives from Antioch.

Period: 1152-1158

Stream: Sundered by Gold

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The Normans raid the cities of Greece during the passage of the Second Crusade. Manuel sees this as such a worrying development that he makes the decision to prioritise the recovery of Apulia over Antioch. This sets off a series of conflicts in the Balkans and a series of missed opportunities in Syria.

Period: 1147-1152

Stream: Changing Priorities

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In a bonus episode for Patreon supporters (at the $6 level) we follow the Emperor Conrad and King Louis as they arrive in the Holy Land and attempt to besiege Damascus. We then retrace our steps to the start of the Crusade and go through what the Latins were saying about the Byzantines during their march.

Period: 1148

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We follow the Emperor Conrad and King Louis as they both attempt to cross Anatolia.

Period: 1147-1148

Stream: The Second Crusade, Part 2

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A ‘Second’ Crusade is called in response to the fall of Edessa in 1144. The French and German monarchs sign up leaving the Byzantines with multiple headaches to deal with.

Pic: The Crusaders arrive at Constantinople by Jean Fouquet

Period: 1144-1147

Stream: The Second Crusade, Part 1

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John II Komnenos’ youngest son Manuel takes charge of the Empire. After securing the capital and punishing Raymond of Antioch the new Emperor goes on campaign against the Turks. After chasing the Sultan of Iconium to his capital Manuel realises that fighting on the plateau is no easy business. Meanwhile the Crusader city of Edessa falls and the Byzantines don’t appreciate the significance of this event.

Pic: Manuel Komnenos (from ‘Rulers of the Byzantine Empire’ published by KIBEA)

Period: 1143-1146

Stream: The Sack of Edessa

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