John II Komnenos' youngest son Manuel takes charge of the Empire

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.&nbsp;

Episode 230 - The Sack of Edessa

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

We follow the Emperor Conrad and King Louis as they both attempt to cross Anatolia.&nbsp; Period: 1147-1148

Episode 232 – The Second Crusade, Part 2

A 'Second' Crusade is called in response to the fall of Edessa in 1144.

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.&nbsp; Period: 1144-1147

Episode 231 - The Second Crusade, Part 1

Robin discusses 'Byzantium and Italy' with Marco Capelli. Marco is the brilliant host of Storia d'Italia 

Robin discusses 'Byzantium and Italy' with Marco Capelli. Marco is the brilliant host of Storia d'Italia - a podcast telling the story of the History of Italy - in Italian. This interview is in English. Please do tell any Italian speakers you know about Storia d'Italia (italiastoria.com).

Discussion with Marco Capelli about Byzantium and Italy

Family Update

An interview with Dr Maximilian Lau about his forthcoming book 'Rebuilding New Rome. The Foreign Policy of John II Komnenos.'

Today we talk to the man whose research has guided our last few podcasts Dr Maximilian Lau. Dr Lau is Adjunct Professor of Economic History at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, and also a Research Associate in History at St Benet’s Hall, University of Oxford. He has been studying 12th&nbsp;century Byzantine history for many years now and the fruits of that labour can be found in his forthcoming book “Rebuilding New Rome. The Foreign Policy of John II Komnenos.” The book is written and will be out next year and Dr Lau very generously shared it with me in advance. It’s been incredibly helpful in part because of its quality but also because it follows a format similar to our narrative episodes. It is a chronological account of John’s military and political activity with a discussion of the sources as each incident unfolds. As Dr Lau explains in the interview – John’s reign often gets short shrift in popular Byzantine books because our Roman sources cover him fairly briefly. But there are plenty of other sources to work with and Dr Lau has synthesised them to create a new history of John's reign. Period: 1118-1143

Episode 229 - John Komnenos with Dr Maximilian Lau

Forgiveness not Permission

Last time we watched as John Komnenos attempted to untangle the Gordian knot which Anatolia had become. After campaigning against the Danishmends – John moved on to Cilicia and Antioch. The Emperor attempted to enforce his rights without angering the Latins. A trick which he failed to pull off. Today John will be forced to go through the whole process all over again. But when he reaches the gates of Antioch this time he won’t take no for an answer. Period: 1138-1143

Episode 228 - Forgiveness not Permission

Just Take the Damn City

John II Komnenos is finally free to campaign in Anatolia. If he can keep the Turks quiet then he can make it to Antioch where his real goal lies. But once there will he risk outraging Latin opinion by assaulting the city or will he negotiate a deal to bring the city back into the Empire? Period: 1127-1138

Episode 227 - Just Take the Damn City

A Crowded Chessboard

John II Komnenos takes charge of the Empire and campaigns immediately in Anatolia. But he is soon beset by the complications of the new position Byzantium finds itself in. Serbians, Steppe tribes, Hungarians and Venetians all demand his attention. Enemies and allies are crowding the chess board and John must make each move very carefully.&nbsp; Period: 1118-1127 If you want to send in feedback to the podcast:- Either comment at https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/- Or on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-History-of-Byzantium-Podcast-Listeners/403854822970245" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook</a> page.- Leave a review on <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-history-of-byzantium/id527579475" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Itunes</a>.- Follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/byzantiumcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehistoryofbyzantium/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Episode 226 - A Crowded Chessboard

The story of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire

A podcast telling the story of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire from 476 AD to 1453. www.thehistoryofbyzantium.com

The History of Byzantium

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Episode 230 - The Sack of Edessa

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Episode 231 - The Second Crusade, Part 1

Discussion with Marco Capelli about Byzantium and Italy

Family Update