The Normans raid the cities of Greece during the passage of the Second Crusade

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.

Episode 234 - Changing Priorities

With Italy and the Balkans at peace Manuel turns his attention to Anatolia. 

With Italy and the Balkans at peace Manuel turns his attention to Anatolia. He marches to Antioch to punish those who'd wronged him. He then campaigns against the Turks with surprisingly positive results.&nbsp;

Episode 236 - Why Make Peace?

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.  

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.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Episode 235 - Sundered by Gold

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

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

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

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 235 - Sundered by Gold

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Episode 231 - The Second Crusade, Part 1