The History of Byzantium

We look at listener questions about this period of narrative. Were the Varangian Guard still employed at Nicaea? Had Greek Fire been lost? How many Emperors are actually Saints? Why did Nicaea win? Should they have moved back to Constantinople? Were the Romans Greeks now? Period: 1204-61

We talk about the challenges which Michael Palaiologos and the Nicaens faced as they prepared to move back to Constantinople. Period: 1204-61

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

Professor Nicholas Morton returns to tell us the story of the Fifth Crusade. To learn more check out his book The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East. 

For our 300th episode I decided to do something different. I chose my 10 greatest Byzantine Emperors.

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.Period: 1215-61 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.

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.

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.

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.