Byzantium's Golden Age
In the century from 860 to 960 Byzantium was reborn as the greatest power in western Eurasia. Its armies were invincible, spearheaded by regiments of heavy cavalry which terrified its opponents. In th...
14 Feb 30min
Byzantium's Battle for Survival
In today’s episode, I’d like to switch from the Abbasid Caliphate to the Byzantine Empire. The fortunes of both were of course connected and the Caliphate’s decline during the ninth century created an...
31 Jan 25min
The Abbasids: Golden Age or Age of Collapse?
Many historians call the Abbasid caliphate ‘the Golden Age of Islam’ but in this episode I want to analyse the contradiction in this description since, at a time when Islam underwent an undisputed cul...
17 Jan 25min
The Rise and Fall of the Umayyads
First, let me wish you a Happy New Year and I hope you had a good break if you took time off. This episode tells the story of one of the greatest empires in history – the Umayyad Caliphate. Its territ...
3 Jan 24min
Eirene: The Monstrous Empress of Byzantium?
In this episode, we’ll hear about one of the most chilling rulers of Byzantium – the empress Eirene. She was Byzantium’s only empress to take on the reins of government in a sole capacity. Her reign i...
20 Dec 202524min
The Forgotten Heroes of Byzantium
In the first half of the eighth century, Byzantium stemmed the Arab advance into Europe. Critical to this achievement were two emperors: Leo III and Constantine V. In this episode, I explain why I thi...
6 Dec 202524min
Byzantium: The Empire That Refused To Die
In this episode we turn east to consider Byzantium. We last spoke about the eastern Romans, or the Byzantines, in episode 113 when I described the emperor Leo III’s victory in the winter of 717/718 ov...
22 Nov 202521min
The Origins of the Holy Roman Empire
The final political legacy of the Roman Empire in western Europe was the Holy Roman Empire. Amazingly, this curious political institution lasted until Napoleon abolished it in 1806. In the eighteenth...
8 Nov 202526min
