12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of The Byzantine Empire

12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of The Byzantine Empire episodes:

• 09.24.2009

  Norman Centuries Podcast Teaser

  Lars Brownworth's new podcast called Norman Centuries is also available.

  
• 02.12.2008

  Reading Suggestions

  Lars Brownworth gives some reading suggestions on the Byzantine Empire.

  
• 01.29.2008

  Episode 17 - Conclusion

  With the death of Constantine XI, the Byzantine Empire drew to a close. But that was not the end of the story. From the Orthodox Church, to the Russian Empire, their spirit survived, and offers enduring lessons for...

  
• 09.24.2007

  Episode 16 - Constantine XI

  The 14th century was not a kind one for Byzantium. The Fourth Crusade had left it a hollow shell of itself, fatally crippled in the face of Turkish aggression. A series of forgettable rulers did what they could,...

  
• 08.13.2007

  Episode 15 - Isaac

  Isaac Angelus was never meant for the throne. He should have lived out his life in comfortable obscurity, but instead found imperial power thrust upon him as Alexius I's brilliant dynasty came to a bloody and decadent conclusion. Unfortunately he...

  
• 03.19.2007

  Episode 14 - Alexius

  When the 24 year old Alexius Comnenus came to the throne, the glories of the Empire seemed long gone. Its "invincible" army had been smashed at the battle of Manzikert, the frontiers were collapsing, and enemies on every side threatened...

  
• 01.01.2007

  Episode 13 - Basil II

  By the time Basil II was crowned at age two, the Macedonian Dynasty had led the Byzantine Empire to seemingly endless military victories and unprecedented heights of glory. However it was not the emperors who had accomplished so much,...

  
• 12.02.2006

  Episode 12 - Basil I

  Basil I was hardly a promising candidate to usher in a new golden age to the Byzantine Empire. A poor, illiterate Armenian peasant, he was kidnapped by raiding Bulgarians as a boy, and only managed to escape in his...

  
• 11.09.2006

  Episode 11 - Irene

  When the weak, ineffectual emperor Leo IV died in 780, he left the empire divided and in the hands of an orphan from Athens; the beautiful and grasping Empress Irene. 17 years later she was crowned as sole ruler after...

  
• 10.12.2006

  Episode 10 - Heraclius

  In the years following Justinian's death, the empire was rocked from within and without. Barbarians pushed in on every border and the empire's ancient enemy Persia ravaged the East unchecked. The empire met this challenge with a series of weak...

  
• 07.17.2006

  Episode 9 - Justinian - Part 3

  With the reconquest of Italy seemingly complete and the Persian threat momentarily neutralized by the plague, Justinian could at last afford to rest. But the empire's enemies were everywhere- the plague abated and a charismatic new Gothic king arose in...

  
• 05.30.2006

  Episode 8 - Justinian - Part 2

  With the return of relative calm after the reign's turbulent beginnings, Justinian could turn to his most ambitious project, the reconquest of the Western Empire. For this, his most cherished goal, he looked to one man, the young, promising general,...

  
• 03.11.2006

  Episode 7 - Justinian - Part 1

  As the 6th Century dawned on the tottering Byzantine State, the future seemed to hold only decline and decay, and yet unexpectedly, it was to see a renaissance unmatched in the long history of the empire. On every front, it...

  
• 02.19.2006

  Episode 6 - Zeno

  By the middle of the 5th Century the Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse. Its emperors were mere puppets, its armies were in chaos, and enemies were closing in on all sides. Unable to sustain itself, the West...

  
• 01.25.2006

  Episode 5 - Julian

  A shy, awkward, Pagan philosopher with no ambitions and no experience is appointed Caesar. How could such an unlikely 23 year old become the head of a Christian empire? Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at Julian, the last of...

  
• 12.29.2005

  Episode 4 - Constantine - Part 2

  Constantine has achieved supreme power and made one of the most momentous decisions in history, that of founding a new capital and rescuing a faith seemingly on the brink of schism. However, his megalomania undid most of his work unifying...

  
• 11.30.2005

  Episode 3 - Constantine - Part 1

  From the chaotic background of the tetrarchy, a vulnerable staff officer would navigate the treacherous waters of the empire and eventually emerge as Emperor. How could such an unlikely man unify the empire under one ruler? In this lecture, Lars...

  
• 08.09.2005

  Episode 2 - Diocletian

  The Emperor Diocletian was to erase civil war within Byzantium for the next thousand years but walked away from it all to become a cabbage farmer. Who was this military man and how could he just give it all up?...

  
• 06.27.2005

  Episode 1 - Introduction

  What is the Byzantine Empire? Why would a Byzantine citizen call himself Roman and not know what the Byzantine Empire was? In this introduction to Byzantine history, Lars Brownworth describes where Byzantium came from and why defining Byzantium is a...