Badass Stories from Byzantium

The massive Arab navy nor the Vikings of the Early Middle Ages stood a chance against Roman Fire, a fact that was proven on more than one occasion to both peoples. In Episode 8: Roman Fire, I examine this Medieval super weapon and why it mysteriously disappeared. Huge thanks to Podcorn for sponsoring this episode. Explore sponsorship opportunities and start monetizing your podcast by signing up here: https://podcorn.com/podcasters/

There was no pathway for women to rule the Byzantine Empire as there was for men, but that didn't stop some from reaching the top. Theodora was one such woman. In Episode 7: The Blue Augusta, I follow Theodora's journey from blue rags to purple riches as she championed women's rights and saved the empire from descending into chaos on more than one occasion. Big thanks to Podcorn for sponsoring this episode. Explore sponsorship opportunities and start monetizing your podcast by signing up here: https://podcorn.com/podcasters/

In today's episode I deviate from my conventional narrative style and take a more laidback approach to the topic, the Bubonic Plague and its effect on the Byzantine Empire. We'll go over numbers and the difficulty in finding them, as well as how disease was interpreted in the medieval ages, and more.

What if the Byzantine Empire were alive today? If the Kingdom of Greece had its way in the 19th century, that very well could have been the case. In Short Stories: The Megali Idea, I talk about Eastern Roman pipe dreams in the modern day and how they almost came to be. Big thanks to Podcorn for sponsoring this episode. Explore sponsorship opportunities and start monetizing your podcast by signing up here: https://podcorn.com/podcasters/

The Byzantine Empire fell in 1453, but the Greek-speaking, Eastern Orthodox Romans lived on as exiles in Western Europe and second-class subjects under the Ottoman sultans. In Episode 6: Are You Romiós, I follow the last of the Palaiologi and the Romií in the 15th century and beyond. In doing so, I will answer the question: Do Eastern Romans still walk among us?   

Desperate times call for desperate measures. With an Ottoman army at the gates in Constantinople, Manuel II Palaiologos knew this all too well. In today's Short Stories episode, I tell of Manuel's trip to Western Europe, where he pled for aid and met the likes of Henry IV.

The last couple centuries of the Byzantine Empire were defined by a cycle: Civil war begot foreign aid begot opportunism. With each rotation, the empire wound up weaker. In Episode 5: Ashes to Ashes, I examine the Eastern Roman Empire's final breaths on the world stage and the 1453 Fall of Constantinople. 

Who were the folks that made up the Byzantine Empire and what happened to them after it fell? I hope to answer these questions in Diaspora, a Badass Stories from Byzantium three-part series starting Dec. 5.  Also, I'd love to see how you're liking the show, so please give a rating, review, or drop me a line at [email protected]. 

For centuries, the Varangians were the cream of the crop of the Byzantine army. As Scandinavian warriors in a foreign land, they were ruthlessly efficient and loyal to a man. In Episode 3: Norsemen, I tell the history of the Varangian Guard and the most famous Varangian, Harald Hardrada.   

Hooligans have been around as long as there have been competitions and young, bored men to watch them. For a time in the Eastern Roman empire, it was a state-paid gig. In Episode 2: Hooligans, I dive into the world of the Byzantine Blues and Greens and examine their transformation from fire-hungry, murdering fanatics to fire-hungry, murdering imperial PR machines. Photo credit: Ediacar.