Valentinian, son of the Rope Man, emerged from dad's shadow, paid his dues in the army, and was in the right place at the right time when Julian's short-lived successor Jovian died somewhere outside Ancyra.  Rising to the purple with his brother Valens (Adrianople anyone?) by his side, Valentinian would go on to rule from the west, holding the Rhine, recovering Britannia, and quashing rebelling in Africaa.  He would be the last truly dominant Roman Emperor to rule the West, with the help of two savage she-bears, but was he a hero?  

Julian, nephew of Constantine the Great, cousin of Constantius the Murderous, aspiring philosopher, Emperor almost against his will, unfortunate soul!  He would be the last pagan emperor of Rome, though the Empire would last for another 1100 years, trying in vain to turn back to the clock to a simpler world that no longer existed.

Join us for our long awaited first Q&A episode, where we take on listener questions and do our level best to answer!  From "why did Marc Antony fall in love with Cleopatra" to "did Livia kill Augustus" and "which Roman Emperor would you want to have a beer with"?  This was the most fun we've had on an episode for some time, thanks to all of you!  (We just republished this one with some minor fixes).

Finally in possession of the supreme power, after having eliminated all rivals and fully dismantling Diocletian's Tetrarchy, what will Constantine do?  Will he use his power for good?  What will he do with the Christians now that he has elevated their faith above all others?  And what really happened to Crispus?    

Join Constantine as he crossed the Alps and marches on Rome, to meet his rival Augustus, Maxentius (son of Maximian the Mischievous) at the fabled Milvian Bridge.  Constantine is intent on unwinding Diocletian's project, the Frankenstein-ish Tetrarchy, and consolidating power in his hands.  He will use his considerable wiles, and the surging Christian sect, to accomplish his audacious objectives.  

Constantine assumes his father's mantle in Eboracum when know one authorized him to do so.  But with the support of the troops and an unyielding sense of destiny and belief in his own abilities, he begins to gather power, and legitimacy in Britannia, Gaul and Hispania as the various rulers of the Italy and the East squabble among themselves.  We said goodbye to the Old Guard, Diocletian, Maximian and Galerius now, as the Roman Empire primes itself for the most explosive Roman Civil War in centuries between Constantine, Maxentius, Licinius and Maximinus.  Who will come out on top?

YAY - WE ARE BACK FROM OUR SUMMER BREAK, just in time to meet a young boy named Constantine, yet another of Illyrian stock, born to Helena the barmaid and Constantius, member of the Imperial bodyguard, steps into the light.  Dad is making all of the right moves and finds himself rising fast in Diocletian's administration, from Praetorian Prefect, to Caesar, and finally to Augustus. But some people - especially the Emperor Galerius - are threatened by Constantius' success, and worry (rightly) that the son Constantine will follow in dad's footsteps, and upset their well laid plans for domination.  Can Constantine survive the intrigue against him?

To our amazing listeners!  After one full year of research, writing, recording and releasing one episode a week, we are going to take a little vacation for the month of August 2024 (we hope you guys are too!) and we will be back on September 1st, with batteries recharged, ready to dive into Constantine the Great!  Happy summer everyone....

Join Diocletian as he ups the ante, and continues his bold experimentation to reform the Imperial system to deal with the new world of threats that have overwhelmed Rome for the last one hundred years.  But will this new system, that we know as the Tetrarchy, survive the biggest threat of all, human ambition?

Diocles, son of a slave.  WHAT?? Say that again.  Diocles, who assumed the regnal name of Diocletian, was the first Roman Emperor to be born the son of a former slave.  He would rise from dirt to the pinnacle of Roman power, yet another of the Illyrian cabal, hellbent on restoring Rome to her former glory.  But rather than focusing simply on military brilliance to accomplish that objective, like his immediate (really all) predecessors had, Diocletian decides to experiment with the hallowed structure of the Roman imperial system to see if he can build a better, more sustainable, mousetrap.