John II Komnenos is finally free to campaign in Anatolia. If he can keep the Turks quiet then he can make it to Antioch where his real goal lies. But once there will he risk outraging Latin opinion by assaulting the city or will he negotiate a deal to bring the city back into the Empire?

Period: 1127-1138

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John II Komnenos takes charge of the Empire and campaigns immediately in Anatolia. But he is soon beset by the complications of the new position Byzantium finds itself in. Serbians, Steppe tribes, Hungarians and Venetians all demand his attention. Enemies and allies are crowding the chess board and John must make each move very carefully. 

Period: 1118-1127

If you want to send in feedback to the podcast:

- Either comment at https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/

- Or on the facebook page.

- Leave a review on Itunes.

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I have now finished all of the videos of Istanbul. So do subscribe to the History of Byzantium Youtube channel if you’d like to see them. The first few will go up next week.

I have also completed our next Byzantine Story. It will be available in the next hour. It’s about a provincial magnate named Kekaumenos whose life gives us the invaluable perspective of a Roman outsider. Someone who viewed the Emperor and his bureaucracy with some suspicion.  For anyone interested in daily life in other parts of the Empire this is a must listen.

It will be available on the bonus episodes feed at Patreon and to anyone who is still subscribed at thehistoryofbyzantium.com. If your subscription ran out in the last year email me and I’ll add it to your feed for free.

You can also buy the episode on its own for $7 but remember from October the only place to get any bonus episodes will be Patreon. Go to patreon.com/historyofbyzantium to find out more. The feeds at Patreon are also advert-free.  

You’ll be pleased to hear that I am now going back to the narrative. I’ll be back soon with the reign of John Komnenos, son of Alexios.

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Hello everyone,

I don’t normally talk about personal things on the podcast. But my father has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s serious and it’s all happened very quickly.

I am still working away on the next Byzantine Story but further disruption to the schedule is inevitable.

Thanks for your understanding. 

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As you may know I have already produced three episodes about Women in the Roman World which are available for you on the Ad-Free Bonus Feed at Patreon.

I now present three more episodes about Women in the Byzantine World. And these episodes are very much a continuation of that series. In part one we talk about how the arrival of Christianity affected Roman women. We also hear a couple of Saints' Lives. These tales give us a rare glimpse of how women appeared in popular culture.

This first episode is free but parts 2 and 3 are only available on the Ad-Free Bonus Feed at Patreon. 

The Incidental Music used is “Introspection” from Purple-Planet.com

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Hello everyone,

I am back with three bonus episodes for you about Women in the Byzantine World. These episodes should be available within an hour or so of this update.

Since women get much less attention than they deserve in our narrative I’ll put the first of these episodes out for free for everyone to enjoy. Parts 2 and 3 though are only available on the Ad-Free Bonus Feed at Patreon or at thehistoryofbyzantium.com.

Since I’m very late with these bonus episodes they will be available to anyone whose subscription at the website ran out in the last year. So if you had a subscription which ran out any time from July 2020 and you haven’t renewed or switched to Patreon just email me and I’ll add the episodes to your account manually. That email is [email protected].

These 3 episodes are a continuation of another 3 parter I recorded a couple of years ago called Women in the Roman World. If you like what you hear in part 1 of the new series but want to hear more about women’s lives in the Greco-Roman world then do check out those episodes. Either at Patreon or at thehistoryofbyzantium.com. But just to remind you episodes will no longer be available from the website from October.

I am now moving on to work on another Byzantine Story and then it will be back to the narrative.

Take care and thanks for listening.

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Our sixteenth Kickstarter backers reward episode looks at the relationship between Byzantium and the Rus and later Russia in conversation with Professor Sergey Ivanov.

Professor Ivanov is a Russian scholar who has been studying Byzantium for many decades. He currently works in the Institute of Oriental and Ancient Studies at the National Research University “Higher School of Economics” in Moscow. 

He has written several books about Byzantium as well as contributing hundreds of articles to the field. His areas of study include Byzantine religious missions, the cultural influence of Byzantium on the Rus', Holy Fools and Constantinople itself. He has also taken part in public lectures and debates on the legacy of Byzantium in modern Russia.

To see his full list of publications please click here . His books ‘Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond’ and ‘Pearls before Swine: Missionary Work in Byzantium’ have been translated into English. As have a number of articles and other book chapters. 

To read a public lecture which Professor Ivanov gave in 2009 about “The Second Rome as Seen by the Third: Russian Debates on the “Byzantine Legacy” please click here.

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High Speed History have Byzantine-themed merchandise available!

The good people over at Highspeedhistory.com have produced a range of delightful items featuring our beloved Byzantium. We’re talking t-shirts, hoodies, bags, clocks, towels and stickers amongst many other items.

I’m very pleased to say that some of your ideas have made their way into the collection. I asked for your input on social media and you came up with great ideas. If you want to celebrate your love of Justinian or Belisarius then an Empire Strikes Back t-shirt could be yours. Or if you’ve been dying to show your support for the Green faction or the Blues but they won’t let you in the Hippodrome anymore then fear not because a Green or Blue iphone case or mouse mat or t-shirt could be yours. Or what about the most adorable item of all – a baby grow with porphyrogennitos on it. Come on, how could you resist?

Please go to www.highspeedhistory.com/byzantium to check out the full range. If you decide to buy something then use the code ‘byzantium’ at checkout to get a pound or dollar off each item you purchase. And you’ll be helping out the podcast as I will get a little something for sending you there. Anyone can buy these items – they ship worldwide. And this discount also applies to any items you purchase from the Greek or Roman sections of the website. Yes High Speed History has merch from a variety of historical eras check them all out at highspeedhistory.com.

I also did a written interview for the site to lure in those of you who find me weirdly interesting. So if you want to know my favourite film or what I’d put on a billboard in a busy city then check out the interview here.

Happy browsing.

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When I announced I would be taking a break back in the Autumn I received an email from listener Brian Sherry offering to produce an episode of the show for me. He told me about the metal band Judicator recording an entire album about Belisarius. And he very kindly offered to interview them on my behalf.

I said yes and Brian got lead singer and writer John Yelland on the phone and they talked about turning the life story of Justinian’s most trusted General into a full metal album.

Today's episode is an edited version of that interview. They talk through the concept and the choice of moments in Belisarius’ life to capture in song. And they play a few snippets of music to give you an idea of what the album sounds like.

If you’d like more then the full 2 hour interview is available on Judicator’s Youtube channel. And of course if you’d like to buy the album - Let There Be Nothing – go to judicatormetal.bandcamp.com or check it out on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify or wherever you get your music.

I am still working on the bonus content I owe many of you. I will be back at some point in Spring with the narrative. For now enjoy the interview.

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