Society & Culture

12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of The Byzantine Empire

by Lars Brownworth

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September 24, 2009 · 1 min

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Reading Suggestions

February 12, 2008 · 5 min

Lars Brownworth gives some reading suggestions on the Byzantine Empire.
Episode 17 - Conclusion

January 29, 2008 · 15 min

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 the modern world. Join…
Episode 16 - Constantine XI

September 24, 2007 · 38 min

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, but by the middle of the…
Episode 15 - Isaac

August 13, 2007 · 33 min

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…

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Episode 14 - Alexius

March 19, 2007 · 32 min

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 to…
Episode 13 - Basil II

January 1, 2007 · 32 min

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, but…
Episode 12 - Basil I

December 2, 2006 · 23 min

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 mid twenties. Renowned…
Episode 11 - Irene

November 9, 2006 · 24 min

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 murdering her own son…
Episode 10 - Heraclius

October 12, 2006 · 26 min

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…
Episode 9 - Justinian - Part 3

July 17, 2006 · 26 min

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…
Episode 8 - Justinian - Part 2

May 30, 2006 · 26 min

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…