The Origins of the First Crusade
Welcome to Echoes of Empires, my new podcast which is the successor to the Fall of the Roman Empire. In this episode, I want to look at the First Crusade. This crusade was quite different from all th...
4 Jul 27min
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: The Inheritors of Rome
I wanted to let you know that my latest book, The Inheritors of Rome, is now available in both paperback and ebook on Amazon and will be available through most major book retailers soon. Click here fo...
21 Jun 2min
Byzantium's Golden Age
In the century from 860 to 960 Byzantium was reborn as the greatest power in western Eurasia. Its armies were invincible, spearheaded by regiments of heavy cavalry which terrified its opponents. In th...
14 Feb 31min
Byzantium's Battle for Survival
In today’s episode, I’d like to switch from the Abbasid Caliphate to the Byzantine Empire. The fortunes of both were of course connected and the Caliphate’s decline during the ninth century created an...
31 Jan 26min
The Abbasids: Golden Age or Age of Collapse?
Many historians call the Abbasid caliphate ‘the Golden Age of Islam’ but in this episode I want to analyse the contradiction in this description since, at a time when Islam underwent an undisputed cul...
17 Jan 25min
The Rise and Fall of the Umayyads
First, let me wish you a Happy New Year and I hope you had a good break if you took time off. This episode tells the story of one of the greatest empires in history – the Umayyad Caliphate. Its territ...
3 Jan 24min
Eirene: The Monstrous Empress of Byzantium?
In this episode, we’ll hear about one of the most chilling rulers of Byzantium – the empress Eirene. She was Byzantium’s only empress to take on the reins of government in a sole capacity. Her reign i...
20 Des 202525min
The Forgotten Heroes of Byzantium
In the first half of the eighth century, Byzantium stemmed the Arab advance into Europe. Critical to this achievement were two emperors: Leo III and Constantine V. In this episode, I explain why I thi...
6 Des 202524min
