The History of Byzantium

Nathan Websdale is a PHD candidate at Oxford University and President of the Oxford University Byzantine Society. His work is focussed on ethnic identification, social inclusion and self-determination in the Byzantine World, c.1200-c.1230.Nathan graduated with a BA (First Class) in History from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2016 and an MA (Merit) in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies from the Intercollegiate University of London in 2017.I talk to Nathan about the thorny issue of provincial separatism before and after the Fourth Crusade.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More questions to tackle this week. Comparing the sack of 1204 to the sack of Rome in 410. Questioning the Byzantine system of succession and the roots of their decline. And pondering whether other Emperors rose to power like Alexios Angelos - on the back of a foreign army.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Anthony Kaldellis has just completed a new history of Byzantium which will be published in October 2023. So I cheekily asked him if he would list his 10 greatest Emperors. Graciously he agreed to apply his immense knowledge to this frivolous topic.He is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. This is his third interview on the History of Byzantium. I talked to him about two of his books 'The Byzantine Republic' and 'Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade.' But he is the author of over a dozen books on Byzantium along with translations of texts and many articles. Find out more here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I answer more questions about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. What was the reaction of other nations? Did people see it as sign of the end times? What did the Byzantines think of the Templars and Hospitallers? What were the religious differences between the Orthodox and the Catholics? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I answer more questions about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. We talk about why the Roman response was so feeble and if anything else could have been done? Along with questions about the tombs of the Emperors, statues, coins and ships.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I answer listener questions about the Fourth Crusade. This episode focuses on the big picture. Who is to blame? Was it inevitable? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a special episode to urge listeners to donate to the ongoing relief effort in Turkey and Syria. I interview two expert guests about the situation with a particular focus on the city of Antakya (Byzantine Antioch).Andrea De Giorgi is a Professor of Classical Studies at Florida State University. He specializes in Roman urbanism and visual culture and has written many books and articles on the subject. He co-authored the fantastic book Antioch. A History which I thoroughly recommend. Dr. De Giorgi has also directed excavations and surveys in Turkey, Syria, Georgia, Jordan, and the UAE. Since 2013, he has codirected the Cosa Excavations in Italy and, since 2021, the Coastal Caesarea Archeological Project in Israel; currently, he is studying the 1930s Antioch and Daphne collections at the Princeton University Art Museum.Katherine Pangonis is a historian and author of the book ‘Queens of Jerusalem’ who I interviewed back in episode 238 of the podcast. Her second book - to be published this summer - is called ‘Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean.’ In it she explores famous cities from antiquity like Tyre, Carthage and Ravenna. Cities who once ruled whole Empires and were littered with magnificent buildings but have been somewhat forgotten. One of the cities she covers is Antioch. She also hosts the podcast - Women Who Dared to Write. This is an appeal for you to donate to one of the various charities who are rushing to the scene at this moment to help the survivors. You have a number of options. You may have campaigns being run in your country by reputable organisations. So here in the UK the Disaster Emergency Committee have launched an appeal that has raised millions. This is an organisation which brings a group of charities together. In this case Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and Islamic Relief amongst many others.dec.org.uk/appeals/To help specific groups directly:The White Helmets are volunteers who have been operating in Syria for many years. They help evacuate people from dangerous areas and offer medical help.https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/AKUT Search and Rescue Association. They are a non-governmental organisation offering emergency and disaster relief to people caught up in natural disasters in Turkey.https://www.akut.org.tr/en/donationAHBAP an independent civilian organisation who offer disaster relief to communities in need across Turkey. This is the organisation that the kind listener who prompted me to make this appeal recommends.https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkeyInternational Red Crosshttps://www.icrc.org/en/donate/syria-emergency Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A personal appeal from a listener who has family in Antakya. This is an appeal for you to donate to one of the various charities who are rushing to the scene at this moment to help the survivors. You have a number of options. You may have campaigns being run in your country by reputable organisations. So here in the UK the Disaster Emergency Committee have launched an appeal that has raised millions. This is an organisation which brings a group of charities together. In this case Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and Islamic Relief amongst many others.dec.org.uk/appeals/To help specific groups directly:The White Helmets are volunteers who have been operating in Syria for many years. They help evacuate people from dangerous areas and offer medical help.https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/AKUT Search and Rescue Association. They are a non-governmental organisation offering emergency and disaster relief to people caught up in natural disasters in Turkey.https://www.akut.org.tr/en/donationAHBAP an independent civilian organisation who offer disaster relief to communities in need across Turkey. This is the organisation that the kind listener who prompted me to make this appeal recommends.https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkeyInternational Red Crosshttps://www.icrc.org/en/donate/syria-emergency Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

dec.org.uk/appeals/To help specific groups directly:The White Helmets are volunteers who have been operating in Syria for many years. They help evacuate people from dangerous areas and offer medical help.https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/ AKUT Search and Rescue Association. They are a non-governmental organisation offering emergency and disaster relief to people caught up in natural disasters in Turkey.https://www.akut.org.tr/en/donation AHBAP an independent civilian organisation who offer disaster relief to communities in need across Turkey. This is the organisation that the kind listener who prompted me to make this appeal recommends.https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkeyInternational Red Crosshttps://www.icrc.org/en/donate/syria-emergencyTurkish Red Crescenthttps://www.kizilay.org.tr/Bagis/BagisYap/404/pazarcik-depremi-bagisi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss what happened once the Latins started looting. How were the Byzantines treated? What was taken and what has survived? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.