Robin Pierson, continuing from 476 for the last fourteen years
The History of Byzantium
352 recordings · 322 numbered episodes · 192 hours
Presented by Robin Pierson
Pierson started in 2012, in the year Duncan stopped, and has now published 368 episodes and 193 hours: longer than the show he set out to continue. He was working as a television critic when he began and does this for a living now. Every so often the narrative halts for an episode on trade, the army or the church, and he brings on the historians whose books he has been working from to argue with him about them. Eleven centuries, in order, by one person.
Where to start. Episode 1, or the reign of Justinian if you want to hear the house style first. 1 An Introduction · 10 min
I feel like…
ThinkingAny
Cogitare, how it was thought and ordered
FeelingAny
Sentire, what was lived and endured
DoingAny
Facere, what hands made and did
PeriodAny
when it happens
LengthAny
how much time you have
All 352 episodes, in order. Every title links straight to the episode.
- 1An Introduction10m
- 1aAn Introduction to Byzantine History16m
- 2Two Steps Back20m
- 3The Isaurian Emperor21m
- 4Give us a Roman Emperor31m
- 5The Gamble18m
- 6The Prosperous Exuberance19m
- 7Gaul and Spain20m
- 8Italy and Africa27m
- 9The Balkan Provinces21m
- 10Constantinople40m
- 11The Eastern Provinces28m
- 12The State (Part 1)24m
- 13The State (Part 2)25m
- 14The Emperor Justin28m
- 15Justinian28m
- 16Theodora25m
- 17527-532, Part 1: The Battle of Dara31m
- 18527-532, Part 2: The Eternal Peace, the Danube Frontier and Diplomacy23m
- 19527-532, Part 3: The Kindling25m
- 20The Nika Revolt30m
- 21The Vandal War31m
- 22Justinian's Legacy33m
- 23The Siege of Rome29m
- 24The Western Emperor27m
- 25The Roaring Thirties23m
- 26The Sack of Antioch25m
- 27The Walking Dead41m
- 29The Nightmare Decade31m
- 30Age Before Beauty26m
- 31Getting the Band Back Together23m
- 32The True Believer18m
- 33The Madness of Justin II26m
- 34Overbalancing26m
- 35The Lucky Break31m
- 36The End of Legitimacy28m
- 37The Army of the Strategikon31m
- 38Christianising19m
- 39Neighbours and Provinces29m
- 40Questions33m
- 41Who is a Byzantine?39m
- 42In Fairness to Phocas24m
- 43Heraclius to the rescue27m
- 44Unceasing Lamentations24m
- 45The Empty Fleet25m
- 46The Final War2h 19m
- 47A Brief Respite25m
- 48The Battle of Hieromyax29m
- 49The Man Who Lived Too Long23m
- 50The Teenage Emperor36m
- 51The Themes26m
- 52The Non-Siege of Constantinople25m
- 53The Bulgars are Coming29m
- 54Justinian II31m
- 55Why did the Romans lose?22m
- 56Why did the Arabs win? Part 1: The Sources17m
- 57Why did the Arabs win? Part 2: In the Shadow of the Sword35m
- 58Why did the Arabs win? Part 3: They Wanted it More38m
- An explantion of The Origins of Islam episode11m
- 59Why did the Arabs win? Part 4: The Conquest Society30m
- 60Looking West35m
- 61Why did the Romans Survive?32m
- 62God's Punishment26m
- 63Byzantine Theodicy with David Gyllenhaal49m
- 64Questions II36m
- 65Seven Emperors25m
- 66The Emperor Strikes Back21m
- 67The Tightening Noose28m
- 68Leo III22m
- 69Lost to the West1h 20m
- 70Zombies of Byzantium31m
- 71Iconoclasm27m
- 72Leo's Reign in the 720s32m
- 73Leo's Reign in the 730s21m
- 74The Quest for Legitimacy31m
- 75The Headless Council29m
- 76The Dung Named28m
- Byzantine Stories Episode 1 - John Chrysostom. Part 1 - Welcome to Antioch27m
- Thoughts on the John Chrysostom series9m
- 78A New Helena41m
- 79A Mother's Love32m
- 80The Isaurian Dynasty36m
- 81Charlemagne and Leo (part 1)39m
- 82Charlemagne and Leo (part 2)23m
- 83The Decline and Fall of the Arab Empire35m
- 84The Leftovers33m
- 85Imperial Territory36m
- 86The People39m
- 87The Byzantine Republic with Anthony Kaldellis1h 16m
- 88More Thoughts on the Byzantine Republic by Anthony Kaldellis15m
- 89The House of War33m
- 90The Roman Army in 800AD35m
- 91An Interview with Author Vincent O'Reilly28m
- 92Questions III30m
- 93Recap and Precap17m
- 94Woulda30m
- 95Coulda34m
- 96Shoulda42m
- 97Michael Rhangabe, Emperor of the Romans34m
- 98Leo the Armenian26m
- 99Michael of Amorium36m
- 100An Interview with Mike Duncan41m
- 101Thomas the Slav1h 13m
- 102The Islands24m
- 103God-Loving33m
- 104God-Fearing38m
- 105The Triumph of Orthodoxy34m
- 106Mother and Uncle33m
- 107Keeping up with the Macedonians27m
- 108Known Unknowns35m
- 109Leo the Wise?28m
- 110The Four Wives of Leo VI28m
- 111Abbasid Decline29m
- 112The Frontier33m
- 113Carolingian Decline23m
- 114International Relations37m
- 115The Rise of Bulgaria34m
- 116North of the Danube23m
- 117Questions IV32m
- 118Revival25m
- 119Follow the Money31m
- 120The Magnates26m
- 121The Roman Army in 900AD31m
- 122Questions V34m
- 123Dramatis Personae29m
- 124A Roman Story32m
- 125A Tsar is Born32m
- 126Attract and Repel28m
- 127Melitene29m
- 128The Prudent Course29m
- 130The Empire That Would Not Die with John Haldon36m
- 131False Economy28m
- 132Escalating Violence27m
- 133Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth with Eric McGeer57m
- 134Third Time's the Charm32m
- 135Triumphal Procession34m
- 136The White Death of the Saracens27m
- 137Cilicia31m
- 138Abhorring the Palace31m
- 139All In A Day's Work31m
- 140Magnificent and Insufferable26m
- 141How To Get Away With Murder25m
- 142Brave in Danger30m
- 143Strange Trajectories27m
- Byzantine Stories Episode 5 - Roman Healthcare. Part 1 - Choosing Your Provider30m
- 144Setting the Table22m
- 145The Eastern Conquests24m
- 146What's the Plan?25m
- 147Bulgarian Solidarity19m
- 148Sources and Magnates31m
- 149Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood1h 01m
- 150Basil Lekapenos22m
- 151Bardas Sclerus30m
- 152Bardas Phokas51m
- 153Basil II27m
- 154A Cat Among Mice30m
- 155The Year 100026m
- 156The Half Blind Leading the Blind40m
- 157The Culmination34m
- 158The Legend Slayer27m
- 159Rest in Peace28m
- 160Why Italy Matters21m
- 161Not Yet Holy Roman Emperors29m
- 162Venetians and Normans25m
- 163The Magyars, Pechenegs and Rus25m
- A replay of the House of War34m
- 164Don't Believe Your Map31m
- 165The Eagle and the Frogs25m
- Backer Rewards Episode 1 - Byzantine Games9m
- 166To The City37m
- Post Script to episode 1665m
- 167Five Centuries On25m
- 168A Guided Tour25m
- Backer Rewards Episode 2 - A Day in the Life of a Podcaster17m
- Backer Rewards Episode 3 - What was Istanbul like?22m
- Backer Rewards Episode 4 - Lucky Romans and Being a Celebrity16m
- Backer Rewards Episode 5 - Imperial Qualities and More Feelings12m
- 169Constantinople in 102537m
- Backer Rewards Episode 6 - Respect, Institutions, Justice17m
- 170The "Conquest" of Armenia31m
- Backer Rewards Episode 7 - Georgia and the Black Sea16m
- 171The Eastern Frontier29m
- Backer Rewards Episode 8 - Greek Fire on Land16m
- 172The Roman Army in 1025 AD28m
- 173Dead Ideas Podcast interview: The Varangian Guard42m
- Backer Rewards Episode 9 - The Sweep of History25m
- 174The Economic Recovery27m
- Backer Rewards Episode 10 - Economy and Population Questions37m
- 175The Turks20m
- 176Michael Psellos with Peter Adamson45m
- 177Questions VI30m
- 178Questions VII29m
- Backer Rewards Episode 11 - The Jewish Communities of Byzantium20m
- 179Where Were We20m
- 180Stumbling Forward25m
- 181A Bunch of Nobodies28m
- 182The Double Agent29m
- Backer Rewards Episode 12 - Harald Hardrada with Noah Tetzner26m
- 184Act Two Begins27m
- 185Winning the Election31m
- The History of History Podcasting11m
- 186The Pecheneg Wars39m
- 187Hey Big Spender29m
- 188The Great Schism35m
- 189End of Act Two31m
- Backer Rewards Episode 13 – The Byzantine Legacy20m
- Backer Rewards Episode 14 - The City of Rome with Steve Guerra48m
- An interview with Barry Strauss - Author of '10 Caesars' and the 'Antiquitas' podcast29m
- 190The End of the Macedonian Dynasty25m
- 191The Sack of Ani21m
- 192Feeling Blank25m
- 193Manzikert1h 47m
- 194Normandy-in-Anatolia30m
- 195King of the Ashes33m
- Robin interviewed on the Roads to Liberty Podcast58m
- Backer Rewards Episode 15 - The Hagia Sophia and Imperial Coronations21m
- 196Cultural Revival29m
- 197Anna Komnene with Leonora Neville49m
- 198Heavy Lifting28m
- 199The Battle of Dyrrachium29m
- 200A Tribute to Professor Mark Whittow27m
- 201A Narrow Escape32m
- 202A Wild West Vibe29m
- 203The Pecheneg Wars, again32m
- 204Komnenian Reforms33m
- 205Introducing the Crusades17m
- 206What did Alexios want?18m
- 207What did Urban want?29m
- 208The Call from the East with Peter Frankopan44m
- 209What about Jerusalem?12m
- 210What did Urban say?21m
- 211Why people went on Crusade with Sharyn Eastaugh18m
- 212Who went on Crusade and why?27m
- 213The People's Crusade18m
- 214The Prince's Crusade36m
- 215The Siege of Nicaea27m
- 216The Battle of Dorylaeum32m
- 217Diverging Paths22m
- 218The Siege of Antioch1h 47m
- 220The Crusade of 110131m
- 221The Triptych26m
- 222The Good Helmsman26m
- 223Questions VIII38m
- 224The Coup of Anna Komnene with Leonora Neville33m
- 225Belisarius in Metal1h 03m
- Backer Rewards Episode 16 - Russia and Byzantium with Professor Sergey Ivanov32m
- Byzantine Stories, Episode 9 - Women in the Byzantine World. Part 1 - Immense and Immeasurable33m
- 226A Crowded Chessboard24m
- 227Just Take the Damn City29m
- 228Forgiveness not Permission20m
- 229John Komnenos with Dr Maximilian Lau53m
- Discussion with Marco Capelli about Byzantium and Italy1h 20m
- 230The Sack of Edessa24m
- 231The Second Crusade, Part 124m
- 232The Second Crusade, Part 225m
- 234Changing Priorities22m
- 235Sundered by Gold21m
- 236Why Make Peace?19m
- 237Manuel and Andronikos26m
- 238Queens of Jerusalem with Katherine Pangonis37m
- 239The New Aristocracy17m
- 240Manuel’s Constantinople20m
- 241Hungary for Security29m
- 242Manuel’s Follies32m
- 243The Battle of Myriokephalon47m
- 244Not Completely Unreasonable29m
- 245Means and Ends29m
- 246Travelling to Turkey with Şerif Yenen28m
- 247Writing Byzantine Fiction with Gordon Doherty37m
- 248Life in Turkic Anatolia26m
- 249Life in Byzantine Anatolia18m
- 250Retaking Anatolia32m
- 251A Lion Pouncing on a Large Prey28m
- 252The Sack of Thessalonica27m
- 253The Second Bulgarian Empire28m
- 254Saladin the Strategist with Ben Duval45m
- 255The Third Crusade (part 1)25m
- 257What Could Be More Trustworthy than a Brother?26m
- 258Almost Ungovernable22m
- 259The Fourth Crusade (Part 1)1h 03m
- 260The Fourth Crusade (Part 2)1h 34m
- 261The Sack30m
- Antakya Appeal with Andrea de Giorgi and Katherine Pangonis1h
- 262Questions IX28m
- 263Questions X29m
- 264Questions XI28m
- 265The 10 Greatest Emperors with Anthony Kaldellis2h 01m
- 266Questions XII28m
- 267Provincial Separatism with Nathan Websdale52m
- 268The Collapse of the Komnenian System30m
- 269Questions XIII45m
- 270Loss, Suffering and Enslavement37m
- 271Twilight Cities with Katherine Pangonis45m
- 273Rome and Persia: The 700 Year Rivalry with Adrian Goldsworthy59m
- 274The 10 Worst Emperors with Anthony Kaldellis1h 56m
- 275Climate Change in the 6th Century with Robert Bruton33m
- 276Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age with Tom Holland45m
- 277The New Roman Empire with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 1 - Government1h 30m
- 278The New Roman Empire with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 2 - Christianity and the Law1h 27m
- 279Catching up with Max Lau57m
- 280The New Roman Empire with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 3 - Narrative1h 42m
- Some Heraclian Fiction and Maps you might enjoy6m
- 281Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint with Peter Sarris37m
- 282The New Roman Empire with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 4 - Your Questions1h 56m
- 283The New Roman Empire with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 5 - More Questions1h 45m
- 284To The City with Alexander Christie-Miller40m
- 285Totalus Rankium43m
- 286Vantage Point16m
- 287Count Baldwin of Flanders and Hainaut24m
- 288Boniface, Marquis of Montferrat21m
- 289Kaloyan, Tsar of Bulgaria25m
- 290The Despot, Theodore Laskaris25m
- 291Michael Doukas of Epirus20m
- 292Venice and the Rest of the Empire with John Giebfried27m
- 293Governing Constantinople with John Giebfried43m
- 294The Rise and Fall of Epirus16m
- 295The Forgotten Siege27m
- 296The Mongol Storm with Nicholas Morton44m
- 297The Rise and Rise of Nicaea23m
- 298The Providence of God29m
- 299Baldwin II with John Giebfried48m
- 300The 10 Greatest Byzantine Emperors22m
- 301The Fifth Crusade with Nicholas Morton54m
- 302Colonial Occupation27m
- 303Pinch Me22m
- 304Questions XIV35m
- 305The Return from Exile22m
- 306Church Union36m
- 307Healing the Divisions20m
- 308The Fall of Anatolia28m
- 309Cautious and Weak22m
- 310The Catalan Company25m
- 311The Next Generation27m
- 312The Mediterranean in the Crusading era with Nicholas Morton1h 02m
- 313A Roman Comic Book with Marco Cappelli47m
- 314The Divine Liturgy with Father John Strickland1h 03m
- 315Questions XV31m
- 316Questions XVI39m
- 317The Byzantine Legacy with David Hendrix41m
- 318Orthodox Questions with Father John Strickland. Part 157m
- 319Orthodox Questions with Father John Strickland. Part 21h 04m
- 320The Last Hurrah23m
- 321The Worst Civil War, Part 128m
- 322The Worst Civil War, Part 222m
- 323At Least Things Can’t Get Any Worse28m
- 324Just Another Beylik28m
- 325The Rise of the Ottomans, Part 119m
- 326The Rise of the Ottomans, Part 225m
- 334State Builders from the Steppe with Eric Halsey46m
- 339What Happened Next?25m
- 352Crusader Storm with Nicholas Morton58m
- 354Final Questions32m