Romanus II succeeds his father but is partied out before too long.  Romanus's loss is the Empire's gain.

An important announcement about Christmas scheduling and my new recording technology.

Having taken the place of his own son-in-law as senior emperor Romanus Lecapenus begins ro rule. He does a surprisingly good job. Shame about his sons!

Leo the Wise finally solves his marriage problem and has the legitimate heir he's always wanted. Then he dies too early!

Trying to produce a son can be a challenging activity.  Just ask Leo!

Michael III is known to history as Michael the Drunkard. While this may have some truth, it is mostly slander - perpetrated by a certain Basil the Macedonian.

Christmas Day dawns and Leo V is a troubled man. By the end of it he would be a dead one. The Empire, though, is soon rolling in cash.

The Khagan of the Bulgars proves to be more than a match for Nicephorus. Meanwhile the hermit's prophecy begins to come true!

Leo IV could have been a good emperor but didn't get the chance. Unfortunately his wife did!

What's been happening in the west in the 300 years since Rome fell? Time to find out!

My new ebook: Legends of King Arthur and His Knights is now available on all Amazon stores.  The ASIN code is B01I8IB7J8. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I8IB7J8 for the UK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I8IB7J8 in the US

After decades of turmoil a strong emperor finally assumes the purple. His reign may have been good news for the people but it was bad news for icons! And as for his son....

The Empire realises, far too late, that exile is not enough for a deposed hated emperor..... he just might come back!

Is there finally some light? Maybe. Bring on a vigorous young emperor and a brand new weapon!

Heraclius completes his mission against the Persians. Has he done enough?

A huge welcome to Elias Belhaddad who will take us through the rise of a new force.  The world will never be the same again!

Phocas's reign comes to an end in a brutal manner. His successor proves to be just what the Empire needs.

The Empire successfully keeps its enemies at bay for more than 20 years. And then...?

Justinian was certainly a great man; a man of drive, vision and courage. His achievements were many... but at what cost?

Justinian sends his best general, the great Belisarius, to North Africa to evict the Vandals. If successful he will plough on and have a go at the big one: the reconquest of Rome.

Justin is the Emperor but he's not really in charge. His nephew, Peter Sabbatius, gains a new name and a lot of power. Not only that, Peter has the ambition and drive to exercise his power.

The Eastern Empire is healthy and flourishing but the Western Empire is gone. It's time to reflect on the reasons why.

Have a great holiday!

The fact that the Roman Empire used to contain a city called Rome quickly becomes a distant memory. Constantinople has its own problems. Stability is provided by an old man who proves that age is no barrier to imperial success.

Rome may have fallen but it's not taking this podcast with it. The Eastern Empire is still going strong but will undergo major changes, making our histories of Greece and Rome merge into one.