12 Byzantine Rulers

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Introduction
Episode overview
What is the Byzantine Empire? Why would a Byzantine citizen call himself Roman and not know what the Byzantine Empire was? In this introduction to Byzantine history, Lars Brownworth .. show full overview
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Diocletian
Episode overview
The Emperor Diocletian was to erase civil war within Byzantium for the next thousand years but walked away from it all to become a cabbage farmer. Who was this military man, and how .. show full overview
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Constantine - Part 1
Episode overview
From the chaotic background of the tetrarchy, a vulnerable staff officer would navigate the treacherous waters of the Empire and eventually emerge as Emperor. How could such an unlikely .. show full overview
1x4
Constantine - Part 2
Episode overview
Constantine has achieved supreme power and, by founding a new capital and rescuing a faith seemingly on the brink of schism, made some of the most momentous decisions in history. .. show full overview
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Julian
Episode overview
A shy, awkward, Pagan philosopher with no ambitions and no experience is appointed Caesar. How could such an unlikely 23 year old become the head of a Christian empire? Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at Julian, the last of Constantine's dynasty.
1x6
Zeno
Episode overview
By the middle of the 5th Century the Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse. Its emperors were mere puppets, its armies were in chaos, and enemies were closing in on all sides. Unable .. show full overview
1x7
Justinian - Part 1
Episode overview
As the 6th century dawned on the tottering Byzantine State, the future seemed to hold only decline and decay, and yet, it was to see a renaissance unmatched in the long history of the .. show full overview
1x8
Justinian - Part 2
Episode overview
With the return of relative calm after the reign's turbulent beginnings, Justinian could turn to his most ambitious project- the re-conquest of the Western Empire. For this, his most .. show full overview
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Justinian - Part 3
Episode overview
With the re-conquest 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 .. show full overview
1x10
Heraclius
Episode overview
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 .. show full overview
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Irene
Episode overview
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 .. show full overview
1x12
Basil I
Episode overview
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 .. show full overview
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Basil II
Episode overview
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 .. show full overview
1x14
Alexius
Episode overview
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 .. show full overview
1x15
Isaac
Episode overview
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 .. show full overview
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Constantine XI
Episode overview
The 14th century was not a kind one for Byzantium. The Fourth Crusade had left the Empire a hollow shell of itself, fatally crippled in the face of Turkish aggression. A series of .. show full overview
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Conclusion
Episode overview
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, the spirit of the Empire .. show full overview