Show Notes
So, we’re starting the final season in this podcast which is on the Dark Ages. But just how dark were they? One of the main themes of this new season will be to show the striking diversity of experience within western Eurasia and North Africa during the period from AD 700 to 1000 since, while the Dark Ages were, in my view, very dark for most of Europe, outside Europe, in the Middle East and North Africa, the period after the fall of the Roman Empire wasn’t necessarily that dark. The Dark Age...
More from Echoes of Empires
In this episode, we look at something called the Medieval Warm Period. This first came to our notice a long time ago in the writings of a medieval monk and historian called William of Malmesbury. Writing in around 1120, he surprised later historians with his flowing descriptions of a buoyant English wine industry. But were climatic conditions so benign elsewhere? The answer is a resounding no since it now appears that the Islamic world was pushed to the edge of collapse in the early Middle Ag...
The Crusade present us with one of the greatest paradoxes in history. Why would Christianity, a peace-loving religion, condone such aggressive military operations in the name of God? In this episode, I want to examine why the First Crusade resonated so strongly with medieval men and women in the eleventh century. And to understand this, we need to examine the complex and conflicting forces within medieval feudal society where spirituality and the material world were closely intertwined. ...
In this episode, I tell you about my travels to Ancient Nicaea, a city that changed history from the famous First Council of Nicaea in AD 325, foundational for the Christian church, to the siege of Nicaea, a pivotal moment in the First Crusade. Discover the astonishing historical remains in the city that have survived to this day in my video accompanying this podcast, on my YouTube channel. Support the show For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Alexius Comnenus is a well-known Byzantine Emperor not least because his daughter, Anna, wrote one of the greatest works of medieval literature about him called “The Alexiad.” It’s a cracking read, full of vivid character descriptions, battle scenes, back-stabbing politics and written in an epic style that echoes the Roman and Greek classics. It’s not just central to the history of Byzantium but also to the Crusades since she’s our main non-western commentator on the First Crusade and w...
The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 changed history. Not only was it the first step towards the end of the Byzantine Empire but it also established the foundation for modern Turkey. In western Europe, the growing threat of the Seljuk Turks would result in the First Crusade. And yet the the Byzantine defeat in the battle was far from inevitable as so many history books claim. Indeed, it was the opposite. It was the Byzantines who were winning until one of the most outrageous acts of betrayal in hi...