The Empress of the Apocalypse: From Byzantium to the Latin West

[@mstexasg6243]

Ok I have only recently discovered your podcast and my husband and I listen together always excited to hear the next installment. It’s such a wonderful way to escape the 💩 that is going on in the world today. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job 😊

[@aba9939]

Watch their nazi series. They’re amazing.

[@1969cmp]

@@aba9939 ...as is their French Revolution series.

[@johnarmstrong3140]

Exactly. I just discovered these and I’ve been binge watching/ listening as a form of escapism.

[@d.c.8828]

AKA "Nazis Behaving Very Badly" 😂😂😂 ​@@aba9939

[@Brainteaser5639]

Escape from 💩 that is going on in the world sounds .... harsh if one is the world.

[@KingGeorgeX]

Great topic. Her name is pronounced as Theophanó (Θεοφανώ).

[@vassilisxerikos3908]

It’s ok. They don’t hesitate to pronounce Νικηφόρος however they please anyway 😂

[@graceygrumble]

This is a part of history I know so little about. This was wonderful! Thanks.

[@kaiserflanderson2632]

Love love this podcast, always a new subject I wouldnt even think to look into

[@maxrobespierre884]

Theophanu is a compelling subject but Galla Placidia-daughter, sister, wife and mother of emperors, who lived through the sack of Rome in 410 becoming the war booty of a Gothic chieftan, who ruled the western empire herself for a decade as regent, whose daughter had a clandestine correspondence with Atilla-is even more deserving of attention, I think. And her mausoleum in Ravenna houses the most exquisite early Christian mosaics anywhere.

[@patriziaBaldinivr]

Absolutely. Too glad Galla Placida was brought up also the not commonly known fact of her mausoleum located in fascinating Ravenna.

[@d.c.8828]

Brilliant double-entendre! 😂😂😂

[@Nefferious]

Theophano* not theophanU ffs...

[@ansibarius4633]

@@Nefferious That is how her name was recorded in Latin documents in the West, apparently, as "Theophanu imperatrix augusta". There seems little reason to do so other than that it was pronounced more or less like that. I think Old High German was familiar with an o-sound at the end of words. Maybe the -u reflects some pronunciation variant of the standard Greek -o that she herself used, her family being from eastern Anatolia.

[@Nefferious]

@@ansibarius4633 Unlikely seeing as she was born in Constantinople and was educated in the palace, was a native Greek speaker and, regardless of where her family hailed from, the language is the same. I don't know of any dialect that pronounces the letter omega with a "u" sound, (though i admit i am unfamiliar with the specifics of every regional dialect of eastern anatolia in the tenth century). In any case, as a noblewoman and then a (sort off) imperial princes her education on Greek would have been the best available. The Theophano to Theophanu change is clearly the result of western linguistics. Ido now kind of see the reason to pronounce her name that way in the context of this video however 👍🏼

[@red_mcapples]

The Rest is History on KZbin? I have been a listener for years, and now I am in a new rabbit hole! :)

[@ianport2185]

An empress of the apocalypse, lots of people called Otto and a Bulgarian personal trainer in one podcast. Well worth a listen.

[@jplabre]

Best podcast ever! You know what your people want, Anglo-Saxon history! Speaking for myself, the more undocumented and obscure parts of history, especially in regions that seem so foreign to us, the better!

[@d.c.8828]

I am certainly curious about the pre-British invasion phase of Anglo-Saxon history.

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

Greek civilization and byzantine aren't foreign to you. Alphabet maths grams fysiki athletics Olympics politics school academies musiki logici planites astra philosophy philology kardiology zoo laws and poli-ce are Greek WORDS. Even though Biblos was written in Greek language. Epistoles of Paul too

[@AKRITAS365]

The turkofile anglosaxon Greek haters are trying to explain the Byzantines history!

[@AKRITAS365]

The Byzantine e empire was Roman only by name. it was a Hellenistic Empire based on the Greek culture, including The Greek language, and the Greel Orthodox religion. The RomanEmpire was the eternal enemy of the Byzantine Empire the reason why they destroyed it and NEVER came to rescue Constantinople instead they previously had destroyed it allowing the Ottoman savages to invade. Their Mussolinis descendants fascists did the same in 1940 trying to invade Greece .

[@paulastalas8691]

Nikephoros Phocas was the uncle of John Tzimiskes. So the young officer was a prominent member of the aristocracy therefore killed his uncle to become emperor.

[@gerasimos2112]

What about the other byzantine princess, Sophia Paleologina, who changed human history 500 years later in Russia?

[@joannaheart8167]

Have you seen the Russian series "Sophia" based on her life?? It was amazing. I watched it last year on Ertflix. She was a big influence on Russian culture, too.

[@d.c.8828]

@46:49 The zoom-in of Dominic's audible gasp 😲 😂😂😂

[@LondonPower]

Byzantine Empire gave the ancient Greek civilization in the western feudal kingdoms

[@ThomasGazis]

Yes, but these lads are trying to convert the predominantly Greek Byzantium to "Roman", as if it had no Greek constituents whatsoever...

[@LondonPower]

@@ThomasGazis That's no true Roman culture never existed in Greek lands Roman culture is a myth just arenas and crusifixitions

[@ThomasGazis]

@@LondonPower Overall yes! And even crucifixion the Romans did not invent! They took it from the Carhaginians and the Persians, who were practicing it long before the Romans!

[@D19DMO128D]

@@ThomasGazis It was officially the direct continuation of the Roman Empire, with the same name and it's people identified as Romaioi and called their language as Romaic. It was the Roman Empire ruled by the Romans with a majority Roman population. Stop coping. We modern Greeks are not ancient Hellenes, we are Romaioi.

[@ThomasGazis]

@@D19DMO128D 1) what you state is false 2) if you are a Greek (because you privide no info in your KZbin channel) what would the Greeks gain by calling Byzantium "Roman" - when in reality was predominantly Greek 3) the Turkish nationalists are frantically calling Byzantium "Roman", in order to serve their own nationalistic interests (that there were no Greeks in Asia Minor when they invaded it and conquered it, just "Romans")! Does it bother you at all the fact that the agenda you are promoting is actually coinciding with the one of the nationalist Turks?

[@roodborstkalf9664]

My compliments, this is a very good podcast. First time in a long time that I listened to you. Podcast is factually correct, no silly jokes. No stupid insults to Germans. Good informationdensity. You seems to take your listeners more seriously now.

[@NitraKing]

You are going to *love* their Eva Perón episodes 😛

[@newgabe09]

omigoodness I listen to your podcast as an audiopodcast often (including this one) and I imagined you as such young guys! Amazing to see you!

[@moniquemcdonogh698]

I so enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing and all your hard work! 🎉

[@victoriator8863]

Such exciting topic and such knowledgeable participants!

[@BernardoTorres-w5e]

Theophano ! What a great woman ! Really makes the Byzantine imperial house and elites look like you would expect of their fame , vis a vis the westerners of their time , who however meritorious , did not have 1000 years of high tradition in their wake .

[@AKRITAS365]

I don't know what was Roman or Latin about them when they all had undisputed Greek names and all spoke the Byzantine Greek language and all practiced the Greek Orthodox religion.

[@BernardoTorres-w5e]

@@AKRITAS365 The Byzantines are direct descendants of the Romans politically and to a point culturally. All the territory and institutions of Byzantium used to be the eastern part of the Roman Empire ; when the western Roman Empire collapsed , it was the eastern part that did not collapse and therefore was left standing, and it continued like that , standing , for one thousand years until the Ottoman Turks took Constantinople in 1453 C.E.

[@MrBobPilarski]

You mentioned the wends and a video you did on them, can you specify which video that was. Thanks.

[@ChavdoMnml]

This is the closes this podcast has gone to Bulgaria, and I would be very curious about you guys retelling some bulgarian history such as how they became christian (lots of violence, coups and blinding of people)

[@bendobson5348]

Love the podcast guys, could you do one on the battle of Jutland or Lawrence of Arabia?

[@Wee_Langside]

Have you done anything on the Honours Of Scotland?

[@MichaelLaFrance1]

I've studied history for decades, and watch this channel for deep dives into topics and people I already know well. This video is a huge exception, I knew nothing about Theophanu, or her surrounding history. This is exciting.

[@thkempe]

Theophanu is buried in the Church of St. Pantaleon in Cologne. I've been there to pay my respects to this remarkable lady.

[@meilinchan7314]

Actually this video merely confirmed some of the things I would have expected but it's always good to hear a second opinion.

[@Springreverb8]

If you are named the pale death of anything, you’ve got to be quite the impressive. Bristling hairs or not.

[@BigEShaves]

Nice little jewelers anvil, I have looked at them for keeping the house, they up the coolness factor for sure. Man I need some Chu, that’s one I don’t have. I hate not having something 😂. Nice honing video, enjoyed it.

[@irreview]

Zulfiqar is Ali's sword. It is one blade that splits into two as it curves upwards. Good lecture

[@patrickfaas2329]

Looking forward to hearing more about the year 1000 hype, because we just passed the year 2000 which saw a hype of progressive futurism in the centuries leading up to it. These dates seem to affect our cultures intensely.

[@Μαρίαπ-μ8β]

I often see that western historians are complexed of if is historically accurate to call the Eastern Roman empire Byzantium..They moved the empire from Rome to a totally greek area were the small city Byzantium is there,so they naturally and technically are Byzantines for building on purpose their new empire on a greek city..not by accident.Its full circle for the greeks here,from soldiers and builders of the roman empire,for nearly a thousand years,they are back on their land.I don't know if western people can see that this is returning officially to their greek origin.. Although they respect the term Roman,they served the romans for many years to the point that they literally build and fought for it..But now with a new mindset of Christianity after the decline of the worship of the old gods...it was a necessary change..

[@Μαρίαπ-μ8β]

The Latin people called them Byzantium in order of derogating the change of the roman base to the east..

[@Μαρίαπ-μ8β]

But for greeks is a natural change that was wanted for years..

[@socratesparcharidis5719]

Αλλοιως διδασκεται η ιστορια στην Ελληνικη εκπαιδευση και αλλοιως τα παρουσιαζουν οι Ευρωπαιοι ιστορικοι.Σημειωτεον ο ορος Βυζαντιον εισηχθη τον 16ο αιωνα απο τον Ιερωνυμο Βολφ και ειχε υποτιμητικο χαρακτηρα(Ηταν μειωτικος χαρακτηρισμος).

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

​Βυζάντιο ήταντοόνοματης Κωνσταντινούποληςαππ τον Βύζαντα που την έχτισε.Ετσι την αποκαλούσαν οι ΈΛΛΗΝΕΣ.Βυζαντινη Οικουμένη ππυ διέλυσε την ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία αλλα περιλάμβανε όλους τους Ρωμαίους πολίτες ισότιμα. Μετά ονομάστηκε Κωνσταντινούπολη οπότε δεν ήταν η Ρώμη πρωτεύουσα άρα ούτε ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία. Ίσως θέλουν να μειώσουν έτσι τον ελληνικό πολιτισμό κι επιρροη @@socratesparcharidis5719

[@mihaelac2472]

The name Byzantium was coined AFTER the fall of Constantinople, by a German, as a derogatory term, not to clash with the name of the Holy Roman Empire, which was German

[@nathanielthomasXV]

What a fantastic episode guys. It captures the schism between the latins and the Roman’s so well. Thank guys I can’t wait to listen to more!

[@masada2828]

The Latins are the Romans, u mean the Roman Church & the Orthodox, split since 1054 ad.

[@nathanielthomasXV]

@@masada2828 yes but there were massacres in Constantinople of latins meaning western Catholics. The fact that from both Roman (eastern empire /Byzantine) and western catholic writers write so hostile towards another and look down on upon earch other because as you mentioned the split of orthodoxy and Catholicism but also cultural divergence as well.

[@nathanielthomasXV]

@@masada2828 Rome is a place. Being Roman is dependent on whether the city was held by the eastern half of the empire or not. They were a part of the empire and never collapsed until 1453.

[@AsMinor1977]

Roman prestige.Otto was right. Theofano wasn't a Πορφυρογέννητη princess but she was born and raised in Constantinople palace. Her terms to married Otto the second was to create a palace with bath and the import of forks. Great show guys. As concern our East Roman ( the only Romans of the time no discussion about that) sources you nailed it.

[@ragael1024]

Princess: 'Dear uncle, my to-be husband reeks of urine and excrements. What should i do?' John Tzimiskes: 'Beloved niece, it is a fact that the westerners need to rediscover the very principals of water and soap.' Probably a conversation between them 😂

[@henninghesse9910]

The real hero of the story is Adelheid,Otto I. widow. Her live is most astonishing. Imprisoned by Otto‘s enemies before their marriage, she co rules with Otto and keeps the burgundian and southern nobles in check. When Otto II. dies she joins Theophanou and stays at Otto III. side when the Greek princess dies. Ottonian princesses , like the abbess of Quedlinburg, will always play a massive role in the early „German“ empire but Adelheid is totally bad ass! I recomand „History of Germans“ podcast if you wanna dive more into that story. It‘s Game of Thrones all day long!

[@johnrohe1547]

You guys rule

[@janebaker966]

Who would imagine that Tom Holland is more he man macho than Hollywood tough guy of yore Bruce Willis. That Holywood star immediately cancelled his trip to London after 7/7 the tube + one bus suicide bombings.He fought bad guys in the movies but in real life he was too scaredy cat to leave America. But Tom Holland reseatched,wrote and had a book published about the origin and spread of Islam despite death threats.

[@schmeed0000]

great episode

[@MaShcode]

Makes me ponder modern social and political movements that reach back into the past to revive connections with empires that no longer have agency but for the stories and artifacts that continue as fodder for myths in pursuit of power.

[@fernandogarcia3957]

That has always happened. Don't consider this approach any different just because we tend to forget what has been.

[@ElaineDarlingtonBrown]

Would be so useful if details of books referenced could be listed in Notes. Please.

[@angamaitesangahyando685]

Wow, it's Tom Holland's podcast? I'm a huge fan of yours! Especially thankful for your brilliant inventive against Christianity that brought the woke scourge of female rights into the world! - Adûnâi

[@julio5prado]

Super interesting!

[@gelisgeo1309]

There are many modern Greeks with the name ΝΙΚΗΦΌΡΟΣ in Crete and Cycladic islands. Their names come from the ancestors. They were so named from the time when Nichiphoros Fokas liberated these lands from the Arabs

[@SophieHamilton-d3e]

Medieval history and female protagonist ❤ more of this kind of stuff please

[@hllndsn1]

What possible relevance of the gender of the "protagonist". Have you read none of Tom Holland's books. Offensive.

[@SophieHamilton-d3e]

⁠@@hllndsn1I’m interested in ALL history but the medieval era is my favourite and I’m particularly interested in the lives of women from all walks of life in this era. I like hearing about what they did and as someone who likes hand spinning, knitting, weaving and sewing it’s fun for me to imagine the clothes they would have worn. I’m sorry for you if you find this offensive.

[@Esquarious]

​@@SophieHamilton-d3eYou might like Secrets of the Castle, Tales From the Green Valley, or Tudor Monestary Farm. Ruth Goodman hosts (among others) and she's an expert on domestic history.

[@gvbrandolini]

Interessante

[@gazlator]

The legend of Basil II and the blinded Bulgars is almost certainly an apocryphal legend; certainly his nickname of "Bulgar-Slayer" only appears in the written record a good century or so later.

[@ΒασιλικηΚαζαντζη-θ8φ]

It is no legend. It happened after a Bulgarian contigent attacked the holy procession on Virgin Mary festivities plundering and murdering all the worshippers practically an an entire city Andrianople. After a special meeting of the cabinet the event was considered utter sacrilege and by degree the attackers were deprived of the benefits of humane treatment unless they a signed a paper of allegiance to they emperor.

[@alarsonious2071]

​@ΒασιλικηΚαζαντζη-θ8φ yeah I am going to press X to doubt. It would be really nice to have any, and I mean any, corroborating written evidence from the Bulgarian perscpective... Oh...yeah, they couldn't write...

[@ΒασιλικηΚαζαντζη-θ8φ]

@@alarsonious2071 They actually could write.The imperial government had sent two Greek monks Methodius and Cyril to make an alphabet the Cyrillic alphabet based on the Greek medieval alphabet that was lingua franca of the Eastern empire. A 2 euro celebration coin has been minted by Slovakia recently bearing the images of the 2 monks...

[@vas7ilissi8]

​@@alarsonious2071 There are several texts of the time retelling the story and, let us not forget that Byzantium was an empire with an active bureaucratic system that documented and classified information, accounts, texts documenting events, lists of succession and possessions and so on. There are official documents of the Eastern Roman Empire that documented the possessions of certain clerical establishments that were used in the 20th century to justify their possession in newfound states and countries. They have a validity, are recognised by law as proof of existence and today's scolars often consult them in order to extract evidence or other information in their research. So, why wouldn't we believe the official Byzantine account of events about the Bulgarians?

[@sophiaterra-ziva7891]

I would love to hear your take on the ruling time of the Tsar Boris the First of Bulgaria and his son Tsar Simeon the Great during the First Bulgarian Empire.

[@showze21]

good one, if you like medieval history

[@Ikokaoniko]

The thing with the basket seems plausible mostly because, apparently, from that point on - there was always a guard on the spot where Tzimiskes was pulled up.

[@LTrotsky21stCentury]

Wow, John XIIIth sounds absolutely ruthless, Tom. More ruthless than Lenin?

[@ΒασιλικηΚαζαντζη-θ8φ]

Basil ii used extraordinary measures after the sack of Adrianople during the religious festivities for Virgin Mary a Bulgarian contigent attacked the procession killing and pillaging whatever they could find. After an extraordinary meeting of the cabinet, an edict passed claiming that Bulgarian rebels could not ask for the protection of law and treated in humane manner unless signing a document of allegiance. It partly explains the harsh treatment of the defeated Bulgarian army.

[@LTrotsky21stCentury]

I believe the viewers can see the parallels in the politics of the Papacy of the 10th Century and the modern Italian political structure.

[@Secretname951]

Why do these episodes miss out the impressions and readings from the beginning????

[@TanjaKinkel]

Overall, a good episode, but rather unfair to Adelheid (Adellaide in English). The claim of the Ottonians on Italy mainly came through her. I notice you don’t mention a reason for her fallout with her son Otto II which had nothing to do with Theophanu, i.e. Otto II siding with the guy who’d just slandered Adelheid’s daughter from her first marriage, currently Queen of France, as an adultress and nearly getting her killed that way. Most importantly, though, whatever her disagreements with Theophanu during the reign of Otto II., her alliance with Theophanu against Henry the Quarrelsome after Otto II‘s death was absolutely instrumental in Theophanu securing the regency for herself (instead of it going to Henry the Quarrelsome, who as a cousin was the closest male relative). Theophanu then basically made Adelheid regent of Italy, which made sense, given that this was the territory Adelheid knew best and where she had all the connections. Adelheid taking over as overall Regent (again, instead of the male ambitious cousins) after Theophanu‘s death didn‘t come out of nowhere, but had been prepared by their decades long alliance before that. Going back to the Byzantine part, Anthony Kalldellis makes a plausible case for there never having been a love affair between the Empress (another Theophanu) and John Tismiskes, let alone her letting him into the palace. This was John throwing her under the bus when the Patriarch of Constantinople needing SOMEONE to blame for the assassination that wasn‘t the new Emperor he was just about to crown, and wanting to get rid of an influence on young Basil II., son of the Empress, in one fell swoop. (When Basil became Emperor after the death of John Tismiskes, he immediately brought his mother back from banishment.) I‘m also confused as to why Theophanu the subject of this episode should have seen John Tismiskes as an ursurper - she was HIS stepniece, and only at best verx distantly related to his uncle Nikopherus Phokas. At any rate, neither NP nor JT nor Theophanu the HRE were actually „of imperial blood“ in the sense you mean, given that technically all this time the actual Emperor was kid and then young Basil II, son of Romanos (first husband to Theophanu the slandered Empress), with both NP and JT officially reigning as secondary Emperors).

[@juanfervalencia]

I wish someday the Spanish-speaking world has content like this, for now, learn English everyone (and translate).

[@RainFall2112]

Why did the Greeks confiscate the silks?

[@miastupid7911]

@@1969cmp Oh yes, those Greek pricks, that gave the world Christianity and perseved the Septuagint, besides everything else that came before or after and not just in the West but in the East as well. No matter the amount of hate you express for the Greeks for centuries, their contribution to the world can never be erased. The only thing you accomplished is showing who you are: lacking in comparison. Just like this podcast.

[@miastupid7911]

@@1969cmp I didn't watch the video. See I am an honest Greek prick. You know, the ones that gave the world Christianity and the fork.

[@miastupid7911]

@@1969cmp I didn't watch the entire video. See I am honest Greek prick. Like my forefathers.

[@miastupid7911]

@@1969cmp didn't watch the whole video. I am an honest Greek prick just like my forefathers.

[@ΒασιλικηΚαζαντζη-θ8φ]

Liutprand had bought more than he was allowed for export. More over he was spreading naughty narrations and the authorities considered giving him a lesson.

[@DakotaFord592]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jokester3076]

Nikephoros Phokas was the 2nd not the first emperor of that name, the original Nikophoros has a fascinating background because he was a descendant of Jabala ibn al-Ayham the last Ghassanid king of what’s now modern Jordan, he was killed in battle by the Bulgarian warlord Krum and his skull was turned into a drinking cup.

[@davidc5191]

Another interesting match that would have united the ancient world was the marriage of a Hittite prince to the likely widowed wife of King Tut of Egypt. This did not happen, however, as the prince was murdered while en route to Egypt.

[@Amarant8]

Hi Tom, talking of apocalyptic narratives, what do you think of the historic accounts described in the book of the prophet Daniel? Do you think they are accurate from an historical perspective? I'm referring to mainly the succession of the ancient world powers and the chapter where it seems to describe the future division of the roman empire...It would be great to have an historian like you describe those ancient events to see how accurate or far the religious historical takes are

[@1969cmp]

Amir Tsafarti, One for Israel Ministries. Dr Ken Johnson, Dr Andy Wood and especially Dr Michael J Vlach would be the people you are looking for.

[@Amarant8]

@@1969cmp thanks for suggestion s

[@1969cmp]

@@Amarant8 ...they have very good eschatology that is consistent from what John handed to Polycarp which Ken Johnson and Vlach talk about.

[@Karatop420]

I5 gets more and more accurate the closer it gets to the time Danielle lived, then goes all the crap when it tries to predict the future. That's pretty typical of oracular prophesy, tho. 🤷‍♂️

[@Amarant8]

What do you think of the prediction about the division of the fourth kingdom (apparently rome) ? The ten horns and the little eleventh one that seems to have the features of what has been the politicized christian church of rome

[@aarshapiro]

In ladino (judeo-spanish) spoken by the jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the Inquisition, the word for fork is pirón, from the greek word. Not the same as the word in modern spanish.

[@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu]

Because the Ladinos ended up in Salonika and adopted Greek words over 500 years.

[@pontification7891]

I'm a Roman myself ;-)... Massive respect for this episode!

[@natehill1946]

Can you do the history of new Zealand or Australia

[@1969cmp]

On KZbin there is an acted and funny documentary as to what really happened at Waitangi. Very well made.

[@d.c.8828]

@@1969cmp What is the video and channel name?

[@ThomasGazis]

Theophanu was a Roman??? She was Greek-Byzantine! Even her name is Greek, let alone her background, culture etc! She was speaking Greek! In what sense Theophanu was "Roman"??? And Byzantium by the 10th century CE was predominantly Greek and not Roman! It is unhistorical to call Byzantium "Eastern Roman Empire" when predominantly Byzantium was Greek and by the 10th century CE had no "romanitas" at all!

[@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu]

Byzantium never existed. They were Roman. People didn't call themselves Greek, they called themselves what there were "Romans". The word Byzantine was made up by German historians in the 16th century. They never called themselves that, they called themselves Romaioi.

[@ThomasGazis]

@@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu you are wrong! In tens and tens of Byzantine literally sources the Byzantines were referring to themselves as Greeks! I am sick and tired of people who have fake KZbin accounts (no content, no info provided), who in reality are trolls and who are incessantly writing - to serve their agenda - that Byzantium was "Roman"...

[@ThomasGazis]

@@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu first of all, you are wrong! The Byzantines aften called themselves "Hellenes" / Greeks, there is ample evidence in their literary sources! Second, you seem to be a troll, as your KZbin channel has no content and provides no info at all! And third, you seem to be a Turkish/Balkan nationalist . Those are the ones that are fanatically promoting the anti-Greek agen dd aaa that Byzantium was "Roman" with no Greek constituents at all!

[@Panagiotis_Konstantopoulos]

@@ThomasGazis I have read sources where the author interchangeably calling his people either Romans or Grecians or Hellenes. That reminds me the Iliad where the Greeks are interchangeably named as Acheans, Argeiads, Danaoi and Panhellenic. In a similar way, in the middle ages, being Hellen, Greek or Roman was the same thing. And of course I am sure you know that even today we call ourselves Romioi. It is a common aspect throughout all the history that the Greeks were bearing multiple names for themselves (not to mention the regional and tribal names as well).

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

​@@xhorxheetxeberria-td1huin all the books we read in Greek language the name of the "empire" was Byzantine Oikoumeni. When Rome isn't the capital they never used the Rome as name. These are your theories because you don't want Greeks to rule the "empire " . But the Christians destroyed the Roman empire actually because of their brutality and built their own world. More democratic than yours. So it's Byzantine (Byzas built Constantinople and Constantinos changed the name of the town but the ex citizens of Roman empire called themselves Byzantines-you like it or not

[@ovekkjlstad7703]

What about making this into a dialog?

[@Jason-fm4my]

Which Tom Holland audiobook covers this era? The descriptions all sound the same.

[@B88-h6n]

Tom is a National Treasure

[@daspec]

REAL FACT : When the Germans visited the Greek emperor to ask for a Princess, the envoy said "my emperor sent me here to - - -" and before he finished his sentence, the Byzantine emperor said : I am the only emperor. Your king is the ruler of barbarians. For your insult you will be sentenced to ten years in prison. Eventually when Theofano was convinced to move to Germany, she demanded to take an entire team of architects, engineers, doctors, and of course golden utensils, since the germans had no forks or spoons at the time. The Greeks literally turned the Germans into civilized people. Which is why the whole "renaissance" idea is total BULLSHIT, since there wasn't anything of importance that got resurected in the rest of Europe, as all the cultural importance was already in Greece and simply moved to the rest of Europe over the centuries.

[@erics7992]

Don't forget about Queen Radegund in the sixth century

[@Brainteaser5639]

😂 8:21 Tom's funny bone is alive!

[@BrigidaRuffo-x7j]

A formidable woman

[@locuus7]

I'm interested whether it could be said that individuals of this time matured earlier, or it was the supporting societal structure, or both? I'm often reminded of Avicenna, who by the age of 19 had codified all 'known' medical knowledge, which has always made me wonder. I haven't found literature that delves into the question.

[@sigurdholbarki8268]

It's quite likely, even 50 years ago people matured a lot earlier than they do now.

[@locuus7]

@@sigurdholbarki8268 don't think so

[@joeladkins1046]

Make Saxony Great Again

[@waynemcauliffe-fv5yf]

I liked this better than your American natives stories fellas

[@wardafournello]

The impression Westerners have of the Eastern Roman Empire, aka Byzantium, is amusing. Rome is a Greek word means power,strength. In ancient Greek texts the word is written with ω ,Ρώμη = Rome ,and not Ρόμη as it would be written if the word was not Greek. Check out the script ΡΩΜΗ on a 5th century BC marble inscription. in the Vatican museum Rome- power , follows the displacement of power. Constantinople = New Rome, Moscow = the third Rome, the Holy Roman Empire, the Sultanate of Rum, etc. The Greek meaning of the word Rome is also the reason why citizenship was invented for the first time in history calling the citizens Romans, Romioi , Rum, giving them the "power" =the Roman citizenship. So Roman is not a nationality but an adjective designation. The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Eastern Roman Empire had a Greek national consciousness. Theofano Sklerena (960 - June 15, 991) born in Constantinople , was a Greek princess from the Asia Minor Houses of the Scleres and the Phokades.

[@InqvisitorMagnvs]

Roman was a nationality; it was not a vague adjective. Anthony Kaldellis wrote a whole book _Romanland_ dedicated to debunking the silly myth that there was no core Roman ethnic identity to the East Romans of Constantinople. Their entire identity was derived from the inheritance of Imperial Rome, not from Classical Athens or Sparta or any other pre-Roman Greek state. Nobody really believed the claims of Moscow to be “Third Rome”, nor Sultans to be Roman.

[@wardafournello]

@@InqvisitorMagnvs Nation etymology From Latin "natio' = birth. Nation =people with common birth ,common origin , descent. Relative DNA. There is no Roman nation ,there is no American(USA) nation. There is an American(USA) Ethnos ,Ethnicity, from Greek "Etho" =common language, ethics ,common ethnic consciousness. Read the book by Anthony Kaldellis ,He never wrote a book "Romanland" he wrote: "The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium by Anthony Kaldellis is a groundbreaking work that redefines our understanding of the Eastern Roman Empire from Constantine to 1453" He mentions Roman ethnicity , NOT Roman nationality. In Byzantium there were mainly people with Greek nationality and with Roman ethnicity. There is no greater denial that the word Rome is an adjective, since it was used for centuries by the Muslims in the Sultanate of Rum . After the conquest of Constantinople, Muhammad B' took the title of Caesar of Rome (Ottoman Turkish: قيصر‎ روم, Latinized: Qayser-i Rûm) ,Moscow became the third Rome and the Germans the holy Romans. The Turks, the Russians and the Germans were a Roman nation ? No ,they use the adjective "rome". ΡΩΜΗ (power) = ROME is a Greek word. Divine Greece,long live Hellas.

[@InqvisitorMagnvs]

@@wardafournello He did write a book _Romanland_ and there was a Roman ethnicity/nationality.

[@wardafournello]

@@InqvisitorMagnvs Indeed, the title in English mention "Romanland :Ethnicity and Empire in Byzantium. Harvard University Press, 2019". but he never confuses the concepts of nation and ethnos.

[@InqvisitorMagnvs]

@@wardafournello Natio is Latin. Ethnos is Greek. However they mean the same thing (whence nation and ethnicity).

[@dimitrislm5935]

I am hearing all these exciting stuff, about the women's role in these eras and i must make a comment... Despite the Monotheistic religions that try to submerge womens role in the society(especially the muslims, and lesser in the Christianity) the Greek way is seen (even though religion).. Women in ancient Greek were respected, and we even have matriarch societies... That was passed on to the Romans and later on to the Byzantines..

[@hedylus]

Just to correct you. Theofanou was ROMAN, The Roman aristocracy were native Greek speakers, who used the Latins mostly for the army, administration and trades. Theofanou would obviously have spoken fluent Latin and probably most of the Saxons couldn't have told the difference despite some being able to speak Latin. I suggest that Otto would have spoken Latin and would have learned Greek, as the language of civilisation and culture.

[@AKRITAS365]

The name Theofanou is the genιtive case derived from the pure Greek name Theofanos with a Greek meanings but meaningless in latin . Thus having no.connection to Latin. Names are given for a reason not by chance.

[@AKRITAS365]

Otto was German speaking German not Roman Italian!

[@hedylus]

@@AKRITAS365 I am assuming that you're ignoring my factual post above and believing the racist 18th and 19th century academics that did their uttermost to make the Greek speakers and the Romans totally different. Keep dreaming - or should I say keep hallucinating. You just don't know enough about Rome and the Romans and know all about the working class Latins which constituted the the language of adminstration, trades and the army! lol

[@LadyVTavora]

💚

[@Raj-et7oj]

Please talk about Joan d'arc

[@R08Tam]

Wow Otto, allia est jacta

[@AB-yx4tr]

☝️ Zulfikar ,its the Sword of Ali

[@Apistoleon]

Eastern Romans never called themselves Byzantines, nor their contemporaries.

[@Dimitris83]

They did't call them selves "Eastern" Romans either. They would never accept to be called like that.

[@Apistoleon]

@@Dimitris83 They called themselves Romans, but Rome was separated into Western and Eastern sections.

[@Dimitris83]

@@Apistoleon What? Where did you see that? There was not such a thing as "Eastern" or "Western" Roman Empire.

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

All their books says that they called themselves Byzantines because wasn't Rome their capital but Byzantium of the Greek king Byzas. But they were the citizens of Ex-roman empire. The brutality was the reason that they liberated from Roman so why they called themselves Rome when Rome destroyed? Your emonic idea that we weren't Greeks but...Romans it's really stupidity. Only Athenian cam says these nonsense because wasn't Athens the capital of Greeks. Shame. Enough

[@SyIe12]

👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@nicka.papanikolaou9475]

Her nme is Greek. Was she Greek?

[@ΑναστασιαΟικονομου-φ3θ]

Φυσικά

[@andygas1451]

Saying the Byzantines were Romans without context can give the impression that they were literally Romans, especially to those not well-versed in history. While the inhabitants of this state identified themselves in their sayings and writings as Greeks, they were, in fact, acknowledging that they were the Greek inheritors of Roman law and the empire in general. Even Scandinavian sagas refer to them as Greeks.

[@georgelampropoulos1704]

"While the inhabitants of this state identified themselves in their sayings and writings as Greeks" - This is wrong, almost all "Byzantines" (at least the educated ones who left written records) called themselves "Romans" - Greek, i.e. "Hellene", was a synonym to "gentile." The self-identification term changed largely in the 19th century due to nationalism and compulsory education.

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

We're the ex Roman empire's citizens. But the capital came to Byzantium that become Constantinople from Constantine. Ex Roman citizens built an Oikoumeni, Byzantine "empire " with all the Christians races equal and united. Something that western can't even understand it that's why they destroyed us

[@VesislavDyulgerov-nr6rc]

Byzantine term was made 3 hundred yards ago. Many historical accounts actually talk about Romani.

[@afcheen]

Zofaqar is Ali Sword not Mohamed.

[@plumeretbonnet]

11:11

[@chrisimos588]

Τhe Romans had 1 city the Greeks had 5.000 cities, thats why byzantium (east roman) were greek empire. What you call roman its grecoroman.

[@codingstyle9480]

Figures like Muhammed and Jesus never lived in actual fact. People created them in their imagination (and all the prophets) and then they fought for those virtual characters.

[@flutterstone1281]

I just found these podcasts. Amazing stuff. But I feel like we need to get tobacco involved. At least one of these guys needs to start smoking a pipe or cigar while filming.

[@johnclukas2514]

Badly pronounced Greek names of emperors! Not sure they mention that Greek was the language of Byzantium which was Rome shrinking back to its cultural source, ancient Greece. Nikiforos Fwkas is pronounced Fokaas or the accent in Greek entirely on the "a", so there is no funny English innuendo involved.

[@cuneyt1992]

Zulfikar is the sword of Ali, not Mohammed.

[@alarsonious2071]

Nikeaus PhoKaes...

[@Çea214]

Turkish translate pls.

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

We built Constantinople Smyrna Efesos Militos Pontos Hagia-Sofia. The Greeks. So entire TR was built on stolen land and stolen homes from Indigenous races and Christians not the opposite as your leaders claim

[@PontifexMaximus11439]

The Byzantine Empire was the Greek medieval Empire. It was not Roman or something else.

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

Sine Graecos, nihil...

[@GeoBBB123]

TheophAno (TheoFAno) ... not TheOfanou

[@MKLDNGR]

So what is the relationship between Byzantines and Greeks? Nicephorus Phokas and John Tzimiskes sound like Greek names, why he was insulted when they called him emperor of the Greeks?

[@sigurdholbarki8268]

Byzantines and Greeks are the same people, nowadays Greeks are pretty much limited to the Islands of Greece but even 150 years ago there were still Greeks living in the Ottoman Empire (including what's now Turkey) until... Well, let's just say the Holocaust wasn't the first genocide in the 20th Century. Towards the end of the Roman Empire (in the West), it had split into two with one emperor in Rome and the other in Constantinople. After Rome fell Constantinople was still on the go and their emperors still saw themselves as THE Roman Emperors, so calling them Emperors of the Greeks was a bit of an unintentional F*** You. I've tried to bodge several hundred years of politics that makes Game of Thrones look like EastEnders, but hopefully you can get the gist

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

They were Greeks but they..afraid us probably because we "conquer "them another time with Christianity not only with alphabet maths grams fysiki athletics philosophy science and laws. Without swords...

[@katerinamakedoniaGreece]

​@@sigurdholbarki8268but of course Byzantium was an Ecumeni with all the Christians races United and equal not like Roman brutality and fascistic methods or crucifixions against the other. Greeks respect the cleverests not the nationalists and their Ecumenical spirit rebirth in Christianity. Byzantium was more democratic that they can understand even now that one kills the other daily

[@S.Stamos]

Language was Greek, Rulers Romans, many nations Armenians, Greeks, even Slavs succeed to the Roman political society and system and gain weddings and thrones! Unfortunately in our ethnic official school schedule we learn only our success separately from others. I am Greek, i do not like nationalist racist even of my own country ;)

[@beback_]

Zulfiqar is Ali's sword, not Muhammad's. In the Islamic canon Muhammad is not a great warrior. Not much of a manly man type generally, but somewhat delicate and "metro" if you will.

[@unoriginal_username1]

I refuse to use the term “Byzantine” they were the Eastern Roman Empire, they identified as romans, they rejected Hellenic pre Christian culture and traditions. “Byzantine” is a term coined by the west to delineate between the fallen western rome and the surviving, more autocratic, spiritual and traditional Eastern Roman Empire because it was despised by the “enlightenment” thinkers

[@leod1258]

They obviously think that Eastern Rome was somehow different from the western Roman Empire. They say that the "Byzantines" thought of themselves as Romans, which somehow implies they weren't actual Romans. Western bias...

[@fernandogarcia3957]

One correction: they didn't despise ancient pagan culture, they kept reading the Iliad and many more texts that they had. But of course as nowadays, I'm not referring to the whole population, mainly the literate. Although the 'populace' knew about the heroes of the Iliad and so on.

[@unoriginal_username1]

@@fernandogarcia3957 my point was they didn’t identify themselves with the “pagan Greece” of the past , they didn’t see themselves as any continuation of that. They drew a hard line between them and the Greeks of old. The eastern romans even banned my old Hellenic customs and traditions.

[@Ennio444]

Byzantinist historians have no problem using the word for simplicity and convenience. If you have a problem with it, I'm sorry, but it's really not a problem. It's not like the Byzantines are here to get offended. As for the Greek heritage, it was very very much alive in Byzantium. You need only read literature from the time, from Priscus of Panion to Anna Komnene, the Classical style is very much alive. The word Hellen even had a revival in use by the late 1300's and 1400's.

[@JCRezonna-dl5qz]

While the empire called itself "Roman" the people of Constantinople called themselves "Byzantines".

[@leonidushanoff3384]

Such an interesting topic and your lispy speech spoils it.

[@FiveLiver]

10thC? No, the 'Roman Lake' ended in the mid 7thC with the fall of Egypt and North Africa, and the consequent Islamic piracy and seaborne raids into Christian lands. By the 9thC the Vikings had passed Gibraltar and joined in.

[@humblescribe8522]

They were talking about 450 CE at that point. I think you may have misheard.

[@emmetsweeney9236]

The 7th century and the 10th were one and the same. The intervening "dark age" is phantom time. Look up the work of Heribert Illig.

[@gabrielrbouygue4828]

Won't subscribe, won't like: come to the point! Too rambling and interpretative, too few facts, no chronology. Well past the second advert, and we still have been told who ''the Empress of the Apocalypse" is. Clubhouse verbiage, not history!

[@househistorian]

Please don't call them the Byzantines- (sigh)