EVER WONDERED WHY THE ROMAN EMPIRE FELL? Find out in this podcast from British historian, Nick Holmes, as he tells the extraordinary story of Rome's decline and fall, and how its legacy is still central to the world we live in today. WANT A FREE EBOOK? Then head directly to Nick's website www.nickholmesauthor.com.
…
continue reading
A weekly podcast that covers the history of the eastern half of the roman empire after the fall in the west.
…
continue reading
A narrative history podcast taking you from the fall of the House of Hohenstaufen to the Golden Bull, which laid down the constitution of the Holy Roman empire with its Prince-electors, diets, courts and elaborate ceremonies. Episodes appear weekly and are 25-35 min long.
…
continue reading
Today we are taking about the fall of the Roman Empire!!!
…
continue reading
Welcome to the KSK'S HRE History Podcast channel, we will explore various aspects of the Empire in a modern way.
…
continue reading
Podcast about the split of the Roman Empire.
…
continue reading
This channel combines two of my great interests, the Late Roman state and the legendarium of Middle Earth. The two topics have much in common and I aim on analyzing these similarities as well as sparking conversation to figure out how much Middle Earth is influenced by the world of Europe and the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity.
…
continue reading
Spanning a period of nearly 1500 years, this monumental work of history tracks the orbit of one of the greatest Empires of all time. The sheer scale and sweep of the narrative is breathtaking in its ambitious scope and brings to vivid life the collapse of a magnificent military, political and administrative structure. Proceeding at a brisk pace, the original fourteen volumes describe debauched emperors, corrupt practices, usurpers and murderers, bloody battles, plunder and loot, barbarian ho ...
…
continue reading
How and why did ancient Romans use myth to validate their power? Emperor Augustus legitimised his rule by entwining his own ancestry with the mythical stories of Rome's foundation, and created a divine aura around Rome as capital of the vast empire. This album visits key emblems associated with Rome's beginnings: the Forum and the Capitoline Hill with its statue of the she-wolf and Romulus and Remus; the Emperor Augustus's palace and ceremonial altar, and the 17th Century D'Arpino frescos of ...
…
continue reading
The emperor Phocas' reign was one of the most tyrannical and bloodthirsty in all of Roman history. In North Africa, a young general rebelled against him. His name was Heraclius. He was to become the last great Roman emperor. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on Amazon…
…
continue reading
The first episode for Eastern Roman Podcast. A weekly podcast that will cover the lesser known history of the Roman Empire post Romulus Augustulus.Matthew Green
…
continue reading
We've reached a turning point in late Roman history. In 602, a Roman army officer called Phocas overthrew the emperor Maurice and began a tyrannical and bloodthirsty reign that would imperil the empire. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on Amazon…
…
continue reading
Having secured peace with Persia in 592, the emperor Maurice could switch his army to the desperate situation on the western front. The Roman fight-back was in full swing. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on AmazonNick Holmes
…
continue reading
In 590, the emperor Maurice got his big break. Civil war in Persia opened up the possibility of an entirely new world. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on AmazonNick Holmes
…
continue reading
As the emperor Justin II descended into madness, Tiberius II stepped into his shoes. His reign would be short but eventful. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on AmazonNick Holmes
…
continue reading
Interview with the author Vaclav Zurek The book is available to pre-order here: Charles IV: Portrait of a Medieval Ruler: Amazon.co.uk: Žurek, Václav, Stone, Ian Finlay: 9788024655239: BooksDirk Hoffmann-Becking
…
continue reading
In 565, Justinian died and he was succeeded by his nephew, Justin II. How would he cope with the over-extended empire Justinian had created? For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on AmazonNick Holmes
…
continue reading
This is the last episode of this season and it is time to say goodbye to Karl IV, Ludwig the Bavarian, Henry VII, Albrecht of Habsburg, Adolf von Nassau and Rudolf of Habsburg. These have been some eventful 138 years. When Karl IV died in 1378 he left behind an impressive list of achievements but also a number of failures. And he left behind a son,…
…
continue reading
For more than a hundred years the Holy Roman Empire was a mess of constant infighting between and within the great princely families. But by the 1360s the consistent policies and elaborate diplomacy of emperor Karl IV had produced a degree of stability not seen by anyone alive. With the home front calm, the emperor can again assume a role on the Eu…
…
continue reading
All is well in the empire. The Golden Bull had been debated, agreed, sealed and then celebrated at the great diet in Metz in 1357. The first time in decades that all the Prince Electors had come together and performed the ancient duties of their offices. Even the Dauphin of France had come to do homage to Karl IV for the lands he held inside the em…
…
continue reading
Every realm that is divided internally will go to ruin, for its princes have become the comrades of thieves. The Lord has poured out the spirit of deceit among them, so that they grope about at midday as though in darkness, and He has withdrawn the light from their dwellings, so that they are blind and leaders of the blind. And those who wander in …
…
continue reading
This season has now gone on for 22 episodes. We started with the interregnum of largely absent rulers and after a brief renaissance under Rudolf von Habsburg the empire became a sort of oligarchy where 3 families, the Luxemburgs, the Wittelsbachs and the Habsburgs took turns on the throne. Succession usually involved some form of armed conflict bet…
…
continue reading
“Karl, by the grace of God, King of the Romans, ever august, and King of Bohemia [ ] We have turned over in careful contemplation, and have been diligently pondering how our hereditary kingdom of Bohemia may flourish in all its beauty, thrive in peace, and not fear the loss of its riches to its enemies, and how the general good and benefit of the s…
…
continue reading
In around 1320 near the lake Issy-Kul in Kyrgysistan the rats started dying. Shortly after the inhabitants became affected with terrible diseases. Some started coughing up blood and all who did, died within 3 days. Others developed swellings of the lymph nodes, particularly in the groins and armpits. Roughly half of them died within five days. A sm…
…
continue reading
The year is 1346 and we have, yes, another succession crisis. Without checking through my 1500 pages of transcripts, I have counted a total of 14 contested imperial elections in the 427 years we have covered so far. Henry the Fowler, Herny II, Henry IV, Henry V, Lothar III, Konrad III, Philip of Swabia, Otto IV, Frederick II, Konrad IV, Richard of …
…
continue reading
A quick update on the next season in this podcast, starting on 14th September. It's going to be the most exciting of all - about the collapse of the ancient world in the seventh century AD, and the rise of Islam. A true turning point in history. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and…
…
continue reading
You have heard me complaining regularly over the last 154 episodes that what we report as political ambitions or strategic plans of the kings and emperors was pure conjecture derived from their actions and public statement. But we could never know what they were really thinking because none of them kept a diary, or if they did they did not survive …
…
continue reading
The noble and gallant King of Bohemia, also known as John of Luxemburg because he was the son of the Emperor Henry of Luxemburg, was told by his people that the battle had begun. Although he was in full armour and equipped for combat, he could see nothing because he was blind. He asked his knights what the situation was and they described the rout …
…
continue reading
Did Justinian make or break the Roman Empire? Find out in this episode! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on AmazonNick Holmes
…
continue reading
“In the same way that Jerusalem is the navel of the world, is Nurnberg the navel of Germany” is how Matthäus Dresser described the city in 1581. The astronomer Johannes Regiomontanus moved to Nurnberg in 1471 because there" ...one can easily associate with learned men wherever they live. Because of the cosmopolitanism of its merchants, this place i…
…
continue reading
In this episode, we look at society and religion in the age of Justinian. And we discover something that's been hidden in the sands of Egypt for 1,500 years. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on AmazonNick Holmes
…
continue reading
“The twelve-year-old Margarete, Princess of Carinthia and Tyrol, was travelling from her seat near Meran to Innsbruck for her wedding with the ten-year old Prince Johann of Bohemia. [..] Still and serious she sat, in ceremonial pomp. Her bodice was so tight that she had had to be laced into it; her sleeves of heavy green satin, in the very extreme …
…
continue reading
Justinian's wars of reconquest in the west left much of the Roman Empire weakly defended. Nowhere was this more evident than along the Danube frontier where new enemies were massing to pillage the empire and slaughter its inhabitants. They were the wolves from the north. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Fin…
…
continue reading
This week we look at the central intellectual debate of the 14th century, did Jesus own property? If yes, then it was right and proper that the church owned land, privileges, entire counties and duchies, yes that the pope was not just the spiritual but also the secular ruler of all of Christianity. And if not, then the pope as a successor to the ap…
…
continue reading
In the early 550s, with its economy and population recovering from the effects of the Justinianic Plague, Justinian launched a new offensive to subdue the Ostrogoths in Italy. This time the Roman army was well resourced and success looked likely. But would the cost of victory be worth it? For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickho…
…
continue reading
The 14th century is a time of fundamental change in practically all areas of social, political and economic life. It is a time when the certainties of the Middle Ages are replaced by a process of trial and error, sometimes successful, but almost always violent. We see new frameworks of how society and in particular the religious authorities should …
…
continue reading
In 544, Belisarius returned to Italy to fight the Goths. It was his last campaign and the end of his career. But many years later, he was asked by the emperor Justinian to don his armor one more time and save the empire from a new foe! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, o…
…
continue reading
A few months after emperor Henry VII had died in the Tuscan village of Buonconvento and before a successor had been elected, a young man, Ludwig, second son of the duke of Upper Bavaria made his name defeating a much larger Habsburg force. This success could not have come at a more opportune time as it propelled him into contention for the title of…
…
continue reading
In 540, the Persians sacked Antioch. It was one of the greatest disasters in Roman history. But in 541, Belisarius was back from Italy. Could he now reverse the situation on the eastern front? For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on Amazon…
…
continue reading
The year is 1312 and Henry VII is finally embarking on his journey to Rome that will bring about the first imperial coronation in almost a century and hence the formal end to the Interregnum, the time without emperors. Becoming emperor is hard enough, but being emperor is even harder, as the first Luxemburger to ascend the throne of Charlemagne wil…
…
continue reading
In the summer of 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman Empire. Known as the Justinianic Plague, it would be just as bad as the Black Death that 800 years later devastated Medieval Europe. Find out what happened here! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on Amazon…
…
continue reading
Henry VII had gained control of most of Northern Italy in less than three months. It will take him 9 months to lose it all again. How did he go from bringer of peace and justice and all out savior of Italy to brutal conqueror and godless tyrant? Let’s find out. The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel B…
…
continue reading
In the year 536, something very strange happened on planet Earth. The sun was dimmed and temperatures plummeted. This was followed by another apparently inexplicable event. A pandemic of unparalleled proportions struck the eastern Roman Empire. What was going on?? Find out in this episode! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickh…
…
continue reading
In the winter of 1310 the emperor elect Henry VII not yet 40 years of age and every inch a king appears in Italy. An Italy torn apart by incessant violence, between and within the cities. Allegedly it is a struggle between the pro-imperial Ghibellines and the pro-papal Guelphs, but 60 years after the last emperor had set foot on Italian soil and se…
…
continue reading
In May 540, the unthinkable happened. The Persian shah, Chosroes, burned the Roman Empire's second city, Antioch, to the ground and butchered or enslaved its inhabitants. How did this catastrophe happen? Find out here! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Rome and Attila, on Amazon…
…
continue reading
Hello and welcome to, well an absence of an episode of the History of the Germans. This is just a short message to let you know that unfortunately there will not be an episode of the History of the Germans this week. It is all the fault of a guy called Rafael Miranda who runs the worlds best wine tasting at the Quinta de San Tiago over in Rede in t…
…
continue reading
1
Ep. 8 (145) - How to make Friends and Influence People – The Luxemburgs become Kings of Bohemia
29:46
Henry, the new king of the Romans, just 30 years of age, tall and blond, every inch his forebearer the great Charlemagne had a one track mind. There was one thing he wanted and that was the imperial crown. It is now 60 years since there last had been a crowned emperor. We had such an interregnum before, in the 10th century between the death of empe…
…
continue reading
In May 540, Belisarius captured Ravenna from the Goths and took prisoner the Gothic king Wittigis. But before he could destroy the Gothic kingdom completely, he was recalled to Constantinople to face the invading Persians. In the next few years, a new Gothic king - Totila - would retake most of Italy. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my w…
…
continue reading
After Belisarius' heroic defense of Rome in 537-538, it looked as if there might be a rapid end to the Gothic war. But no. The Roman high command was wracked by internal division that would prolong the war and lead to the tragic sack of Milan. Check out my website nickholmesauthor.com for a free ebook, maps and blogs. Find my latest book, 'Rome and…
…
continue reading
On November 27th, 1308 the prince electors chose Henry VII, count of Luxemburg to be their new king of the Romans and future emperor. Little did they know that this decision will give rise to a dynasty that will rule the empire for as many decades as the Ottonian, the Salian and the Hohenstaufen had. A dynasty that featured such emblems of chivalri…
…
continue reading
The late 13th century was the sniper’s alley for many a powerful family. The disappearance of great dynasties, the Arpads of Hungary, the Premyslids of Bohemia, the Zaehringer, Babenbergs, the counts of Holland to name just a few wasn’t down to lack of fertility but down to violence. Murder became so common, even those who did not have swords stick…
…
continue reading
In the summer of 536, Belisarius crossed the straits of Messina and marched on Rome. His army numbered 6,000 and he faced at least 30,000 Goths. It would be his greatest test. Check out my website nickholmesauthor.com for a free ebook, maps and blogs. Find my latest book, 'Rome and Attila', on Amazon.com here. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check…
…
continue reading
After the death of Rudolf von Habsburg the electors chose another, now truly impecunious count, Adolf von Nassau to be king. They chose him over Rudolf’s son Albrecht and over the overwhelmingly most powerful prince in the empire, King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. This cultured and competent man became known to German history as a Schattenkönig, a sha…
…
continue reading
After Belisarius' triumph in North Africa, Justinian turned his gaze to Italy and the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths. But what was that Kingdom like? Find out here. For a free ebook, maps, blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com. For my latest book, Rome and Attila, click here. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauth…
…
continue reading
Martin Rady in his highly amusing and exceptionally well written book on the Habsburg said “The remainder of Rudolf’s reign up to his death in 1291 was a failure. He did not manage to have himself crowned emperor by the pope and had to make do with the title of king…it was a false dawn, both for the Holy Roman empire and for the Habsburgs” I most h…
…
continue reading
Belisarius conquered the Vandal kingdom in North Africa in just six months. But it would take 15 years to bring peace to this new province of the Roman Empire. Find you why in this episode. Also, find a free ebook, maps and blogs at my website nickholmesauthor.com. Link here for my exciting new book 'Rome and Attila' only just out! For a free ebook…
…
continue reading
This week we will look at what the poor count Rudolf of Habsburg does once he had been elected King of the Romans. This is not the first time the electors have chosen a man of much more modest means than themselves. William of Holland and Hermann von Salm had failed to leverage their elevated status into tangible gains. But Rudolf is different. Thr…
…
continue reading
On 15th September, 533, Belisarius captured Carthage from the Vandals. But the Vandal king Gelimer was mustering all the forces he could for a last desperate battle. Interested in finding out more about Roman history? Visit my website nickholmesauthor.com for maps, blogs and a free ebook! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickho…
…
continue reading
On October 1, 1273 seven princes elected a new king of the Romans. Their choice was a momentous one that set European history further down its path away from a universal empire to separate kingdoms and principalities. The pope had demanded that they come to a unanimous decision so that the empire could again participate in a crusade to stop the rem…
…
continue reading