The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marked the end of the Roman Empire after more than 2,000 years and the rise of the Ottomans as a dominant global power. Dr. Roy explores the centuries of turmoil that led to this moment: Mongol invasions, the Black Death, fractured kingdoms, and shifting alliances. With vivid detail, he traces Mehmed II's relentless campaig ... Show More
Jan 14
Khalid ibn al-Walid: Profile of a Warrior
Khalid ibn al-Walid was one of the most formidable military commanders in history, operating at the precise moment when the Roman and Persian empires were exhausted, fragile, and unprepared for what came next. In this lecture, Dr. Roy Casagranda traces Khalid’s rise from opponent ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 7
The Most Serene Republic of Venice
Venice was not founded in a moment, but across centuries of collapse, migration, and improvisation. In this lecture, Dr. Roy traces how the fall of the Western Roman Empire, repeated invasions, and the strange geography of the Venetian Lagoon produced one of the most durable repu ... Show More
1h 16m
Sep 2024
A 1,300 History of the Middle East in Seven Religious Wars
From the taking of the holy city of Jerusalem in the 7th century AD by Caliph Umar, to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the end of World War I, Christian popes, emperors and kings, and Muslim caliphs and sultans were locked in a 1300-year battle for political, militar ... Show More
48m 58s
Aug 2017
Anthony Kaldellis, “Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade” (Oxford UP, 2017)
In the 10th century, a succession of Byzantine rulers reversed centuries of strategic policy by embarking on a series of campaigns that dramatically reshaped their empire. This effort and its consequences for the history of the region is the focus of Anthony Kaldellis‘s Streams o ... Show More
56m 57s
Dec 2024
Episode #216 - Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part I)
When the capital of the Roman empire was moved from Rome to the city of Constantinople, the city on the Bosporus strait became one of the most important places on planet earth. One top being the heart of Roman religious, political, and cultural life for a millennium, the city had ... Show More
1h 14m
Dec 2024
525. Charlemagne: Emperor of the West (Part 3)
“And from that moment on, he was addressed as emperor and Augustus!”
The coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas Day 800 AD, is one of the landmark moments in all world history. More than three centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the emperors had returned on ... Show More
1h 3m