The Crusades shook the world. But why did they happen? This podcast tells the story of the Crusades and how the Byzantine Empire not only contributed to their origins but shaped their development. It's the story of what was, in effect, a world war as Turkish nomads from the Asian steppe-lands faced Frankish and Norman knights from western Europe. It was a time that changed the world. And its echoes are still with us today.

This episode follows Byzantium's appeal to Pope Urban II for help against the Turks, and the resulting military campaign, that in later years became known as the First Crusade - one of the most extraordinary military expeditions in world history.

The consequences of the First Crusade for both Byzantium and the wider Medieval world are discussed, including the sacking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

This podcast series is about the Battle of Manzikert. With excerpts taken from The Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes, it tries to unravel what really happened at Manzikert, a battle that changed history.

This podcast series is about the Battle of Manzikert. With excerpts taken from the Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes, it tries to unravel what really happened at Manzikert, a battle that changed history. In the second episode in the series, we look at the challenges that faced Byzantium in the eleventh century, as hordes of new barbarian invaders appeared on its borders and it struggled to maintain the professional army that had kept it safe in previous centuries.

This podcast series presents a new angle on the Crusades based on the book called The Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes. It explains that Byzantium was the original cause of the First Crusade, following its devastating defeat at the Battle of Manzikert. Byzantium also continued to play a critical role throughout the Crusades, up until the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople in 1204. But what really happened at Manzikert? In a mini-series of podcasts devoted to this battle, we try to unravel the truth about what really happened. This episode looks at the Seljuk Turks and their extraordinary rise to becoming a medieval superpower.

This podcast series presents a new angle on the Crusades based on the book called The Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes. It explains that Byzantium was the main cause of the First Crusade. This episode explores the background to the pivotal Battle of Manzikert in 1071. It focuses on the fierce war fought in Armenia from the late 1040s to 1060s, as the Byzantine army struggled to contain the increasingly ferocious onslaught of the Seljuk Turks.

This podcast series presents a new angle on the Crusades based on the book called The Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes. It explains that Byzantium was the main cause of the First Crusade. This episode describes the new Byzantine army which the Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes put together in 1068 to fight the first of his campaigns against the Seljuk Turks.