In this episode, we focus once more on the southern frontier of Inner Europe, to see the bloody resolution of conflict between the First Bulgarian Empire and a revived Byzantium. This includes the rule of the tsar Peter I, but also the unexpected rise of the Cometopuli, led by the ambitious and talented conqueror and later Tsar Samuel. We will also discuss Byzantine administration during this time, the "Byzantine Golden Era", and how it was adapted for rule in the Balkans, and what influences it would begin to show within Inner Europe.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

Obolensky, Dimitri. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500-1453. Praeger Publishers, 1971.

Krsmanovic, Bojana. The Byzantine Province in Change (On the Threshold Between the 10th and the 1th Century). Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for Byzantine Studies, 2008.

Moravcsik, Gyula. The Role of the Byzantine Church in Medieval Hungary. Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 1947.

Heath, Ian. McBride, Angus. Byzantine Armies 886-1118. Osprey Publishing, 1979.

Schwerpunkt, Basil II Porphyrogenitus. Youtube.com, 2023.

Apostolic Majesty, The Byzantine Golden Age. Youtube.com, 2021.