Greetings all,
In the news, a good article about the Byzantine Kingdom of Thessalonica:
Great to see information on one of the lesser-known Byzantine states! :)
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day Byzantium Novum commemorates the start of the siege of Dorostolon, on April 23rd in 971 AD:
Russian forces under Svyatoslav I of Kiev had overrun eastern
Bulgaria and had occupied the city of Dorostolon. The siege was part of a
counteroffensive led by Byzantine forces under Emperor John I
Tzimisces. The Russians were able to hold well until the arrival of
Byzantine ships, which were able to sweep the city ramparts with Greek
Fire. The result was a Byzantine victory.
(The date of the beginning of the Siege is not mentioned in the
Wikipedia article, but is found in the book "Byzantine Military
Organization on the Danube, 10th-12th Centuries" by Alexandru Madgearu,
published in 2013.)
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Monday, April 22, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day Byzantium Novum commemorates the crowning of Emperor
Basil II by his father Emperor Romanos II on April 22nd in 960 AD:
He was a 2 year old at the time, but obviously a tough one! Basil II went on to reign as sole emperor for almost 50 years. In
addition to his famous military exploits he was also known as a
competent administrator and it was under his reign the Varangian Guard
was formed.
There should be cake!
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Friday, April 19, 2024
Greetings all,
Today we reflect on the Battle of Callinisum which was fought
between Byzantine forces led by General Belisarius, and the Sassanid
Persians on April 19th in 531 AD:
Although the Persians technically won a pyrric victory, Belisarius
was able to
foil their overall plans for invading Roman Syria. Both sides had heavy
losses. The Byzantines were unable to fight again for some months, and
the Sassanids no longer had enough troops to invade Roman territory.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Greetings all,
In
the news, studies show that much of Medieval silver coinage was made
from earlier Byzantine Empire coins which were melted and reused:
https://www.archaeology.org/news/12271-240410-coins-byzantine-silver
Likely there were some coins first minted in Rome, then reused in Byzantium, and *then* reused in Medieval Europe.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Monday, April 15, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day we reflect with sadness on the end of the Siege of Bari on April 15th in 1071 AD:
The
city of Bari in Apulia was the last Byzantine possession in Italy. The
siege by the Normans had begun on August 5th in 1068, and on this day
the city was surrendered to Robert Guiscard. This ended the 536 year long Byzantine presence in Italy.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day we reflect with sadness on the Latin crusaders taking the last parts of Constantinople on April 13th in 1204 AD:
They had breached the seaward walls at the
Golden Horn the day before. Once they were inside the walls it was
impossible to hold them from capturing the remainder of the city. This
temporarily ended Byzantine rule in the city
for the next half century.
In the wake of this event the Byzantines established the Despotate of Epirus, the Empire of Nicea, and the Empire of Trebizond which lasted until 1479, 1264, and 1461 respectively.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day we celebrate Anastasius I becoming Emperor on April 11th in 491 AD:
Even
though he was in his 60's when he assumed the throne he
reigned long and well with many impressive achievements. Anastasius
reformed Byzantine coinage which greatly improved the economy and
Byzantine treasury. He also built the Chalke Gate in Constantinople, built the
amazing Anastasian wall across all of Thrace, and dredged a harbor which
was a project first suggested by Pliny the Elder centuries earlier.
One of my favorite Emperors - I'll be celebrating this one! :)
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day we celebrate the birth of the Emperor Theodosius II on April 10th in 401 AD:
He was the son of the Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia.
Thodosius II is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian Law Code,
and
for the construction of the Theodosian Walls in Constantinople.
Yes, you guessed it... there should be cake! :)
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Greetings all,
On this day, we commemorate the Crusader and Venetian attack on
fortifications at the Golden Horn during the Latin siege of
Constantinople on April 9th in 1204 AD:
In heavy fighting the
Crusader assault forces were driven back and troops that landed came
under heavy archery fire between the shore and the city walls.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
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