Greetings all, 

In the news, an interesting article about "miraculous" Byzantine eye therapies: 

https://greekreporter.com/2026/05/01/byzantine-eye-therapies/

An interesting peek (see what I did there?) into the medicine of the Eastern Roman Empire!

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

 

Greetings all,

 

Today we commemorate the birth of the Emperor Constantine III, on May 3rd in 612 AD:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_III_(Byzantine_emperor)

There should be cake!  :)

He was the eldest son of the Emperor Heraclius and his first wife Eudokia. He had been raised as Co-Emperor in 613 AD, and remained co-Emperor until 641 AD. He reigned as sole ruler for only three months in 641 AD before dying of illness. He was the father of Emperor Constans II.

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

Greetings all,

 

Today we reflect on the life of the Emperor Arcadius who passed on May 1st in 408 AD:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadius

 

He was the son of Emperor Theodosius I, Arcadius was Emperor of the East and his brother Honorius was Emperor of the West.

Arcadius not a strong ruler and was heavily influenced by both his advisors and his consort the Empress Aelia Eudocia for most of his rule. It seems that as a person he focused more on being an example of a pious Christian than being concerned with military or political matters.  He did however begin the Theodosian Walls around Constantinople and as his rule was mostly inoffensive he provided stable legal continuity through a troubled time.

 

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

 

Greetings all,

 

On this day we reflect on the Battle of Tzirallum during the Civil Wars of the Tetarchy and was fought between the forces of Licinius and Maximinus on April 30th in 313 AD:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tzirallum

This battle was fought six months after the battle of the Milvian Bridge and was a decisive victory for Licinius, who was allied with Constantine I. This secured Byzantium for them and helped to solidify the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire. 

 

 

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

 

 Greetings all, 

Today we celebrate Byzantine victory in the battle of Levounion on April 29 in 1091 AD:: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Levounion

The battle was fought between the forces of Emperor Alexios I and the Pechenegs (a Turkish tribe allied to the Ottomans) 20 years after the disastrous Battle of Manzikert. The forces of the Empire and their allies caught the Pencheneg forces by surprise and the battle was almost a massacre. Surviving Pechenegs were later settled into depopulated areas of the Empire, and became part of the Empire. 

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

Greetings all,

Today we commemorate the crowning of Emperor Basil II by his father Emperor Romanos II on April 22nd in 960 AD:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_II

Although he was only a 2 year old child at the time, it turned out well in the end! 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

 

 

Greetings all,

 

Today we celebrate the birth  of Emperor Michael IX Palaiologos on April 17th in 1277 AD:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_IX_Palaiologos

Michael IX was an active and energetic soldier, willing to make personal sacrifices to encourage and pay his troops. He was called a "Pious lord" and "a true king in word and deed" and was considered one of the bravest knights in the world. 

Sadly he was generally unsuccessful in his campaigns. Whether this was due to a lack of skill on his part, the weakness of the Byzantine military at the time or simply bad luck has been debated. The fact that he inspired both loyalty and good reputation in spite of things does say a lot...

There should be cake!  :)

-Marcus Cassius Julianus