Greetings all,

Today we celebrate the birth of Queen Helena Palaiologina in the city of Mystras, on February 3rd in 1428 AD:

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

She was  Queen consort of Cyprus and Armenia, titular Queen consort of Jerusalem, and Princess of Antioch. As Queen of Cyprus she welcomed many refugees after the Fall of Constantinople.

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

www.byzantiumnovum.org

 

 

 Greetings all,

Today is the birthday of the Emperor Constantine: s birthday!  He was born on February 27th in 272 AD:  

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

He was born in Moesia, 1,754 years ago. 

There should be cake!  

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

 

Greetings all,

 

Today we reflect on the grandees of Persia proclaiming Kavadh II as the King of Persia on February 25th in 628 AD: 

 

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

His father, King Khosrau had fled the capital in order to escape the advance of the army of Emperor Heraclius. 

Kadvah II was ill and was anxious that Heraclius should protect his infant son Ardeshir, so as a goodwill gesture he returned the stolen True Cross to Heraclius along with a negotiator to sue for peace:

 

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

 

 

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings all, 

23 years ago - almost to the hour - Byzantium Novum was first conceived on February 22nd, 2003. 

It even fell on a Saturday. 

I was watching the "Byzantium" documentary by John Romer, and was so inspired I decided that the Byzantine Empire really needed to be restored in the modern world. I reserved the website URL and posted a first Main List post as a place holder.  That first message is still up on our Main Forum. 

Here we still are!  Pretty amazing...  my humble thanks to everyone for being here!

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

Greetings all,

 

Today we reflect on the life of the Empress Irene Doukaina who passed on February 19th in 1139 AD:

 

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

 

She was the wife of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, the mother of Emperor John II Komnenos, and Princess Anna Komnene.

 

In her writings, Anna Komnene wrote of her mother:

 

"She stood upright like some young sapling, erect and evergreen, all her limbs and the other parts of her body absolutely symmetrical and in harmony one with another. With her lovely appearance and charming voice she never ceased to fascinate all who saw and heard her. Her face shone with the soft light of the moon; it was not the completely round face of an Assyrian woman, nor long, like the face of a Scyth, but just slightly oval in shape. There were rose blossoms on her cheeks, visible a long way off. Her light-blue eyes were both gay and stern: their charm and beauty attracted, but the fear they caused so dazzled the bystander that he could neither look nor turn away...Generally she accompanied her words with graceful gestures, her hands bare to the wrists, and you would say it was ivory turned by some craftsman into the form of fingers and hand. The pupils of her eyes, with the brilliant blue of deep waves, recalled a calm, still sea, while the white surrounding them shone by contrast, so that the whole eye acquired a peculiar lustre and a charm which was inexpressible."

 

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

Greetings all,

Today we commemorate the life of the Emperor Heraclius on the anniversary of his passing on February 11th in 641 AD:

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

He is best remembered for his military victories which returned the True Cross to Jerusalem. Even today he is remembered with both pride and gratratitude, so let our reflections be happy ones of his victories and amazing story!

He is of course one of the Heroes of Byzantium Novum:  http://byzantiumnovum.org/heroes-of-byzantium-novum/

Marcus Cassius Julianus

 

 

 

 

Greetings all, 

In the news an interesting (but sad) account of a Crusaders account of the sack of Constantinople in 1204 AD: 

https://greekreporter.com/2026/02/08/crusader-history-sack-constantinople/

History that few people remember today. 

-Marcus Cassius Julianus