This is why these pathetic rulers lost their kingdoms. They were cruel and evil. Their egos were over all boundaries. Than they hoped for some repentance, in hopes that their faith will save them. This is the fate of the Balkans in the middle ages, a pathetic crusade with egotistical intentions for land, wealth and power by barbaric people hiding in the cloth of the sheep and striving for identity. The video illustrates it well, the situation was much more worse.
@@ilosiete faith had nothing to do with it. The ruling class was corrupt beyond reason. And when a good one came to power and managed to do smth for the empire, another comes and destroys everything. This was towards the end, before the Ottoman Turks conquered them for several centuries. But every empire suffered more or less the same fate. Internal problems weakened it, and outside problems crushed it.
**Sees Eastern Roman Empire restored** Me: What an ending! they finally got it back after so many years **Michael blinds John and tosses him to a monastery** Me: Yo wtf!
This happens a dozen time in the history of the Byzantine Empire. It's so frustrating just when you think they are gonna turn the corner they go back into infighting. Goes to show the empire really was never going to last.
Marcus Tullius Cicero once stated: "Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do"
It seems like it is a fake quote, somebody tracked it down to the "Secrets of Personal Culture and Business Power" by Bernard Meador, 1914 But a good wisdom nonetheless, even if very simple and unneccessarily attributed to someone else Also I don't get why you commented that here
@@kakerake6018 Of course it can be made by crushing others, but I understand the quote as saying that this isn't the only way- you can achieve it by your own merit and being an asshole isn't neccessary
John V Palaiologos will start a deadly civil war of 1341-1347… defeated by John VI Kantakouzenos. But then, came another civil war of 1352-1357 which was a decisive Palaiologian victory over the Kantakouzenoi! Following that, the absolutely DEVASTATING civil of 1373-1379 would drain Byzantium’s resources completely with Andronikos IV overthrowing John V Palaiologos and then, John V overthrowing him again! In 1390, John VII also overthrew John V Palaiologos, and the same year, being overthrown by John V Palaiologos again! What a DISASTER!
Of caurse, only free man of independent people and independent city-states fight and do war. The slaves don't. They didn't wanted to be "united" and controlled by some other king or oligarch of some other city, of a centralised state as in modern all slaves/states of modern times. The same was happening also in the Byzantine times. How can barbarians understand the Greek spirit ? There is no way!
Some extra information about John III Doukas Vatatzes. A half-century after his death, John III was canonized as a saint, under the name John the Merciful, and is commemorated annually on November 4 until today from the Greek Orthodox Church. At Didymoteichon it has its own temple since 2010.
The history of Bulgaria, one of the most powerful and culturally complex medieval empires, is extremely fascinating, yet so few people talk about it. Thanks K&G for addressing it! I'd actually recommend a series covering the whole Bulgarian Empire saga, ranging from Khan Asparuh to the fall in 1393. I strongly recommend history lovers to visit Bulgaria: 2 years ago I had the privilege to visit the stunning Tsarevets fortress in a snowy Veliko Tarnovo..It was an unforgettable experience! Bulgaria hosts many other sites and museums any history lover should see in their lives. Among these, I recommend the Archaeological Museum (with its golden Thracian treasures) and the National History Museum in Sofia, the Belogradchik fortress, the old towns of Tarnovo and Plovdiv / Philippopolis, as well as the many other Thracian, Roman, Medieval-Bulgarian and modern historical sites that can be found everywhere in the Country.
Great history and miserable nowadays, they made my country looking like some Central Asian country after war, thank you from the kind words, we hope soon Bulgaria will bring some of it bright past and be normal state again.
@@niceguy3823 Communism destroyed your country. I like Bulgaria, I am a Greek neighbor, but every time I visit, for me is evidence what my country would be if we didn't have defeated the commies.
@@silafuyang8675 Living under the burden of such rich history is no easy task. None really knows when it started or where Bulgaria's birthplace really is. None apolitical not surving under some agenda at least. Our corrupt elite and politicians and officials is the other thing that bring us down. Unfortunately i think it would take her demise for the rest of the world and more specifically those around her to show some appreciation and remember her with fondness.
The most interesting thing about the mountain ambushes in Bulgaria is that all the enemies were ambushed on their way back home. The same thing happened to the Mongols.
"What was a small Turkic beylik to the restored Empire?" One of top 10 fuck ups in history, alongside killing Mongol emissaries and invading Russia during the winter lol
@@freddekl1102 You can only hit Russians from Central Asia, soft belly, like Batu Han of Mongols did. He did go all the way to Moskov and conquered it too. That is because Central Asia is itself cold so unlike Europe, you aren't coming from a better, more pleasent climate. In fact whole reason us Turks started moving west out of Central asia to Eurasia in 571 is due to C. Asia having terrible climate/geography.
@@gordonbryce Napoleon suffered more casualties in the summer than he did in winter. Charles the Great of Sweden was the only one who had the balls to invade Russia during winter.
@@KingsandGenerals Some content on Polish ( Mieszko I / Boleslav Chrobry/ Mieszko Lambert etc.) vs Holy Roman Empire wars, or conquest of Polabian Slavs by Germans. That would be a good one too!:)
Bulgaria has been Orthodox since Knyaz Boris I. I don't think it has changed its religion since then. Perhaps you might've misunderstood the union between Tsar Kaloyan and the Pope.
@@jakedunnegan after the 1204 especially (gradually already from the 10th century) the term ''roman'' took another meaning. that is shown also from writers of that age and also from official persons.. Anna Komnini already in her book is proud as a hellen but she keeps being in the roman yard as a continuity of the roman state. in the latin wars after the 1204 fall, the battle were not against romans and romans. was against romans and latins but latins were sometimes romans too. real romans. the better depiction of the meaning of the term those times is given from a French , a ''latin'', that wrote the Chronicles of Morea. this French says that ''how is possible these people want the priviledge or Rome (in his point of view Pope has the priviledge of the roman continuity) and call themselves Romans, when the people in the empire call themselves greeks in the everyday speech??? this is a very good example of how the things were and how the term was used. when we talk about the last ages of the eastern roman part the situation was totally different. the empire had not so many lands in others places like those it has in the first centuries. there were not syrians, egyptians, anatolians, armenians and others like in the first ages. the latin writer of the Chronicles of Morea shows this difference. the latin french writer supports the west view of that time that wants the roman priviledge of the Pope and the same man wonders why these people use the title of Romans as an element of power when they dont call themselves romans?????? also a very interesting part is the part of the speech of the last emperor Palaiologos himself : '' the City (Constantinople) is refugee of all the christians, happiness and hope of all the Greeks''. so, what romans are we talking about?? of course the continuity of rome was existed but there is not a common rome after the fall of the original Rome
@@charadradam9985 Anna Komnene never stated that she is a proud Hellene. I have read the Alexiad in both Greek and English for my degree. There is an ambiguous usage of the word Hellene in one of her descriptions but it is never in reference to her or the byzantine Romans. All in all, she goes to great lengths to separate her contemporary Romans from the ancient Greeks of the past. The vulgar language of the East Romans is "Rhomeic" or Roman, while the Ancient Greek Attic is known as "Hellenic". That by itself should give anyone a hint that from Anna's point of view, the Eastern Romans and the Hellenes were two distinguished ethnicities, which just happened to speak two different versions of the same language.
There is a little omission on the map after the battle of Pelagonia.The kingdom of Morea was reduced drastically because of its ruler being captive of the Romans during the battle.He ransomed himself by restoring to the Empire many castles and forts in Peloponnese.
Michael VIII Palaiologos was succesfull in the millitary campaigns, continuing the Laskarids's restore through the Battle of Pelagonia, the sea Battle of Dimitriades, defeating the Latins, and retaking Constantinople with Alexios Strategopoulos's scheme, but he was regarded as usurper by his people, who were loyal to the Laskarids. Also his action to blind Theodore Laskaris's young son, restore all the priviledges back to the aristocracy and foremost his trying to submit the Orthodox Churche to the Catholics in the Assemble of Lion, created a huge gap between him and his people who already had too recent the memory of the Latins's occupation. This conflict will turned to be a "curse" for the entire Palaiologi dynasty...
Kings came and went but John III Laskaris lived on to re-initiate Roman revival. Let us all take a moment to appreciate his contributions. Roman history isn't written by the Angeloi or the Caligulas but men of grit and merit like John
Laskaris was ironically one of the first Byzantine kings to consider himself Greek. He had a large collection of Greek artefacts and he played a major role in shifting the peoples mindset towards a combined Greco-Roman continuity rather than just Roman.
@@nickrabbitson1821 There's nothing ironic about it. Some consider this to be Heraclius centuries ago. What most people fail to realize is that Rome had long transcended being merely an ethnic identity to being a national one. Rome had Etruscan, Illyrian, Gallic, Arab, Greek and African Emperors but they were all Roman by national identity anyway. Identifying as Greek and Roman weren't mutually exclusive in any way. Greeks did this for over a thousand years. Being Flemish doesn't make you any less Belgian than being a Waloon.
@@RexGalilae agreed 100% but there is still a minor difference between Heraclius and Laskaris. The former´s actions were clearly political (just like Constantine changing the capital from Rome to Constantinople). Laskaris´ writings imply a greek self-identification to the point that he is considered one of the early contributors of the neo-greek identity of the early 19th century. That been said, his actions might still have been political as his territory was pretty much within the greek world.
@@nickrabbitson1821 It's understandable why he had a stronger sense of Greek identity than his predecessors. After all, he saw the Greeks as the true Romans and preservers of its legacy unlike the Latin pretenders in Constantinople or the Germanics LARPing in wherever the capital of HRE was at the time. His life was defined by an ethnic conflict unlike other Roman emperors. One to restore the Roman empire from the Latins who at the time weren't even Roman anyway. Good points, overall. Hard to find a civil discussion around here (I'm quite often to blame tbf lol)
John V Palaiologos will start a deadly civil war of 1341-1347… defeated by John VI Kantakouzenos. But then, came another civil war of 1352-1357 which was a decisive Palaiologian victory over the Kantakouzenoi! Following that, the absolutely DEVASTATING civil of 1373-1379 would drain Byzantium’s resources completely with Andronikos IV overthrowing John V Palaiologos and then, John V overthrowing him again! In 1390, John VII also overthrew John V Palaiologos, and the same year, being overthrown by John V Palaiologos again! What a DISASTER!
@@ragael1024 eh the Mongols didn't really do much to Bulgaria because they couldn't, mountainous land is bad for cavalry, Bulgaria even dared to exile all Mongols from Bulgaria forever, so that says a lot
@@SK133Zangetsu the Roman Empire existed for over 1500 years while the British was lesser.I mentioned the revival of Roman Empire during 13th century,helped them susbtain for their last 192 years.
Between Revenge of the Romans and Return of the Romans, I don't know which sound better as an alternative title for this video. And if Ivan Asen II remained faithful to his alliance with Nicea, he may even become the new Caesar of the Romans when the time to take Constantinople has come.
the Asens were Vlachs the Laskaris were Vlachs. "Laskaris" is a hellenized corruption of Vlasko, Vlas, Vlach. in latin Blasi, Blazi, Blachi, in germanic Blakumen
That's not possible, Nicaea and Bulgaria even in there Joint-Campaign, as shown in 1235, where not able to take Constantinople, essentially, it was impossible, and would possibly, provoke the Pope to send reinforcements more crusaders would swell into ranks, and push them back.
@@ThomasGazis until now ,at least for Nicaea, Epirus ,Trapezoid, they use even the westerners call, them the " Greek " suxesors states now the Propaganda ,expanded even to those..became the ..Roman's who took back ..Rome ,iam sorry Costandinopole ,I...mean
@@mesa9724 that’d apply to maybe syria or mespotomia due to them being at a ‘crossroads’, where various rival polities border each other. Egypt would not count and neither would Arabia proper. More east beyond that, idk
A superb, substantial contribution to the history of Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. My gratitude to all responsible for this highly informative, erudite video.
Theodoros II Laskaris after his victory against the Bulgarians in 1254 in a letter to his teacher Nikephoros Blemmydes: "Admire, from the bottom of your heart, these great achievements of Greek valor!"
@@mongke7858 You do know that identity is actually a part of ethnicity? They considered their ancestors the Romans of antiquity. So their ethnicity was then Roman.
"The great khan Omurtag is lord (archon) in the land where he was born. And as he resided in his field at Pliska, he made an aul(aulis) and increased his power over Greeks (Byzantines) and Slavs and together with the camp he erected four columns and above the columns he erected two lions. Let god grant the khan to trample with his foot the emperor(basileos), and as long as the sun shines and the Danube flows to press him tightly under his feet, among the many bulgars to rule, to subjugate his enemies and live in bliss and joy 100 years" - Omurtag inscription. "… At first I lived well (with the Greeks), but the Greeks devastated our lands… khan Malamir, who ruled with kavhan Isbul, marched against the Greeks and destroyed the fortress of Provat and the fortress of Burdizo in the lands of the Greeks and gained all fame and came to Philippopolis." - Malamir inscription "Of the many Bulgarians khan Presian (Persianos) sent Isbul the kavkhan having given him military forces (fossata, "camps", metaphorically for "army") and the ichirgu-boil and the khan boil kolobron and the kavkhan against the Smolyani to aid the Greeks...... If someone seeks the truth, god watches. And if one lies, god watches. The Bulgarians did many good things to the greeks and the greeks forgot, but god watches." - Presian inscription
Roman Emperor names in classical era: Octavianus, Marcus Aurelius, Claudius, Severus, Trajanus Roman Emperor names in medieval era: Leo, John, Michael, Alex, Isaac
When you cover the reign of Michael VIII Palailogos, please use the description of Georgi Ostrogorski in his History of the Byzantine State, he describes the period with such perfection
24:28 "So boss, remember that scouting mission against Constantinople you send us on? Yeah, we kinda took the city by surprise - theirs and ours!" "Don't Bullshit me." "No realy. [sends crown and sword]"
It's unfortunate Latins/ Italians clashed a lot of times with Greeks after the schism of the churches. Rome may have still existed if the church was united with west europe. Recent dna test has showed I am 41% Italian and 34% Greek and I'm proud of that as a Cypriot
Romans: Finally, we reclaimed Constantinople. Now we shall focus on restoring the empire, right Turkish mercenaries that helped us in this war? Turkish mercenaries: O_O Romans: O_O
@@goshlike76 My friend I'm from Rome..... so I know what I'm talking about, the Byzantine empire remained Eastern Rome only for a few centurys, then they became a greek/byzantine empire, even if they continued to call themself romans. But i respect their great history as the last heir of the Roman empire.
@@goshlike76 Εύγε σε εσένα, είμαι υπερήφανος που υπάρχουν ακόμα μορφωμένοι Έλληνες σαν και εσένα που παραδέχονται το τρισένδοξο ρωμαϊκό παρελθόν μας. Κρίμα ότι τόσοι Νεοέλληνες απαρνούνται την ιστορία τους.
There was not such thing as " byzantines". Is an invented term by 21st century historians. The emperors and citizens in the Eastern Roman Empire called themselves as Romans and only the language shifted from Latin to greek because of some emperors of Armenian origins in the 8th and 9th centuries.
@@teemuvesala9575 Very narrow. Yeah, brother, preach why the Republic was sooo much better than the Empire without providing any argument whatsoever....
Great video as always! Since you mention that you will make videos about the next centuries in balkans and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, I would suggest and ask kindly to make a video for the Zealots of Thessaloniki(1342-1349), which according to many historians it was one of the first attempts for direct democracy in the international history!
Fantastic episode! This is the stuff I regret not learning in school, and am so glad I can experience here. You could tell the Eastern Roman Empire was restored 'cuz the first act of the emperor was to blind someone, probably the most Byzantine move you can pull.
@Palmeiras Supremo it's not historical revisionism, it's mainstream consensus among academics who deal with the Roman Empire. We've moved past Gibbon and *his* "Enlightenment" revisionism.
@Palmeiras Supremo "Rome fell in 476AD when Odoacer abolished the title of the Roman Empire" This is just false. When the goths conquered the city of Rome (which wasn't even the capital of the WRE), Odoacer acknowledged the emperor in Constantinople as the sole Roman Emperor.
@@ThomasGazis man you are full of propaganda, hahaha. Even the term greek started to be used more after nicea took constantinople. Before that the Roman Empire rarely had any emperors with greek ancestry. Out of the 90 emperors of ERE only 22 were with greek ancestry. Also the anatolian people , Thracians , Illirians and so on didn't convert to become greeks. The population saw some movement of people but not as dramatic as today greekish nationalist want it to be.
I was waiting impatiently for this video. How to get started again after your empire has been sacked, torn apart and these parts smashed against each other again and again so that they are bled-out? A huge task for a rebuilder.
The map should be showing the southeastern quarter of the Peloponnese as Nicaean/Byzantine after Pelegonia, as the Prince of Morea/Achaia had to cede it to the Nicaeans to gain his freedom after being captured in the battle. This would go on to be the core of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea over the next couple of centuries...
@@JJaqn05 perhaps to some extent that is true, but how many great leaders, generals and emperors had to be killed by fellow Romans out of jealousy, the empire crumbled from within, countless rebellions and civil wars crippled the WRE and left it wounded, decaying and a shell of its former glory, the barbarians simply finished off the dying animal.
@@JJaqn05They were beaten by barbarians because they were weakened from the inside and had horrible rulers at the time. Any hero that rose up was killed by weak pathetic men (Majorian). Roman citizens wouldn’t sign up to become Legionnaires as the same crap rulers pretty much treated them horribly and made them into serfs (Pretty much slaves). Don’t speak on things you don’t know about so you don’t sound stupid barbarian.
It’s an amazing how determined the Lascaris and Palaiologi were in fighting to retake the capital. Even when all seemed lost they use their wits, cunning, strategy and a bit of luck to bring the Empire back (albeit signing weakened state). Baldwin II and his descendants must have cut sad figures trying in vain to get support back for their claim to the throne. Another great video Kings and Generals. And how about the emergence of the Mongols for a wild card in the entire region.
Irony happens all the time. During Battle of Lepanto, Greeks that served in Ottoman navy fought against Italian states and that loss guaranteed east med access that was later necessary/helpful for Greek independence. Another irony is that some Greeks still celebrate TR defeat in Lepanto today, despite the fact that they fought alongside us!
Well thats was a nice video, esp. for covering the preceding events and the political situation between 1231-1259. BUT some points should be explained better. 1.The battle of Pelagonia itself. Esp. the role of archers who brought down the knights by aiming their horses and the subsequent slaughter of them by the infantry. 2.The escape of Prince of Morea, his hiding behind a hay stack and his capture. He was identified as the Prince by his prominent front teeth . 3.The name of the general who captured Constantinople. He was Alexios Strategopoulos.
Well, ancestors of TurcoMongols, Huns during European Hun Empire, under Atilla conquered those lands before, so did their descendants Turks during Ottoman time anyways.
Actually vogla Bulgars got easily defeated by Mongols and besides a small victory in Balkans against Mongols, the Mongols later on devastated entire kingdom of Bulgaria .
Huns origin is unknown but most opinions gravitate towards them being proto Mongols. Bulgarians are a mix of thracians, vlachs, slavs and some asiatic leftovers who got slavicised. Nothing to do with turkic people genetically, besides the fact that Turkic Bulgars invaded Thrace and created the Bulgar state there who got christianised and slavicised in the 10th century.
@@adolphbismark4331 Ugly oversimplification. You don't just beat the ERE and and the umayyads unless you are something more than asiatic leftovers. You are romanian or Serb, it's obvious for me. Speak a about your ancestors and their "great" achievements.
Also crucial for Alexios Strategopoulos's success to liberate Constantinople was the help of the local Greek peasants who worked as informers, and as a net of spies, continously updating him about the movements of the Latins.
At least their bloodline survived through Sophia Palaiologina, who married Grand Duke Ivan III, and would be the mother of Ivan IV the first Tsar of all Russia.
23:26 Who was this absolute unit of a General who figured out a way to take Constantinople: the most fortified city In history, with only cavalry ?! Give this man the God Tier epic Medal of Honor 🏅
Some more details. Theodore II Laskaris defeated the Bulgars in the 2nd Battle of Kleidion, on February 1255 AD, using exactly the same battle plan with Basil II, i.e. outflanking the Bulgarian defences. The difference was that the 1st Battle of Kleidion took place during summer, while the 2nd Battle in the middle of the winter, under thick snowfall. After thw battle Theodore Laskaris wrote to his teacher Nikephoros Blemmydes: « Ο δράκος εξήλθε, αλλά τον εφονεύσαμεν και εκ του πτώματος του ηγείραμεν τρόπαιον εις δόξαν μας. Θαύμασον δι’όλης της καρδίας σου τα κατορθώματα ταύτα της Ελληνικής ανδρείας».
You could have translated it, lol. I guess he said "Hail to the Mongol khans who devastated both the Bulgarians and the Seljuks so we can use this opportunity".
@@boyanbogdanov1854 And the Bulgarians should say previously thanks to the Latins that devastated the Empire, and gave them the chance to accomplish their own success. That's History my friend, someone will allways rise to cover the void that someone else left...
Fun fact: After John Palaeologos's capture of Constantinople, Byzantine chroniclers and historians compared his exploits to Odysseus of the Iliad for having deceived the Latins in the same way that the Greeks did with the Trojans. It was thanks to John that the Palaeologos dynasty would be firmly related to the Greek heroes of the Iliad with each Emperor comparing his exploits with those of the classical Greek heroes as Constantine Palaiologos did with Demosthenes or John VIII Palaiologos with Alexander and Pericles.
@@ΒασιλείατῶνῬωμαῖων Όχι φίλε μου, δεν είμαστε Ρωμαίοι με εθνικές ρίζες, ποτέ δεν ήμασταν και ούτε θα είμαστε. Η τάξη των ανθρώπων σας είναι αυτοί που χτίζουν μια ουτοπία που δεν συνέβη ποτέ, την παραποιούν για δικά τους συμφέροντα και τελικά καταλήγουν να διαδίδουν ένα αδόμητο ψέμα. Σας προτείνω να διαβάσετε αναλυτικά το βιβλίο του Γιώργου Ακρόπολις «Εναντίον των Λατίνων». Θέλω να βρεις τους στίχους στους οποίους αποκαλεί την Κωνσταντινούπολη δεύτερη Αθήνα, μητέρα των Ελλήνων, του πολιτισμού και θέλω να εκτιμήσεις τα πολύτιμα αττικά ελληνικά του. Θέλω να εξετάσετε λεπτομερώς πώς δυσφημεί τους Λατίνους και τους καταλογίζει για τη βαρβαρότητα και τον μικρό πολιτισμό τους. Ας μην παίρνουμε χαρακτηριστικά που δεν ήταν ποτέ δικά μας και στη συνέχεια να τα παραποιούμε λόγω της παρερμηνείας μας. Τι κι αν εκτιμάτε περιπτώσεις όπως εκείνη εκείνη την ημέρα που ο Αλέξιος Κομνηνός συγκάλεσε συνέλευση στην οποία έδωσε παράδειγμα στον μεγάλο Περικλή που έκανε χρήση της ιερής περιουσίας της Αθήνας για να σώσει την Ελλάδα; Ή σε εκείνη την επιστολή με την οποία ο βασιλιάς Θεόδωρος Λάσκαρης υποσχόταν να ελευθερώσει την Ελλάδα από τα βρώμικα λατινικά χέρια. Μην θάβετε την ταυτότητά σας ή το ιερό παρελθόν της όμορφης Ελλάδας μας πιστεύοντας ότι ήταν ανεπαρκές. Βρείτε την ταυτότητά σας και να είστε εξαιρετικά περήφανοι για αυτήν.
Don't thank us just yet, it seems that my fellow Greeks are trying to rewrite history and deny any association with Roman civilization. At least that is what one can gather from the dozens of Greek comments below! for example "They were Greek-Byzantines, not Romans!"
@@mixpilergaming123 It was a joke, at least the Renaissance happend in western Europe,but in eastern Europe thing got from shit to twisted shitstorm under the Ottomans.
There is not such things as " greko-roman". There was a plot between romans, bulgars and latins and among romans there were plenty of Albanians and Vlachs.
@@adolphbismark4331 I'm a little confused as to what u mean and I think u are with me also. If I may explain my use of that term. I used "Greco-roman" as a umbrella term for the Byzantine successor states such the empire of Nicea. As, as far as I understand stand it, the society ( or at least the society of the ruling classes) of the Byzantine empire practiced many of the traditions and customs of the Roman empire. And Greek was the domanate language among them. At least for political and religious discourse. I mean Evan after the fall of the Constantinople in 1453 many people in the agean region continued to call themselves Romans. So the term seems valid based on what knowledge I possess.
"To solidify his claim, that Christmas he blinded John IV on his 15th birthday."
yup. that looks solid enough.
Happy birthday! **poke**
Not all Christmas gifts make your eyes sparkle I guess 😅
@@aaqibqureshi8957 but this one probably did :)
This is why these pathetic rulers lost their kingdoms. They were cruel and evil. Their egos were over all boundaries. Than they hoped for some repentance, in hopes that their faith will save them. This is the fate of the Balkans in the middle ages, a pathetic crusade with egotistical intentions for land, wealth and power by barbaric people hiding in the cloth of the sheep and striving for identity. The video illustrates it well, the situation was much more worse.
@@ilosiete faith had nothing to do with it. The ruling class was corrupt beyond reason. And when a good one came to power and managed to do smth for the empire, another comes and destroys everything. This was towards the end, before the Ottoman Turks conquered them for several centuries. But every empire suffered more or less the same fate. Internal problems weakened it, and outside problems crushed it.
Byzantines, Turks, Mongols and western Europe in one video this is why I love Kings and generals!
We thank you for your praise great general!
@@KingsandGenerals do a video on Hellenization of Anatolia and Hitite, Phyrigia resistance against Greeks plz.
@@KingsandGenerals Thank you for exploring the history of Byzantines.
@@KingsandGenerals I will like to now how Osman destroy the powerful byantines
@@Ekhon.e romans weren't powerful even before the ottomans rose andronikos 2 disbanded the fleet and abandoned anatolia
**Sees Eastern Roman Empire restored**
Me: What an ending! they finally got it back after so many years
**Michael blinds John and tosses him to a monastery**
Me: Yo wtf!
And the rise of the Ottomans 38 years later
Ah! A classic!
On Christmas day! What a gift!
This happens a dozen time in the history of the Byzantine Empire. It's so frustrating just when you think they are gonna turn the corner they go back into infighting. Goes to show the empire really was never going to last.
Old habits just don't die out it seems.
Marcus Tullius Cicero once stated:
"Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do"
It seems like it is a fake quote, somebody tracked it down to the "Secrets of Personal Culture and Business Power" by Bernard Meador, 1914
But a good wisdom nonetheless, even if very simple and unneccessarily attributed to someone else
Also I don't get why you commented that here
Still rings true
@@freddekl1102 it would be funny because Cicero made the couple of mistakes detailed in the quote, as did all his contemporaries
@@kakerake6018 Of course it can be made by crushing others, but I understand the quote as saying that this isn't the only way- you can achieve it by your own merit and being an asshole isn't neccessary
Michael Palaiologos’s siege and capture of Constantinople was the Basileus’s Gambit.
Pretty much but it will never be the same again.
@@AKAZA-kq8jd How is your campaign against the Vandals been going?
Wow… Napoleon and Belisarius talking about history together… amazing…
John V Palaiologos will start a deadly civil war of 1341-1347… defeated by John VI Kantakouzenos. But then, came another civil war of 1352-1357 which was a decisive Palaiologian victory over the Kantakouzenoi! Following that, the absolutely DEVASTATING civil of 1373-1379 would drain Byzantium’s resources completely with Andronikos IV overthrowing John V Palaiologos and then, John V overthrowing him again! In 1390, John VII also overthrew John V Palaiologos, and the same year, being overthrown by John V Palaiologos again! What a DISASTER!
Michael only took Constantinople through subterfuge and just plain luck, it was no real challenge.
The medieval Greeks continue their long tradition of unending civil wars. They made their ancestors proud!
Of caurse, only free man of independent people and independent city-states fight and do war. The slaves don't. They didn't wanted to be "united" and controlled by some other king or oligarch of some other city, of a centralised state as in modern all slaves/states of modern times. The same was happening also in the Byzantine times. How can barbarians understand the Greek spirit ? There is no way!
I just finished watching the Siege of Aleppo video and now this?
A true byzantine bonanza!
Sounds fun
What you did?
It’s there.
I see it.
Some extra information about John III Doukas Vatatzes.
A half-century after his death, John III was canonized as a saint, under the name John the Merciful, and is commemorated annually on November 4 until today from the Greek Orthodox Church. At Didymoteichon it has its own temple since 2010.
He deserves it. Kings came and went, rose and fell but he stayed on till the end, initiating the restoration of the Roman Empire.
The history of Bulgaria, one of the most powerful and culturally complex medieval empires, is extremely fascinating, yet so few people talk about it. Thanks K&G for addressing it! I'd actually recommend a series covering the whole Bulgarian Empire saga, ranging from Khan Asparuh to the fall in 1393. I strongly recommend history lovers to visit Bulgaria: 2 years ago I had the privilege to visit the stunning Tsarevets fortress in a snowy Veliko Tarnovo..It was an unforgettable experience! Bulgaria hosts many other sites and museums any history lover should see in their lives. Among these, I recommend the Archaeological Museum (with its golden Thracian treasures) and the National History Museum in Sofia, the Belogradchik fortress, the old towns of Tarnovo and Plovdiv / Philippopolis, as well as the many other Thracian, Roman, Medieval-Bulgarian and modern historical sites that can be found everywhere in the Country.
Great history and miserable nowadays, they made my country looking like some Central Asian country after war, thank you from the kind words, we hope soon Bulgaria will bring some of it bright past and be normal state again.
Great past, miserable present, uncertain future. As a Bulgarian, I feel well anywhere outside the motherland. The further, the better.
@@niceguy3823 Communism destroyed your country. I like Bulgaria, I am a Greek neighbor, but every time I visit, for me is evidence what my country would be if we didn't have defeated the commies.
@@bobbatons1720 Their cursed progeny is still in power.
@@silafuyang8675 Living under the burden of such rich history is no easy task. None really knows when it started or where Bulgaria's birthplace really is. None apolitical not surving under some agenda at least. Our corrupt elite and politicians and officials is the other thing that bring us down. Unfortunately i think it would take her demise for the rest of the world and more specifically those around her to show some appreciation and remember her with fondness.
Game of thrones meets the brutal historical reality of the Eastern Roman history
Same thing that i was thinking about ⚔️
Game of Thrones is a pale imitation of this history
This area of the world was so complex politically for thousands of years.
@ايجون تارجاريين too bad you went very far, very north!
The most interesting thing about the mountain ambushes in Bulgaria is that all the enemies were ambushed on their way back home. The same thing happened to the Mongols.
Като се наяде човек и става по бавен. Особено като эамъкне сувенири към вкъщи.
It moves from left to right to left to right with the plotting, betrayal across the powers. Lot of fun!
Yes it is very interesting to learn about, Btw greetings from Philippe 😁😉
Yeah, Game of Thornes who? G.R.R. Martin's books cant hold a candle to the Balkan political intrigues :D
More fun, entertaining, and intricate than GoT.
"What was a small Turkic beylik to the restored Empire?"
One of top 10 fuck ups in history, alongside killing Mongol emissaries and invading Russia during the winter lol
Nobody invaded Russia in winter
@John Hathorne Unless your Mongolian :D Then you can kill emisarries and invade russia in winter no problem
@@freddekl1102 You can only hit Russians from Central Asia, soft belly, like Batu Han of Mongols did. He did go all the way to Moskov and conquered it too. That is because Central Asia is itself cold so unlike Europe, you aren't coming from a better, more pleasent climate. In fact whole reason us Turks started moving west out of Central asia to Eurasia in 571 is due to C. Asia having terrible climate/geography.
@@gordonbryce Napoleon suffered more casualties in the summer than he did in winter. Charles the Great of Sweden was the only one who had the balls to invade Russia during winter.
@Aq Qoyunlu Oh it's actually true, but then since they were successful this myth of invading Russia in winter is even more silly
So much Byzantine content these days! I am eternally grateful to you.
Glad you enjoy it!
@@KingsandGenerals Do you plan on doing a video on the kingdom of Kitara?
@@KingsandGenerals Some content on Polish ( Mieszko I / Boleslav Chrobry/ Mieszko Lambert etc.) vs Holy Roman Empire wars, or conquest of Polabian Slavs by Germans. That would be a good one too!:)
@@KingsandGenerals And thank you for using “Roman” instead the of misdirect ‘Byzantine’ label.
Ottomans crushed them
How many times is Bulgaria going to switch Religions? It's giving me whiplash.
@@jonhart4563 really makes me think. Have some reddit gold, o enlightened philosopher.
@John Hathorne Blame yourself for playing cynics who don´t collect piety enough. Also, most of the time it is all about being Adamite.
Bulgaria has been Orthodox since Knyaz Boris I. I don't think it has changed its religion since then. Perhaps you might've misunderstood the union between Tsar Kaloyan and the Pope.
Bulgaria hasn't changed its religion ever, its always been orthodox Christian
@@jonhart4563 Bulgaria has always been Christian I don't get the OC.
Rome's 2,206 years of history is rarely a dull affair.
nderstatement!
understatement
@@ThomasGazis except direct connection and being identical to all but language
@@jakedunnegan after the 1204 especially (gradually already from the 10th century) the term ''roman'' took another meaning. that is shown also from writers of that age and also from official persons.. Anna Komnini already in her book is proud as a hellen but she keeps being in the roman yard as a continuity of the roman state.
in the latin wars after the 1204 fall, the battle were not against romans and romans. was against romans and latins but latins were sometimes romans too. real romans.
the better depiction of the meaning of the term those times is given from a French , a ''latin'', that wrote the Chronicles of Morea.
this French says that ''how is possible these people want the priviledge or Rome (in his point of view Pope has the priviledge of the roman continuity) and call themselves Romans, when the people in the empire call themselves greeks in the everyday speech???
this is a very good example of how the things were and how the term was used. when we talk about the last ages of the eastern roman part the situation was totally different. the empire had not so many lands in others places like those it has in the first centuries. there were not syrians, egyptians, anatolians, armenians and others like in the first ages. the latin writer of the Chronicles of Morea shows this difference. the latin french writer supports the west view of that time that wants the roman priviledge of the Pope and the same man wonders why these people use the title of Romans as an element of power when they dont call themselves romans??????
also a very interesting part is the part of the speech of the last emperor Palaiologos himself : '' the City (Constantinople) is refugee of all the christians, happiness and hope of all the Greeks''.
so, what romans are we talking about?? of course the continuity of rome was existed but there is not a common rome after the fall of the original Rome
@@charadradam9985 Anna Komnene never stated that she is a proud Hellene. I have read the Alexiad in both Greek and English for my degree. There is an ambiguous usage of the word Hellene in one of her descriptions but it is never in reference to her or the byzantine Romans. All in all, she goes to great lengths to separate her contemporary Romans from the ancient Greeks of the past. The vulgar language of the East Romans is "Rhomeic" or Roman, while the Ancient Greek Attic is known as "Hellenic". That by itself should give anyone a hint that from Anna's point of view, the Eastern Romans and the Hellenes were two distinguished ethnicities, which just happened to speak two different versions of the same language.
There is a little omission on the map after the battle of Pelagonia.The kingdom of Morea was reduced drastically because of its ruler being captive of the Romans during the battle.He ransomed himself by restoring to the Empire many castles and forts in Peloponnese.
Michael VIII Palaiologos was succesfull in the millitary campaigns, continuing the Laskarids's restore through the Battle of Pelagonia, the sea Battle of Dimitriades, defeating the Latins, and retaking Constantinople with Alexios Strategopoulos's scheme, but he was regarded as usurper by his people, who were loyal to the Laskarids. Also his action to blind Theodore Laskaris's young son, restore all the priviledges back to the aristocracy and foremost his trying to submit the Orthodox Churche to the Catholics in the Assemble of Lion, created a huge gap between him and his people who already had too recent the memory of the Latins's occupation. This conflict will turned to be a "curse" for the entire Palaiologi dynasty...
Kings came and went but John III Laskaris lived on to re-initiate Roman revival. Let us all take a moment to appreciate his contributions. Roman history isn't written by the Angeloi or the Caligulas but men of grit and merit like John
Laskaris was ironically one of the first Byzantine kings to consider himself Greek. He had a large collection of Greek artefacts and he played a major role in shifting the peoples mindset towards a combined Greco-Roman continuity rather than just Roman.
@@nickrabbitson1821
There's nothing ironic about it. Some consider this to be Heraclius centuries ago.
What most people fail to realize is that Rome had long transcended being merely an ethnic identity to being a national one.
Rome had Etruscan, Illyrian, Gallic, Arab, Greek and African Emperors but they were all Roman by national identity anyway.
Identifying as Greek and Roman weren't mutually exclusive in any way. Greeks did this for over a thousand years.
Being Flemish doesn't make you any less Belgian than being a Waloon.
@@RexGalilae agreed 100% but there is still a minor difference between Heraclius and Laskaris. The former´s actions were clearly political (just like Constantine changing the capital from Rome to Constantinople). Laskaris´ writings imply a greek self-identification to the point that he is considered one of the early contributors of the neo-greek identity of the early 19th century. That been said, his actions might still have been political as his territory was pretty much within the greek world.
@@nickrabbitson1821
It's understandable why he had a stronger sense of Greek identity than his predecessors.
After all, he saw the Greeks as the true Romans and preservers of its legacy unlike the Latin pretenders in Constantinople or the Germanics LARPing in wherever the capital of HRE was at the time.
His life was defined by an ethnic conflict unlike other Roman emperors. One to restore the Roman empire from the Latins who at the time weren't even Roman anyway.
Good points, overall. Hard to find a civil discussion around here (I'm quite often to blame tbf lol)
Good talks in the comments I like seeing 2 people discuss instead of just getting mad at each other lol
As a Bulgarian I want to thank you for this video.
As a skröppelhead I thank you for skro0O0op
You got so many skrops, how do you even harvest them?
John V Palaiologos will start a deadly civil war of 1341-1347… defeated by John VI Kantakouzenos. But then, came another civil war of 1352-1357 which was a decisive Palaiologian victory over the Kantakouzenoi! Following that, the absolutely DEVASTATING civil of 1373-1379 would drain Byzantium’s resources completely with Andronikos IV overthrowing John V Palaiologos and then, John V overthrowing him again! In 1390, John VII also overthrew John V Palaiologos, and the same year, being overthrown by John V Palaiologos again! What a DISASTER!
11:13 - Not even the mighty mongols can defeat the bulgarians on a mountain pass!
(Unfortunately, this only make them angrier...)
This angered the Mongols, who punished Bulgaria severely.
tbh mongols fails in bad mountenous forested terrain with thousands of forts
dude i'd say that sounds very funny, if i did not know of what came after :(
@@ragael1024 eh the Mongols didn't really do much to Bulgaria because they couldn't, mountainous land is bad for cavalry, Bulgaria even dared to exile all Mongols from Bulgaria forever, so that says a lot
@ايجون تارجاريين ah yes the Volga Bulgaria defeat Mongol twice on open battle before they lost the third one
Long live the Roman Empire!
What an incredible comeback for the Romans.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🙄
@@cuzimmoody6470 192 more years,that's way longer than British Empire 😅
@@tzillzigga1830 British Empire lived for almost 300 years WTF are you talking about ?
@@SK133Zangetsu the Roman Empire existed for over 1500 years while the British was lesser.I mentioned the revival of Roman Empire during 13th century,helped them susbtain for their last 192 years.
@@SK133Zangetsuwe got an educated lad in here 😭
George: Guys it's ok we can do whatever you like
Byzantine Nobility: *That's not how we do things*
V
I hope his eye sockets got the byz treatment before he leaved this world to heavens...OK a bit too much. Poor lad must have been a solid guy
Between Revenge of the Romans and Return of the Romans, I don't know which sound better as an alternative title for this video. And if Ivan Asen II remained faithful to his alliance with Nicea, he may even become the new Caesar of the Romans when the time to take Constantinople has come.
The Empire Strikes Back
Attack of the Romans
Last Hurrah of the Romans?
the Asens were Vlachs
the Laskaris were Vlachs. "Laskaris" is a hellenized corruption of Vlasko, Vlas, Vlach. in latin Blasi, Blazi, Blachi, in germanic Blakumen
That's not possible, Nicaea and Bulgaria even in there Joint-Campaign, as shown in 1235, where not able to take Constantinople, essentially, it was impossible, and would possibly, provoke the Pope to send reinforcements more crusaders would swell into ranks, and push them back.
Mongol army stuck in mountainous territory: “Wha-What are you doing steppe soldiers?”
I want to go back to ten seconds ago when I hadn't read this.
@Aq Qoyunlu It's a joke related to porn scenarios involving step-siblings. Step-brother/steppe soldier.
😭😭😭
😂
Rofl... took me a moment to get it.
Alexios Strategopoulos was the name of the General who took the city
Can there be a better last name for a general than that?
@@Tommykey07 I don't know if it means "son of a general" or "son of someone whose name means 'general'". But yeah, either way...
@@DestroyerOfSense000 means son of a General ,in Fact or better General s child
That name is so funny - in Greek it's something akin to being called "Alex Generalson".
@@ThomasGazis until now ,at least for Nicaea, Epirus ,Trapezoid, they use even the westerners call, them the " Greek " suxesors states now the Propaganda ,expanded even to those..became the ..Roman's who took back ..Rome ,iam sorry Costandinopole ,I...mean
It would be very nice to have a chronologically sorted Byzantine playlist.
I have been waiting for this for so long thanks for choosing this topic
Another magnificent piece of art from Kings and Generals.
+I am a historian
- okay, then name one siege in history.
+Siege of constantinople
-That's on me, i set the bar too low.
@Dimitar Constantinople is too well defended to be an easy target. I think perhaps an ancient middle eastern city might be one.
@@ElBandito Preety sure most eastern cities are simply burned to the ground every 50 fifty years or so.
It should be "Name more than 30 sieges"
@@mesa9724 that’d apply to maybe syria or mespotomia due to them being at a ‘crossroads’, where various rival polities border each other. Egypt would not count and neither would Arabia proper. More east beyond that, idk
The + and - confused the hell out of me
A superb, substantial contribution to the history of Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. My gratitude to all responsible for this highly informative, erudite video.
Another great job! This Roman history remains unexplored by many. More Roman videos please!
There is something special about waking up to kings and generals. Keep up the great work
I am an Eastern Román Empire lover.
@John Hathorne , live and let people live =)
Theodoros II Laskaris after his victory against the Bulgarians in 1254 in a letter to his teacher Nikephoros Blemmydes: "Admire, from the bottom of your heart, these great achievements of Greek valor!"
@@ThomasGazis The emperor himself said Greek. If you read well enough the sources you will understand they considered themselves Roman AND Greek.
@@ThomasGazis The Emperor was Greek himself. Ethnicity and Roman identity were separate unless you were a barbarian.
@@mongke7858 You do know that identity is actually a part of ethnicity? They considered their ancestors the Romans of antiquity. So their ethnicity was then Roman.
"The great khan Omurtag is lord (archon) in the land where he was born. And as he resided in his field at Pliska, he made an aul(aulis) and increased his power over Greeks (Byzantines) and Slavs and together with the camp he erected four columns and above the columns he erected two lions. Let god grant the khan to trample with his foot the emperor(basileos), and as long as the sun shines and the Danube flows to press him tightly under his feet, among the many bulgars to rule, to subjugate his enemies and live in bliss and joy 100 years" - Omurtag inscription.
"… At first I lived well (with the Greeks), but the Greeks devastated our lands… khan Malamir, who ruled with kavhan Isbul, marched against the Greeks and destroyed the fortress of Provat and the fortress of Burdizo in the lands of the Greeks and gained all fame and came to Philippopolis." - Malamir inscription
"Of the many Bulgarians khan Presian (Persianos) sent Isbul the kavkhan having given him military forces (fossata, "camps", metaphorically for "army") and the ichirgu-boil and the khan boil kolobron and the kavkhan against the Smolyani to aid the Greeks...... If someone seeks the truth, god watches. And if one lies, god watches. The Bulgarians did many good things to the greeks and the greeks forgot, but god watches." - Presian inscription
Roman Emperor names in classical era: Octavianus, Marcus Aurelius, Claudius, Severus, Trajanus
Roman Emperor names in medieval era: Leo, John, Michael, Alex, Isaac
When you cover the reign of Michael VIII Palailogos, please use the description of Georgi Ostrogorski in his History of the Byzantine State, he describes the period with such perfection
I live in a small village in Pelagonia, never knew you guys would have a video about my home region
24:28 "So boss, remember that scouting mission against Constantinople you send us on? Yeah, we kinda took the city by surprise - theirs and ours!"
"Don't Bullshit me."
"No realy. [sends crown and sword]"
It's unfortunate Latins/ Italians clashed a lot of times with Greeks after the schism of the churches. Rome may have still existed if the church was united with west europe. Recent dna test has showed I am 41% Italian and 34% Greek and I'm proud of that as a Cypriot
What an amazing mix I’m jealous…I’m half Spain and half German lol
I love the Eastern Roman history!
Romans: Finally, we reclaimed Constantinople. Now we shall focus on restoring the empire, right Turkish mercenaries that helped us in this war?
Turkish mercenaries: O_O
Romans: O_O
Byzantines not romans
@@ludovicomichelangeli1908 oh boy, you'll flip when you hear about how the term Byzantine came to be.
@@goshlike76 My friend I'm from Rome..... so I know what I'm talking about, the Byzantine empire remained Eastern Rome only for a few centurys, then they became a greek/byzantine empire, even if they continued to call themself romans. But i respect their great history as the last heir of the Roman empire.
@@goshlike76 Εύγε σε εσένα, είμαι υπερήφανος που υπάρχουν ακόμα μορφωμένοι Έλληνες σαν και εσένα που παραδέχονται το τρισένδοξο ρωμαϊκό παρελθόν μας. Κρίμα ότι τόσοι Νεοέλληνες απαρνούνται την ιστορία τους.
There was not such thing as " byzantines".
Is an invented term by 21st century historians.
The emperors and citizens in the Eastern Roman Empire called themselves as Romans and only the language shifted from Latin to greek because of some emperors of Armenian origins in the 8th and 9th centuries.
This is undoubtedly the episode I enjoyed the most so far
The Roman Empire had been reborn, but at what cost? At least the Empire could have been salvaged until Andronikos III died.
If it were truly reborn it would have been a republic. These empires and emperors weren’t a good thing for Rome.
@@TheBooban Oh, yeah, good thing the slave state called the Roman Republic of Oligarchy was any better...
@@teemuvesala9575 Very narrow. Yeah, brother, preach why the Republic was sooo much better than the Empire without providing any argument whatsoever....
@@teemuvesala9575 If you base you entire opinion of the Empire system on Caligula, then you are not even worth my time...
@@teemuvesala9575 Oh, you so cool, insulting people over your political fanaticism...
Great video as always! Since you mention that you will make videos about the next centuries in balkans and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, I would suggest and ask kindly to make a video for the Zealots of Thessaloniki(1342-1349), which according to many historians it was one of the first attempts for direct democracy in the international history!
I know that I will cry when you start making videos about what happened later... but I'll still watch them
26 minutes and I still feel like there's so much to learn about this period. Great stuff, thank you!
Fantastic episode! This is the stuff I regret not learning in school, and am so glad I can experience here.
You could tell the Eastern Roman Empire was restored 'cuz the first act of the emperor was to blind someone, probably the most Byzantine move you can pull.
Thanks!
Thank you , K&G .
great work guys
I'm glad you said Romans and not Byzantines. Rome didn't fall until 1453!
@Palmeiras Supremo it's not historical revisionism, it's mainstream consensus among academics who deal with the Roman Empire. We've moved past Gibbon and *his* "Enlightenment" revisionism.
@Palmeiras Supremo liking your own comments isn't making your ahistorical claims any more true.
@Palmeiras Supremo "Rome fell in 476AD when Odoacer abolished the title of the Roman Empire"
This is just false. When the goths conquered the city of Rome (which wasn't even the capital of the WRE), Odoacer acknowledged the emperor in Constantinople as the sole Roman Emperor.
@@ThomasGazis man you are full of propaganda, hahaha. Even the term greek started to be used more after nicea took constantinople. Before that the Roman Empire rarely had any emperors with greek ancestry. Out of the 90 emperors of ERE only 22 were with greek ancestry. Also the anatolian people , Thracians , Illirians and so on didn't convert to become greeks. The population saw some movement of people but not as dramatic as today greekish nationalist want it to be.
I was waiting impatiently for this video. How to get started again after your empire has been sacked, torn apart and these parts smashed against each other again and again so that they are bled-out? A huge task for a rebuilder.
The map should be showing the southeastern quarter of the Peloponnese as Nicaean/Byzantine after Pelegonia, as the Prince of Morea/Achaia had to cede it to the Nicaeans to gain his freedom after being captured in the battle. This would go on to be the core of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea over the next couple of centuries...
Bulgarians and mountain passes . Name a more iconic duo !
@@Spiderfisch lovely stuff , u get an A
Two Roman videos back to back? You are too kind.
And in the end, it wasn’t the barbarians that killed the Roman Empire but the Romans themselves.
I think it was the West. But hey whatever lets you sleep at night. :)
Stop telling yourself lies. Rome was weakened because of the outside invasions. Rome was defeated by the same people they called barbarians.
@@JJaqn05 perhaps to some extent that is true, but how many great leaders, generals and emperors had to be killed by fellow Romans out of jealousy, the empire crumbled from within, countless rebellions and civil wars crippled the WRE and left it wounded, decaying and a shell of its former glory, the barbarians simply finished off the dying animal.
@@JJaqn05They were beaten by barbarians because they were weakened from the inside and had horrible rulers at the time. Any hero that rose up was killed by weak pathetic men (Majorian). Roman citizens wouldn’t sign up to become Legionnaires as the same crap rulers pretty much treated them horribly and made them into serfs (Pretty much slaves). Don’t speak on things you don’t know about so you don’t sound stupid barbarian.
Where were you kings and generals ? So happy to see a new video. My favourite channel❤❤❤❤❤❤
25:26 " After all , what was a small turkic beylik to the restored roman empire ??? "
You guys are cruel ....... and thats why we love you
the dawn of the Ottomans 😁
Happy to see a new episode of kings an generals. You made my day.
The Balkans are always a fun place
It’s an amazing how determined the Lascaris and Palaiologi were in fighting to retake the capital. Even when all seemed lost they use their wits, cunning, strategy and a bit of luck to bring the Empire back (albeit signing weakened state). Baldwin II and his descendants must have cut sad figures trying in vain to get support back for their claim to the throne.
Another great video Kings and Generals.
And how about the emergence of the Mongols for a wild card in the entire region.
You should use this opportunity to continue until the end of the Byzantines to also explain how the Ottomans started their conquests
Finally I've been waiting a long time for this🤩... amazing video kings and generals keep it up and thank you for this fantastic video
Glad you enjoyed!
Love the sound effects when a knife comes down to take out a character 😂 🔪 🔈
It's kinda ironic that the Romans were 'saved' because of a new emerging threat from the east, considering what happened last time...
Irony happens all the time. During Battle of Lepanto, Greeks that served in Ottoman navy fought against Italian states and that loss guaranteed east med access that was later necessary/helpful for Greek independence. Another irony is that some Greeks still celebrate TR defeat in Lepanto today, despite the fact that they fought alongside us!
Well thats was a nice video, esp. for covering the preceding events and the political situation between 1231-1259. BUT some points should be explained better.
1.The battle of Pelagonia itself. Esp. the role of archers who brought down the knights by aiming their horses and the subsequent slaughter of them by the infantry.
2.The escape of Prince of Morea, his hiding behind a hay stack and his capture. He was identified as the Prince by his prominent front teeth .
3.The name of the general who captured Constantinople. He was Alexios Strategopoulos.
Génial présentation. The best history lesson ever
Love the channel
Both Volga Bulgaria and Danube Bulgaria won victories against the Mongols...
Well, ancestors of TurcoMongols, Huns during European Hun Empire, under Atilla conquered those lands before, so did their descendants Turks during Ottoman time anyways.
@@DimitarFCBM lol both are turks. Hungarians are magyars not huns. Bulgarians culturally slavs not turks but same ppl
Actually vogla Bulgars got easily defeated by Mongols and besides a small victory in Balkans against Mongols, the Mongols later on devastated entire kingdom of Bulgaria .
Huns origin is unknown but most opinions gravitate towards them being proto Mongols.
Bulgarians are a mix of thracians, vlachs, slavs and some asiatic leftovers who got slavicised.
Nothing to do with turkic people genetically, besides the fact that Turkic Bulgars invaded Thrace and created the Bulgar state there who got christianised and slavicised in the 10th century.
@@adolphbismark4331 Ugly oversimplification. You don't just beat the ERE and and the umayyads unless you are something more than asiatic leftovers. You are romanian or Serb, it's obvious for me. Speak a about your ancestors and their "great" achievements.
Also crucial for Alexios Strategopoulos's success to liberate Constantinople was the help of the local Greek peasants who worked as informers, and as a net of spies, continously updating him about the movements of the Latins.
"... the wrath of the Khans ..." Bravo my good sir.
Damn it, Michael. Couldn't you just let George resign?
John Palailogos masterfully using the "divide and conquer" at Pelagonia
19:10 is some funny stuff
George: Alright guys, last emperor was crazy, you can have the throne, I don't want it
Michael: You're going nowhere
The amount diplomacy and side switching in this area of the world, for such a long period of time is insane.
Constantinople being besieged, a story as old as time.
Palaiologos last dynasty of Eastern Rome
At least their bloodline survived through Sophia Palaiologina, who married Grand Duke Ivan III, and would be the mother of Ivan IV the first Tsar of all Russia.
And the Worst outside 3 Emperors.
@@ΡωμανόςΔ́Διογένης-θ6δ Φίλε Ρωμανε συγνώμη αλλά οι ύστατοι των Ρωμαίων είμαστε όλοι εμείς που αναγνωρίζουμε τον ρωμαϊκό Ελληνισμό του μεσαίωνα
Still waiting for didgori battle documentary. My fav channel is this.
Отличный ролик, спасибо за вдохновляющую работу.
23:26
Who was this absolute unit of a General who figured out a way to take Constantinople: the most fortified city In history, with only cavalry ?!
Give this man the God Tier epic Medal of Honor 🏅
Alexios Strategopoulos
Great video on Balkan history in middle ages.
Keep the Roman vids coming!!!
thx for this channel !
Some more details. Theodore II Laskaris defeated the Bulgars in the 2nd Battle of Kleidion, on February 1255 AD, using exactly the same battle plan with Basil II, i.e. outflanking the Bulgarian defences. The difference was that the 1st Battle of Kleidion took place during summer, while the 2nd Battle in the middle of the winter, under thick snowfall. After thw battle Theodore Laskaris wrote to his teacher Nikephoros Blemmydes: « Ο δράκος εξήλθε, αλλά τον εφονεύσαμεν και εκ του πτώματος του ηγείραμεν τρόπαιον εις δόξαν μας. Θαύμασον δι’όλης της καρδίας σου τα κατορθώματα ταύτα της Ελληνικής ανδρείας».
You could have translated it, lol. I guess he said "Hail to the Mongol khans who devastated both the Bulgarians and the Seljuks so we can use this opportunity".
@@boyanbogdanov1854 And the Bulgarians should say previously thanks to the Latins that devastated the Empire, and gave them the chance to accomplish their own success. That's History my friend, someone will allways rise to cover the void that someone else left...
@@pseudomonas03 Just translate the text. There are 7.8 billion people who don't speak greek.
@@boyanbogdanov1854 Basically says "the dragon came to us and we defeated him. Let's celebrate the victory of the Greek valor".
@@wankawanka3053 Indeed. So, backstabbing means "we take what is rightfully ours". It depends on the point of view.
Great video
It seems that recovering Constantinople and getting involved in Europe set the stage for their demise at the hands of an Anatolian power.
unreal how good of job you guys do
Thank you! We appreciate it!
Fun fact: After John Palaeologos's capture of Constantinople, Byzantine chroniclers and historians compared his exploits to Odysseus of the Iliad for having deceived the Latins in the same way that the Greeks did with the Trojans. It was thanks to John that the Palaeologos dynasty would be firmly related to the Greek heroes of the Iliad with each Emperor comparing his exploits with those of the classical Greek heroes as Constantine Palaiologos did with Demosthenes or John VIII Palaiologos with Alexander and Pericles.
@@ΒασιλείατῶνῬωμαῖων Όχι φίλε μου, δεν είμαστε Ρωμαίοι με εθνικές ρίζες, ποτέ δεν ήμασταν και ούτε θα είμαστε. Η τάξη των ανθρώπων σας είναι αυτοί που χτίζουν μια ουτοπία που δεν συνέβη ποτέ, την παραποιούν για δικά τους συμφέροντα και τελικά καταλήγουν να διαδίδουν ένα αδόμητο ψέμα. Σας προτείνω να διαβάσετε αναλυτικά το βιβλίο του Γιώργου Ακρόπολις «Εναντίον των Λατίνων». Θέλω να βρεις τους στίχους στους οποίους αποκαλεί την Κωνσταντινούπολη δεύτερη Αθήνα, μητέρα των Ελλήνων, του πολιτισμού και θέλω να εκτιμήσεις τα πολύτιμα αττικά ελληνικά του. Θέλω να εξετάσετε λεπτομερώς πώς δυσφημεί τους Λατίνους και τους καταλογίζει για τη βαρβαρότητα και τον μικρό πολιτισμό τους. Ας μην παίρνουμε χαρακτηριστικά που δεν ήταν ποτέ δικά μας και στη συνέχεια να τα παραποιούμε λόγω της παρερμηνείας μας. Τι κι αν εκτιμάτε περιπτώσεις όπως εκείνη εκείνη την ημέρα που ο Αλέξιος Κομνηνός συγκάλεσε συνέλευση στην οποία έδωσε παράδειγμα στον μεγάλο Περικλή που έκανε χρήση της ιερής περιουσίας της Αθήνας για να σώσει την Ελλάδα; Ή σε εκείνη την επιστολή με την οποία ο βασιλιάς Θεόδωρος Λάσκαρης υποσχόταν να ελευθερώσει την Ελλάδα από τα βρώμικα λατινικά χέρια. Μην θάβετε την ταυτότητά σας ή το ιερό παρελθόν της όμορφης Ελλάδας μας πιστεύοντας ότι ήταν ανεπαρκές. Βρείτε την ταυτότητά σας και να είστε εξαιρετικά περήφανοι για αυτήν.
Perfect way to start my morning
Thank you to the Greeks for keeping the Roman legacy going
Don't thank us just yet, it seems that my fellow Greeks are trying to rewrite history and deny any association with Roman civilization. At least that is what one can gather from the dozens of Greek comments below! for example "They were Greek-Byzantines, not Romans!"
@@ΒασιλείατῶνῬωμαῖων I’m Italian so I’m just happy are Greek brothers kept the Empire together even if it was no longer Latin.
Terrific video!🏹⚔
Funny thing: the Bulgarians and Byzantines tried to destroy each other for a long time, but in the end couldn't but respect each other.
The longest conflict in the history.
@@dimitarguguchkov3390 the 5th longest
Michael: sup John. I brought you something for your 14th birthday.
John: omg is it a horse?
Michael: heheh... No. :)
Patriarch of Constantinople; CAN'T WE GO SIX MONTHS WITHOUT BLINDING SOMEONE IMPORTANT?
tradition
Yes blinding and backstabbing were among the greatest achievements of the eastern roman empire😆😆😆
@@ra-ge you obviously haven't heard about Renaissance
@@mixpilergaming123 It was a joke, at least the Renaissance happend in western Europe,but in eastern Europe thing got from shit to twisted shitstorm under the Ottomans.
@@ra-ge that's true
Well done video!
11:13 if ive learned anything from this series its that Bulgaria can defeat anyone in a mountain pass hahaha
Truth 100% ! And 30 years Emperator Ivailo defend Mongols 2-3;time
Literaly the only channel on youtube i dont skip adds. Realy worth supporting this channel however one can.
Please tell me there is a history book of this whole great game of thrones of Greeko romans, crusaders and Bulgarians!!!!!!
There is not such things as " greko-roman".
There was a plot between romans, bulgars and latins and among romans there were plenty of Albanians and Vlachs.
@@adolphbismark4331 I'm a little confused as to what u mean and I think u are with me also. If I may explain my use of that term.
I used "Greco-roman" as a umbrella term for the Byzantine successor states such the empire of Nicea. As, as far as I understand stand it, the society ( or at least the society of the ruling classes) of the Byzantine empire practiced many of the traditions and customs of the Roman empire. And Greek was the domanate language among them. At least for political and religious discourse. I mean Evan after the fall of the Constantinople in 1453 many people in the agean region continued to call themselves Romans.
So the term seems valid based on what knowledge I possess.