Wedding of Alexios I Comnenus and Irene Ducaena A few years back Jared Diamond wrote a best-selling book, “Guns, Germs, & Steel” which tried to explain trends in global history. Like many others, I found his observations to be enlightening, if sometimes flawed. He recently came out with a new
Letters and Funeral Orations for Keroullarios, Leichoudes, and Xiphilinos Translated by Anthony Kaldellis and Ioannis Polemis Copyright 2015 by University of Notre Dame Michael Psellos’ history, “Fourteen Byzantine Rulers” contains invaluable information for those interested in 11th century Byzantine history. This remarkable history provides more detailed (and gossipy) information about
Armenia in Medieval Times – An Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I apologize to my readers who only check out my blogs for the Byzantine history. This blog shares information more helpful for authors trying to get traction and sales in the independent publishing market. Don’t worry that this will become a habit – the Byzantines will return shortly! Writers Conference
Susan Weintrob, reader, foodie, and book blogger, recently contacted me after enjoying “Imperial Passions – The Porta Aurea”. She lives in Charleston and has a website, “Expand the Table”, full of both delicious recipes and wonderful book reviews. I can definitely vouch for the recipes! She asked me for an
Above: coins from the Byzantine & Christian Museum in Athens, Greece. Few would argue against calling economics the dismal science. I’m not sure it is a science so much as wishful thinking, especially when it comes to the predictions economists make. However, my day job is in the finance industry,
Venice I took the photo above at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. The men of the Fourth Crusade absconded with it from Constantinople in about 1204. They are two of the “Four Tetrarchs”, in the highly prized purple porphyry marble. It is now housed above the narthex, or porch
Above: The royal wedding of Alexios I Comnenus and Irene Ducaena. Irene Ducaena was the wife and empress of Alexios I Comnenus, marrying him shortly after he seized the throne on April 1, 1081. Her daughter, the erudite Anna Comnena, wrote glowingly of her mother in her history, The Alexiad
Romanos IV Diogenes – submitting to Alp Aslan after defeat at the Battle of Manzikert Romanos’s Father, Constantine The Diogenes family first came to prominence during the reign of Basil II early in the 11th century. Constantine Diogenes rose through the ranks of the taghmata – the central armies under
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