Series 13: Byzantium Receding (1185 - 1264 AD)

In this series introduction, we discuss the collapse of the Theme System and the corrupt, fragile state of the Balkans in the late 12th century. The western-Byzantine rivalry would finally come to a head with the several invasions of the Western Balkans, and ultimately, the seizure of Constantinople in the 4th Crusade, events which will set in motion the stories of this series.Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.comSourcesIntro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tuneOutro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)Fine, John VA Jr. The Late Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1994.Frost, Robert. The Oxford History of Poland-Lithuania Volume 1: The Making of the Polish Lithuanian Union, 1385-1569. Oxford University Press, 2015.Obolensky, Dimitri. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500-1453. Praeger Publishers, 1971.