Tag: Aetius

  • 21. Alas, Britain

    21. Alas, Britain

    c. 367 to c. 460 CE Britain was abandoned by Rome early compared to the rest of it’s territory, and what followed wasn’t pretty. Okay, so, we have arrived at the much-teased episode about post Roman Britain. Hopefully I haven’t hyped this too much; I do try my best to manage expectations. A few days…

  • 17. The Phantom Kingdom

    17. The Phantom Kingdom

    456 to 464 CE Emperor Majorian and his Right-Hand man Ricimer attempt to pull the empire back from the brink after the departure of Avitus. But there’s a snake in the grass, a fly in the ointment, and a bad apple in the barrel. It all leads to the creation of a new entity called…

  • 16. Speaking Frankly

    16. Speaking Frankly

    The Franks, Part I 280 to 480 CE We welcome the Franks onto the stage of Europe, and look at their origins, early history, ferocious reputation, and the way modern politics work their way into the telling of history. The floodgates have opened, and now the puns cannot be stopped. Kyrie eleison. We have arrived…

  • 15. Unmitigated Gaul

    15. Unmitigated Gaul

    418 CE to 456 CE A senator by the name of Eparchius Avitus is dragooned into filling the imperial shoes left behind by the well-aimed brick that took out Petronius Maximus. His life gives a framework for discussing the place of southern Gaul within the Roman empire, and how the Visigoths were settling in. And…

  • 14. More Serpent than Dove

    14. More Serpent than Dove

    The Vandals Part III 439 to 455 CE “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be therefore as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew, 10:16 Gaiseric weathers Roman attempts to recover the African provinces, and begins to set his house in order. Marriage deals are made and broken,…

  • 12. The Hun and the Saint

    The Huns Part IV 450-453 CE Attila unleashed his fury on the Western empire in two back to back campaigns. The first culminated in the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. The second ended with the famous meeting between Attila the Hun and Pope Leo I. “Attila, in an effort to bring about the wars ……

  • 10. King of Africa

    The Vandals Part II 408 to 439 CE The Vandals, along with their allies, the Alans and Suevi, ravage Spain before moving into Africa.  There, under the leadership of their king Gaiseric, they will achieve something no other Barbarian tribe has yet accomplished. The city sits at the west end of the bay, looking out…

  • 9. The Vandals

    The Vandals Part I c. 200 BCE to 408 CE I introduce the Vandals with a cold.  The Vandals don’t have a cold, I have a cold. So, sorry about that. The Vandals rose up next door to the Goths, with whom they would have a complicated relationship.  This episode tracks their early migration into…

  • 8. Attila Invictus

    The Huns Part III 435 to 446 CE The scourge of God rises from the Hunnic horde.  The Romans have to deal with him while also facing earthquake, flood, and plague.  Straight up not having a good time, bro. Map of the Roman road network. Another map of the geography of the Balkans “The Britons”…

  • 7. All the Sun Shines Upon

    The Huns Part II 395 to 435 CE Contact with the Roman world changes the Huns, as prosperity creates politics. A series of chiefs and warlords set the stage for their most famous ruler. Map of Roman Provinces “The Britons” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/