048- The Second Triumvirate

After winning the Battle of Philippi Antony and Octavian divided the empire into two halves. Antony took control of the east where he formed an alliance with Cleopatra, while Octavian commanded the west. 

After Antony failed to conquer Parthia, the Triumvirate partnership broke down, leading to a declaration of war. 

Succession once again warrants its own episode. Al Saffah relied on three commanders to oversee different parts of his caliphate, and while the setup kept the new dynasty safe and stable, the ambitions of these three leaders clashed soon after the caliph passed away. 

Despite Belisarius' victory at Dara in 530, dissatisfaction was growing with Justinian which would soon lead to rebellion.For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.comFind my latest book, The End of Antiquity, on Amazon. For German listeners, find the ...  Show more

In this episode, we discuss Spartan imperial policy at home and abroad in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War at Sparta from 404-396 BC, including their war with Eleia, the imperial ambitions of Lysandros and the ascension of Agesilaos, Kinadon's foiled socio-political revolut ...  Show more

1242 - Paganism remained dominant in the north-east corner of Europe, but the race to convert the natives brought the Western Catholic Crusaders into conflict with the Eastern Orthodox Russians. The resulting conflict took place on the surface of a frozen lake.