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Nick Holmes


EVER WONDERED WHY THE ROMAN EMPIRE FELL? Find out in this podcast from British historian, Nick Holmes, as he tells the extraordinary story of Rome's decline and fall, and how its legacy is still central to the world we live in today. WANT A FREE EBOOK? Then head directly to Nick's website  www.nickholmesauthor.com.


The Fall Of The Roman Empire

In this episode we turn east to consider Byzantium. We last spoke about the eastern Romans, or the Byzantines, in episode 113 when I described the emperor Leo III’s victory in the winter of 717/718 over an immense Umayyad army and navy intent on taking Constantinople. This was a pivotal moment in history. Few people at the time would have expected Byzantium to survive. But it did. And the Umayyad Caliphate’s advance into Europe was blocked. 

But before we move on to the rest of Leo’s reign, the question I want to ask in this episode, is how did Byzantium do it? How was it able to fend off Islam, by far the greatest power of its age? 

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 124 "Byzantium: The Empire That Refused To Die"

The final political legacy of the Roman Empire in western Europe was the Holy Roman Empire. 

Amazingly, this curious political institution lasted until Napoleon abolished it in 1806. In the eighteenth century, the French political philosopher Voltaire famously described it as neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire. He may have been right in his own age, but it was originally born with the dream of restoring Charlemagne's empire, itself a restoration of the once mighty Roman Empire. It was a dream that would last a thousand years.
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 123 "The Holy Roman Empire"

The Vikings transformed European history, impacted the worlds of both Byzantium and the Abbasid Caliphate, and even, some 500 years before Christopher Columbus, discovered North America. 

In this episode, I want to look at how and why the Viking diaspora first began, before moving to their initial impact on the world outside Scandinavia, especially on the Carolingians and the establishment of the Viking-Frankish state of Normandy.
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 122 "The Vikings"

Charlemagne created the largest empire in western Europe since the Romans. But it didn’t last. Within only a few decades of his death, it had broken up and one half of it was fighting for its survival against a new and terrifying enemy from the north: the Vikings. In this episode, I want to ask why did that happen? 
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 121 "The Fall of the Frankish Empire"

In this and the next episode, I want to look beyond the legend of Charlemagne to find the real man and his achievements and failings. His legend has made him into a symbol of power and authority as well as a figurehead for the cause of European integration. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that after his death, his empire quickly broke up and his accomplishments were shown to be hollow. So, what is the truth about him? Let’s find out.
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 120 "Charlemagne's Empire"

In this episode, we explore how the Carolingians rose to become the dynasty that would claim to be the inheritors of Rome. 
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 119 "The Rise of the Carolingians"

In this episode, I’m going to focus on one of the most famous battles in history: the battle of Tours, or Poitiers as it’s sometimes called, in 732. It’s famous because some historians think it stopped the Arabs from conquering Europe. But others think its significance has been exaggerated and, even if the Arabs had won, they did not intend to conquer Europe. So, in this episode let’s try to find out what really happened.
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 118 "The Battle of Tours, AD 732"

In modern France, the Frankish king, Clovis, is often celebrated as the first French king. But Clovis’ Merovingian dynasty was in fact destined to fade and die. In its place, there arose a new dynasty that would become more famous: the Carolingian. But before we say goodbye to the Merovingians, I want in today’s podcast to ask the question why did they die out and why was it such a slow death? 
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 117 "The Slow Death of the Merovingians"

I wanted to let you know that my latest book, The End of Antiquity, is now available in both paperback and ebook on Amazon and will be available through most major book retailers soon.

It explores the final days of the Roman and Persian empires, and how they were ultimately overwhelmed by the rise of Islam in the seventh century AD. It covers the warfare, politics, and religious upheaval of the time, but also introduces a compelling new angle: climate change.

Drawing on the latest scientific research, I examine the Late Antique Little Ice Age — a period of significant climatic cooling that struck at the heart of the Roman and Persian worlds, but — and here’s the catch — seems to have allowed Arabia to flourish. I believe this could be a crucial, yet overlooked, factor in understanding this pivotal era of history.

If you’ve been listening to my podcast, you’ll be aware of most of this but I think you’d still find the book worthwhile since it has more content than this podcast and includes 9 maps, 16 pictures, a chronology, lists of Roman emperors and Arab caliphs, a detailed bibliography, notes and an index.

And you get all of that in the ebook format for only $6.99 in the US and £4.99 in the UK – not far off the price of a cup of coffee. The paperback is obviously more expensive but still not exorbitant at $13.99 in the US and £10.99 in the UK. 

The link to Amazon is here - and if you do read it, I’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts. Of course, if you enjoy it, a review on Amazon would mean a great deal to me.

Thank you again for your continued interest and support — it’s what makes all of my work possible.

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT - 'The End of Antiquity' Book 5 in The Fall of the Roman Empire

By the year AD 719, the Arab/Berber army had conquered Iberia and was invading Gaul or what is modern France. They seemed unstoppable. Would western Europe fall to Islam? And would the Qu’ran be taught in the schools of Oxford, as Edward Gibbon rather mischievously speculated. Of course, Gibbon knew the outcome. The Arab advance into France came to a shuddering halt at the battle of Poitiers, or Tours as it’s sometimes called, in 732 when Charles Martel, or Charles the Hammer, would inflict the first major defeat on the Arabs in western Europe just as the emperor Leo III did in the east in 717/718 at the siege of Constantinople. Thereafter, the Arabs’ hopes of adding Europe to their vast empire would be checked in the west by the Franks, and in the east by the Byzantines.

In episodes 111 to 113, we looked at the Byzantines, and in the next few episodes I want to look at their western counterpart: the Franks. It comes as no surprise to say the Franks were important in history. Indeed, crucial. For they not just halted the Arab invasion of western Europe but under their greatest king, Charlemagne, they created a vast empire encompassing modern France, and much of Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Low Countries – in other words most of western Europe. Some historians believe Charlemagne’s empire – the Carolingian empire - was the starting point for modern Europe although it broke up fairly rapidly after his death. It would of course take the best part of a thousand years for that to happen but when Charlemagne was crowned as the new Roman emperor in AD 800 in Rome, in my opinion, the Franks rose above all the other Germanic invaders of the Roman Empire to become the true inheritors in western Europe of the once mighty Roman Empire. In this episode, we'll look at the beginning of their rise to power with the reign of the Frankish king Clovis (482-511), who forged the first strong Frankish kingdom in what is now France. 
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 116 "Clovis, King of the Franks"

In 540, the Persians sacked Antioch. It was one of the greatest disasters in Roman history. But in 541, Belisarius was back from Italy. Could he now reverse the situation on the eastern front?
The Curious Case of Being Human

The Curious Case of Being Human

with Matt Cooper and Isabelle...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com
Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 89 "Belisarius is Back!"

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