FREE BOOK ON MY WEBSITE

I thought you might be interested in my latest book called The Inheritors of Rome which relates particularly well to the content in this podcast since it’s about the period just before the Crusades and it also covers a lot of Byzantine history. Link to Amazon.Why did I write the book? I wanted to close my series on the fall of the Roman Empire with an examination of what happened after the fall.I look at a period often called the Dark Ages. And yes, I think they were dark for many people. But they were also the birthplace for not just modern Europe (and to some extent America as well) but also for Islam.I think it's difficult to understand the modern world without knowing what happened in the centuries after Rome fell.So, the book covers the period from around AD 700-1000. It examines the collapse of Roman civilization in Europe to the rise of Charlemagne’s empire. From the explosive expansion of early Islam to the resilience of Byzantium. From the devastation of the Vikings to the birth of medieval Europe. It aims to paint a sweeping, interconnected portrait of a world in upheaval.I aim to shed new light on forgotten turning points, revealing how environmental pressures, religious conflict, economic dislocation and cultural reinvention laid the foundations for the rebirth of Europe after the fall of Rome.The link to Amazon is here - I’d love you to take a look, and if you do read it, I’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts. And 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.Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

Although I’m no longer making new episodes of this podcast, I thought you might be interested in my latest book, called The End of Antiquity, which relates particularly well to the content in this podcast since it’s about the rise of Islam in the seventh century AD and the collapse of the Roman and Persian empires.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.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 - I’d love you to take a look, and if you do read it, I’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts. And 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.Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

It’s Nick Holmes from the Byzantium and the Crusades podcast. Although I’m no longer making new episodes of this podcast, I thought you might be interested in my latest project which is a series of books as well as a new podcast on the Fall of the Roman Empire. And I’m contacting you because my latest book, and the fourth in my Roman series, called  ‘Justinian’s Empire’, is out now on Amazon in ebook and paperback. It will be with other distributors later and also available in audiobook probably within the next six months.  It's about the triumph and tragedy of the late Roman Emperor Justinian’s reign. Triumph because Justinian’s general, Belisarius, recovered North Africa and Italy from the barbarians. Justinian also created a new law code that would endure to this day. And he built extraordinary monuments, like the iconic Hagia Sophia in modern Istanbul, rivalling the great buildings of Ancient Rome. But all that glitters is not gold. There was also tragedy in his reign, especially with a mini ice-age that caused famine and bubonic plague. And I also suggest Justinian was a ruthless opportunist, and his western conquests drained the empire’s wealth and critically weakened its army.So, rather than restoring Rome’s greatness did he in fact pave the way for its catastrophic collapse less than a century after his death? I think the ebook is also really good value at only $4.99 in the US and £3.99 in the UK – probably cheaper than a cup of over-priced coffee! – and certainly cheaper than most other books on the Roman Empire. Paperback is obviously more expensive since I can’t control the printing costs.The links to Amazon US and Amazon UK are in the notes to this and I do hope you’ll take a look, and if you do buy it and you’re feeling generous why not leave a review? I’d love to hear your feedback.Thanks for listening and I hope you continue to enjoy Byzantium and the Crusades!Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

Just a quick update to let you know if you like this podcast you can get the book on which it’s based for free on my website nickholmesauthor.com. It’s called The Byzantine World War, and it's about the origins of the First Crusade and suggests that it really began as the result of the defeat of the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. This caused a revolution in the Middle-East when the Turks overran the hitherto Greek-speaking region of Anatolia – which is now modern Turkey.What makes the story particularly exciting is that I suggest the Byzantines were actually winning the Battle of Manzikert until the emperor was betrayed by his own jealous nobles. So, history might easily have taken a totally different route. Indeed, there might not have been any Crusades at all.The book has been a bestseller on Amazon where it has over 400 reviews, so why not click on the link in the show notes which will take you to the offer on my website. You can also stay in touch with my latest historical research and books which are focused on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Get your free book Here! Hope you enjoy it and look forward to staying in touch on Byzantine, Roman and Crusader history! Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

I wanted to let you know my latest book, Rome and Attila, is now available on Amazon in ebook and paperback, links in the episode notes. It’s about one of the most infamous figures in history—Attila the Hun. He’s a household name, but remarkably little is known about him and his popular legend as a brutal tyrant is not necessarily correct. I delve into the primary sources in search of the real Attila and find someone very different from the legend—a complex, captivating personality who despised ostentation, admired bravery and valued loyalty. Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy it!Link to buy the book Amazon.comLink to buy the book Amazon.co.ukPlease take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

I wanted to let you know my book The Byzantine World War is available for free here. It's about the reign of Romanos Diogenes and his defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 which led to the First Crusade. It’s a thrilling story and the book has nearly 400 Amazon reviews, so why not click on the link  and download it for free! Hope you enjoy it!Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

I wanted to let you know my latest book, The Fall of Rome, is now available on Amazon in ebook and paperback. It’s about how the unthinkable happened in AD 410 when Rome was sacked by the Goths. Although it's about Rome rather than Byzantium, you might be interested because it's very relevant as background to how Byzantium and the Christian kingdoms of western Europe developed. It's only $3.99 for the ebook and $11.99 for the paperback. I hope you enjoy it!Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

This is just to let you know that you can get my ebook called The Roman Revolution, which accompanies the first part of my new podcast on the Fall of the Roman Empire, at a discounted price at Amazon for the next few days (until 29th September). It focuses on the transition from the classical Roman Empire to Constantine's Christian-centred empire run out of Constantinople. It's priced at 99 cents or pence in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Links to it on Amazon by country are below.Link to US Link to UKLink to CanadaLink to AustraliaPlease take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

I thought you might be interested to know that I've just published a book called The Roman Revolution. This is about the Roman Empire in the third century when Rome was truly revolutionized and ended up as a Christian monarchy. This was the origin of the Byzantine Empire, and so if you're interested in the Crusades, you might well enjoy this much earlier time in history which was so formative for both Byzantium and the Crusades.  Here is the link to the book on Amazon US. One click and you're there! Hope you enjoy it! Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

On the 29th May, 1453, the city of Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. It was the final end of Byzantium. It was also the final end of the Crusades. Indeed, many historians regard it as the end of the Middle Ages. I regret to say that this episode is also the end of this podcast. But I am delighted to say that I have a new podcast called "The Fall of the Roman Empire"! And I would be thrilled if you would like to tune into that. See you there!Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.