Notes: Episode 15, The Fall of Constantinople (Part 1)

As with every show, I’ll list any corrections or clarifications here. If there’s anything I’ve overlooked, please contact me by email or in the comments and I’ll edit the notes to reflect the new information.

 

6:44 –  At the founding of Constantinople, Mediolanum was the administrative capital of the Roman Empire and had been since 286. In 402, The western capital was moved to Ravenna.

 

12:08 – I downplay the sacking of Rome by the crusaders in 1205 a little bit, but it was still a brutal three days of pillaging during which much wealth was stolen by the conquerors and atrocities such as the sanctity of sanctuary within holy places was violated. There are some indications that there was an Imperial Library of Constantinople that was burned, though other sources say there was no single library that fits the description and this may have been anti-Crusade rhetoric. Whatever the truth of the library situation, there is no indication that the damage done was irreversible; if it did happen, it was not a scenario similar to the Great Library of Alexandria where great works may have been lost. It was devastating, but not irreparable.

 

25:36 – Austria-Hungary was formed in the 19th century, as I stated (1867 to be exact), but I was incorrect about the political marriage. It was a strategic alliance made between the Hapsburg Emperor of Austria and the king of Hungary in order to stay powerful and relevant as both nations declined in the face of growing power from the formation of Germany. EDIT (Feb 26, 2016): as Raymond noted in his comment below, the king of Hungary already was the Emperor of Austria – the Hapsburgs had been heads of state since 1527. The formation of Austria-Hungary merely made this a political reality in order to consolidate power.

 

39:55 – The callback Ethan references here is to a joke in episode 67 of the podcast we do together with our sister, Truth Bombs. It can be found here. I didn’t actually mean to make a joke here, but I decided to pretend I did.

 

59:02 – I can’t believe I messed up filioque again! My explanation is mostly accurate, except that I switched which side of the schism believed what. The western church believed that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son, while the eastern church believes that the Spirit proceeds from the Father only, meaning that Christ is not necessary for the existence of the Spirit.

 

1:03:34 – Constantine XI’s last recorded words were “the city is fallen and I am still alive.”

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