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191: Chapter 9: The Pecheneg Problem

191: Chapter 9: The Pecheneg Problem

Author: Jonathon LaRosa October 20, 2025 Duration: 44:55
Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of Our Medieval Story
History

Patreon Series: Book of Alexios

Episode 191: The Pecheneg Problem

NOTE: This is the last episode in our Patreon episodes covering the rise and early reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos! But his story continues well into the First Crusade...and beyond, so stay tuned, my friends! Alexios Komnenos' story is only beginning!


Guiscard is dead, and the Byzantine Empire breathes a short-lived sigh of relief. But from the north, a new storm brews. The Pechenegs, nomadic raiders of the steppes, have pierced the empire’s borders...yet again. Today, we follow Emperor Alexios I as he trades one crisis for another and marches north to face a threat that could unravel everything he’s barely been able to hold together thus far. Just another day in 11th-century Byzantium.


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Jonathon LaRosa hosts Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of Our Medieval Story, a series dedicated to pulling the medieval period out of the shadows of misconception. It’s an exploration of how the brutal power struggles, explosive changes, and surprising alliances of that distant time directly shaped the borders, cultures, and traditions we navigate in the present. Each episode is built on a foundation of relentless research, but it’s delivered as gripping narrative, letting you hear the clash of swords and the whispers in royal courts as if you were there. This isn't just a dry recounting of dates and kings; it's about resurrecting the lived experience of our ancestors, the forgotten people whose decisions and dramas set our world in motion. By untangling the intricate web of stories that span continents and centuries, the podcast reveals the medieval era for what it truly was: the essential, volatile crucible of modernity. Tune in to discover how the turning of fortune’s wheel in the past still echoes in our politics, our conflicts, and our identities today.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of Our Medieval Story
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