LOST ROMAN HEROES

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 61: Stilicho & Alaric (Part 1)

Meet Stilicho, the half Vandal, half Roman soldier who joins Emperor Theodosius' bodyguard in his late teens, catches the eye of the emperor's niece, marries into the imperial family, and rises to the highest military ranks in the Empire!  A devoutly loyal and honest man, Stilicho makes a plethora of enemies along the way, but never loses sight of his loyalties, to Emperor and nation.  Amongst those enemies are Rufinus the Prefect, Eutropius the Eunuch, and a young Goth warlord who would be king someday, Alaric.  This is the origin story of two of the most consequential, and mysterious men in the final chapters of the West.

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 60: Ambrose of Milan

Born in Trier in 339AD, Ambrose was the privileged son of the praetorian prefect of Gaul.  As a young man, he entered the Roman civil service and rose quickly to the role of governor in north Italy during the reign of Emperor Valentinian.  Though he was not a Christian and did not seek the honor, Ambrose was elected Bishop of Mediolanum in 374AD, making him one of the most important leaders of the church at a time that the Christian church was infiltrating every facet of the imperial government.  He would go on to become the friend, and nemesis, of multiple Roman emperors and usurpers, leaving an indelible stamp on the Church and the State.  

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 59: Theodosius I

Theodosius, son of the legendary Count Theodosius, was thrust into one of the most desperate situations in Rome's history, in the wake of the utter bloodbath at Adrianople in 378AD.  Inheriting the mantle of the East, with no army to call upon, and with the Goths rampaging in the Roman heartland, for some reason, Theodosius answered the call, in somehow, he would find a way to put the pieces together again.

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 58: Count Theodosius

Count Theodosius, born in Hispania to a military family, he rose through the ranks and accomplished remarkable things lost in the mists of time.  When he emerges into the spotlight he is the Emperor Valentinian's fixer, who recovers Britannia, settles the Rhine, and recovers Africa for the Empire without breaking a sweat, with humility and grace.  But no good deed ever goes unpunished, and so it is with Theodosius, but that cannot prevent him from founding one of Rome's great dynasties.

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 57: Valentinian

Valentinian, son of the Rope Man, emerged from dad's shadow, paid his dues in the army, and was in the right place at the right time when Julian's short-lived successor Jovian died somewhere outside Ancyra.  Rising to the purple with his brother Valens (Adrianople anyone?) by his side, Valentinian would go on to rule from the west, holding the Rhine, recovering Britannia, and quashing rebelling in Africaa.  He would be the last truly dominant Roman Emperor to rule the West, with the help of two savage she-bears, but was he a hero?  

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 56: Julian

Julian, nephew of Constantine the Great, cousin of Constantius the Murderous, aspiring philosopher, Emperor almost against his will, unfortunate soul!  He would be the last pagan emperor of Rome, though the Empire would last for another 1100 years, trying in vain to turn back to the clock to a simpler world that no longer existed.

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 55: Q&A

Join us for our long awaited first Q&A episode, where we take on listener questions and do our level best to answer!  From "why did Marc Antony fall in love with Cleopatra" to "did Livia kill Augustus" and "which Roman Emperor would you want to have a beer with"?  This was the most fun we've had on an episode for some time, thanks to all of you!  (We just republished this one with some minor fixes).

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 54: Constantine (Part 4)

Finally in possession of the supreme power, after having eliminated all rivals and fully dismantling Diocletian's Tetrarchy, what will Constantine do?  Will he use his power for good?  What will he do with the Christians now that he has elevated their faith above all others?  And what really happened to Crispus?    

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 53: Constantine (Part 3)

Join Constantine as he crossed the Alps and marches on Rome, to meet his rival Augustus, Maxentius (son of Maximian the Mischievous) at the fabled Milvian Bridge.  Constantine is intent on unwinding Diocletian's project, the Frankenstein-ish Tetrarchy, and consolidating power in his hands.  He will use his considerable wiles, and the surging Christian sect, to accomplish his audacious objectives.  

Lost Roman Heroes - Episode 52: Constantine (Part 2)

Constantine assumes his father's mantle in Eboracum when know one authorized him to do so.  But with the support of the troops and an unyielding sense of destiny and belief in his own abilities, he begins to gather power, and legitimacy in Britannia, Gaul and Hispania as the various rulers of the Italy and the East squabble among themselves.  We said goodbye to the Old Guard, Diocletian, Maximian and Galerius now, as the Roman Empire primes itself for the most explosive Roman Civil War in centuries between Constantine, Maxentius, Licinius and Maximinus.  Who will come out on top?