They really were quite good at it.--Produced by David MainayarWritten by Eduardo D'Ambrosio & ‪David Mainayar3D visualization by Eduardo D'Ambrosio Edited by David Mainayar, kingfrick, ‪ @KnowHistory  Music from Epidemic Sound & Total War: Rome

Where are the Romans now? You're looking at em.

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:20 - Level I: The Calamities
• 13:12 - Level II: The Blunderers
• 21:43 - Level III: The Benchwarmers
• 25:38 - Level IV: The Patriarchs
• 31:12 - Level V: The Firefighters
• 36:59 - Level VI: The Imperialists
• 43:49 - Level VII: The Founders

Chapters:

1. Intro - 0:00
2. Chapter I: The Early Normans - 1:26
3. Chapter II: The Italian Normans - 1:00:57
4. Chapter III: The English Normans - 1:53:51
5. Chapter IV: The Crusader Normans - 3:34:00
6. Chapter V: 4:29:56

Primary Sources:

• Adémar de Chabannes. Chronicon and related forgeries. Early 11th century.
• Amatus of Montecassino. L'Ystoire de li Normant. ca. 1080.
• Anna Komnene. The Alexiad. ca. 1148.
• Dudo of Saint-Quentin. Historia Normannorum (History of the Normans). ca. 996–1015.
• Geoffrey Malaterra. De Rebus Gestis Rogerii Calabriae et Siciliae Comitis (The Deeds of Count Roger of Calabria and Sicily). ca. 1099–1101.
• Henry of Huntingdon. Historia Anglorum (History of the English).
• John of Fécamp. Letter to Pope Leo IX. ca. 1050s.
• Richer of Saint-Remi. Historiarum Libri Quatuor (Four Books of Histories). ca. 990s.
• Snorri Sturluson. Heimskringla. 13th century.
• William of Apulia. Gesta Roberti Wiscardi (The Deeds of Robert Guiscard). ca. 1096.
• William of Jumièges. Gesta Normannorum Ducum (Deeds of the Norman Dukes). 11th century.
• William of Malmesbury. Gesta Regum Anglorum (Deeds of the English Kings). ca. 1125.

Secondary Sources:

• Anglo-Norman Studies X: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1987. Edited by R. Allen Brown. 1988.
• Barlow, Frank. Vita Ædwardi Regis [The Life of King Edward Who Rests at Westminster].
• Barlow, Frank. William I and the Norman Conquest. 1965.
• Bates, David. William the Conqueror. 2009.
• Blair, John. Building Anglo-Saxon England. 2018.
• Brownworth, Lars. The Normans: From Raiders to Kings. Crux Publishing, 2014.
• Crouch, David. The Normans: The History of a Dynasty. Hambledon and London, 2002.
• Davis, R. H. C. “The Warhorses of the Normans.” In Medieval Warfare 1000–1300, edited by John France, 54–67. Farnham: Ashgate, 2006.
• Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact upon England. 1964.
• English Heritage. “How to Organise a Norman Invasion Fleet.” https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/l
• Neveux, François. The Normans: The Conquests That Changed the Face of Europe. Translated by Howard Curtis. Constable, 2008.
• Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in the South, 1016–1130. Longmans, 1967.
• Roach, Levi. Empires of the Normans: Makers of Europe, Conquerors of Asia. London: John Murray; New York: Pegasus Books, 2022.
• Saxon History. “The Ship List of William the Conqueror.” https://saxonhistory.co.uk/FORMS-Page
• Searle, Eleanor. Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066. University of California Press, 1988.
• Van Houts, Elisabeth M. C. The Normans in Europe. Manchester University Press, 2000.
• Viking Ship Museum. “William the Conqueror’s Ship List.” https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/enWaley, D. P. “Combined Operations in Sicily, A.D. 1060–78.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th ser., vol. 7 (1957): 21–39.

The final installment in a three-part series on Alexander the Great.

Sources:

• Arrian. Anabasis of Alexander. Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt.
• Bolitho, William. Twelve Against the Gods. 1929.
• Freeman, Philip. Alexander the Great. 2011.
• Plutarch. Life of Alexander and Life of Caesar. Translated by Rex Warner.
• “How Did Alexander the Great Sustain His Army?” https://www.historyhit.com/how-did-alexander-the-great-sustain-his-army/

• “Philip II and Macedonian Logistics.” History Hit. https://www.historyhit.com/philip-ii-macedonian-logistics/
• The Cambridge Companion to Alexander the Great, ed. Daniel Ogden. Cambridge University Press, 2024.
• The Oxford World History of Empire, eds. Peter Fibiger Bang, C. A. Bayly, and Walter Scheidel. Oxford University Press, 2021.

1:10 - Level I: The Fakes6:39 - Level II: The Traders13:46 - Level III: The Exploiters22:31 - Level IV: The Survivors 35:55 - Level V: The Meteors38:49 - Level VI: The Superpowers45:20 - Level VII: The Architects

0:00 - Intro 2:06 - Level I: The Frauds6:28 - Level II: The Pretenders9:16 - Level III: The Phantoms13:43 - Level IV: The Progenitors22:02 - Level V: The Icons30:25 - Level VI: The Comets34:30 - Level VII: The World-Builders

The second installment in a three-part series on Alexander the Great. Sources:Arrian. Anabasis of Alexander. Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt.Bolitho, William. Twelve Against the Gods. 1929.Freeman, Philip. Alexander the Great. 2011.Plutarch. Life of Alexander and Life of Caesar. Translated by Rex Warner.“How Did Alexander the Great Sustain His Army?” https://www.historyhit.com/how-did-alexander-the-great-sustain-his-army/“Philip II and Macedonian Logistics.” History Hit. https://www.historyhit.com/philip-ii-macedonian-logistics/

The first installment in a three-part series on Alexander the Great. Sources:Arrian. Anabasis of Alexander. Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt.Bolitho, William. Twelve Against the Gods. 1929.Freeman, Philip. Alexander the Great. 2011.Plutarch. Life of Alexander and Life of Caesar. Translated by Rex Warner.“How Did Alexander the Great Sustain His Army?” https://www.historyhit.com/how-did-alexander-the-great-sustain-his-army/“Philip II and Macedonian Logistics.” History Hit. https://www.historyhit.com/philip-ii-macedonian-logistics/

The third installment in a four-part series on the Normans. This part is focused on William the Conqueror's life & times.

Play War Thunder for FREE on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and mobile! New & returning PC/console players get a massive bonus pack: premium vehicles, the “Eagle of Valor” decorator, 100,000 Silver Lions & 7 days of Premium.https://wtplay.link/empirebuildershttps://wtm.game/empirebuilders--The third installment in a four-part series on the Normans. This part is focused on William the Conqueror's life & times. Chapters:0:00 - King & Conqueror 1:51 - Intro4:34 - Fulk Nerra13:03 - Emma, "Jewel of Normandy"28:23 - Edward the Confessor41:02 - William the Conqueror Sources:Anglo‑Norman Studies X: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1987. Edited by R. Allen Brown. 1988.Barlow, Frank. Vita Ædwardi Regis [The Life of King Edward Who Rests at Westminster]. Barlow, Frank. William I and the Norman Conquest. 1965.Bates, David. William the Conqueror. 2009. Blair, John. Building Anglo‑Saxon England. 2018.Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact upon England. 1964.English Heritage. “How to Organise a Norman Invasion Fleet.”https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/1066-and-the-norman-conquest/how-to-organise-a-norman-invasion-fleetHenry of Huntingdon. Historia Anglorum [History of the English].Roach, Levi. Empires of the Normans: Makers of Europe, Conquerors of Asia. 2022. Saxon History. “The Ship List of William the Conqueror.”https://saxonhistory.co.uk/FORMS-Page-Builder.php?Pg=1066AD_the_ship_list_of_william_the_conqueror#topViking Ship Museum. “William the Conqueror’s Ship List.”https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/the-longships/the-historical-sources/william-the-conquerors-ship-list

The third chapter in a six-part docuseries on the Burgundians. This part is focused on Philip the Bold.

The first chapter in a four-part series on the Normans. This one traces their journey from Scandinavia to Normandy.

The second chapter in a four-part series on the Normans. This one traces their journey from Normandy to Italy.

This is the FIRST chapter in a docuseries on the Burgundians, covering the events of 406-534. The series will culminate with the Grand Dukes of the West (the Valois).

Frederick II (1194-1250) was once the most powerful ruler in Europe. He was a Renaissance Man before the Renaissance. A scientist before the scientific method. An enlightened despot before the Age of Enlightenment. Yet his wide-spanning interests and unconventional methods eventually brought him into conflict with the papacy, who declared him "the forerunner of the Antichrist." Was he as bad as the popes say, or was he simply ahead of his time? Find out in this comprehensive documentary about the life & times of Frederick II Hohenstaufen.

In January 897, Pope Stephen exhumed the corpse of Pope Formosus and put it on trial. He had a deacon serve as Formosus’ voice and proceeded to scream at the corpse at the top of his lungs...Why did he do it? And could it be that this infamous trial, known as the Cadaver Synod, invalidates the whole papal succession from Formosus to Francis?

This is the SECOND chapter in a docuseries on the Burgundians. This chapter covers the events of 534-1361. Remaining parts will focus on the Valois Dukes, continuing to the 16th century.

Video essay about THE GREATEST MOVIE NEVER MADE

Audio-only. Video is available on YouTube.

Sources:

Arendt, Hannah. On Revolution (1963)

Gay, Peter. The Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Paganism (1995)

Hamilton, Alexander; Madison, James; Jay, John. The Federalist Papers (1788)

Polybius. The Histories (c. 2nd century BC)

Ricks, Thomas. First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country (2020)

Tacitus. Agricola and Germania (Penguin Classics, 2010)

Founders Online (Correspondence and Other Writings of Seven Major Shapers of the United States

Audio-only. Video is available on YouTube.

Sources:

Beard, Mary & Hopkins, Keith. The Colosseum (2011)

Futrell, Alison. The Roman Games: Historical Sources in Translation (2008)

Futrell, Alison & Scanlon, Thomas. The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World (2021)

Jacobelli, Luciana. Gladiators at Pompeii (2003)

Mellor, Ronald. The Historians of Ancient Rome (1997)

Wiedemann, Thomas. Emperors and Gladiators (1992)

When I have issues with historians, I ask: "Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well, shut the fuck up then."

Sources:

Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (2016)

Brauer, George C. The Young Emperors, Rome, A.D. 193-244 (1967)

Dio, Cassius. Roman History, Book 79 (3rd century)

Dunstan, William E. Ancient Rome (2010)

Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume I (1776)

Goldsworthy, Adrian. How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower (2010)

Hekster, Olivier. Rome and its Empire, AD 193-284 (Debates and Documents in Ancient History) (2008)

Herodian. History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus (3rd century)

Spartianus, Aelius, et al. Historia Augusta (3rd century)

Swan, Peter Michael. The Augustan Succession: An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History, Books 55-56 (9 B.C.-A.D. 14) (2004)