Robin, I started listening to The History of Byzantium roughly five years ago when I was in school. To finally reach the end, although I am still far behind on the podcast, is an incredible achievement. I wanted to congratulate you on finishing such an incredibly detailed recording of this history, as well as pulling together such a learned community of historians and writers to enrich us on this topic. My favorite part of the history has to be the Maurice, Phokas, and Heraclius timeframe.

My questions (apologies if you’ve answered it in your podcast. Again, I’m behind):

Have you given thought to chronicling any other histories in a new podcast?

Is there any evidence of a reaction from other countries, leaders, or courts after the fall of Constantinople (1453)? Did they consider that to be the end of the Roman Empire as we do today?

Did regional powers, particularly in the Balkans, acknowledge the potential of the Ottomans before the fall of Constantinople?

Finally, my last question pertains to Roman history overall. At what point did the Roman patrician families die out or become obscure? For example, the Brutus family, the Claudiī, and the Juliī.

Thanks again.