Hello everyone and welcome to the history of Byzantium, episode 152, Bados Focus.

Since we resume the narrative, I've focused exclusively on the power struggle within

Byzantium. In a sense this conflict has been going on for 30 years, ever since Romanus

the Seconds unexpected death left Niceferus focus with the opportunity to seize the throne.

The army dominated the court for the next 13 years, and the past two episodes have shown

the tug of war which developed between the military and civilian leaders following

the death of John Simiskees. Although Basil was now emperor, he wasn't able to govern

without the cooperation of the Focus family. In turn they were not able to dictate foreign

policy without the support of the palace. Today the man in the middle, the Unic Lecapinus

will be removed from the equation, and war between the two pillars of the empire will resume.

We left off last week in 982 with Ibn Shahram's embassy to Constantinople. Basil had

apparently agreed to hand the lepo over to the bullards in exchange for the return of

the rebel general, Bados Kiraus. Lecapinus had not been happy with this capitulation, but

supposedly agreed rather than let the focus drag the empire to war. I also told you about

the official, Niceferus Uranos, Basil's one senior ally at court as far as we know. In

typical Lecapinus fashion the Unic insisted that Uranos accompany Ibn Shahram back to back

to sign the treaty, thus removing his great nephew's friend from the palace.

Uranos would not return for five years, and the treaty was never put into effect.

In part because Baghdad's moment of relevance in the Levant was already over. Ibn Shahram's

master Adut Adhola died in March 983, and the city began to slip back into chaos. As if to

remind us who the real threat was, a few months later the Fatimids succeeded in capturing Damascus.

The Fatimids were always keen to try and carry the momentum of victory on to greater conquests,

...