Hello everyone and welcome to the history of Byzantium, episode 348, Trebizond, part two.

Last time, we talked about how the grandsons of Fil old Andronicus I escaped to Trebizond around the time of the Fourth Crusade and turned it into an independent Roman kingdom.

Their descendants established themselves in power, kept the Turks and Mongols out, and married into the Paleologan dynasty,

which had retaken Constantinople.

Before we continue the story, though, let's talk about the Crimea.

Listeners have often asked me what's going on with the Roman ports in the Crimea since we lost

touch with them sometime back in the 8th or 9th centuries.

The reality is that our sources are incredibly thin. We rely on those rare occasions when a Roman

writer mentions a visit or trading connections to places in that region. Technically, Cherson was listed as part of the theme system,

but we suspect it was more of a listening post than actually hosting many troops.

Cherson and the other small towns and ports on the Crimean coast were in a situation somewhat similar

to that of Trebizond. They sat on a thin patch of fertile land

with steep hills shielding them from the steppe world to the north. So like Trebizond,

their political life was dominated by appeasing people from the step, maintaining their walls,

and looking to the sea for prosperity.

These places therefore always maintained good contacts with Constantinople, which, as the

largest city in the region, naturally dominated the trade network. But they were not necessarily

entirely Roman towns.

The population of the region was a mix of long-standing Christian groups.

Some Greek speakers, some Rus, some even descendants of the Goths who'd settled there back in the 4th century.

Others had migrated south from the endless churn on the step to the north.

Most of those who settled in the urban centres became Orthodox Christians.

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