
Mutilated and exiled (the Emperor Justinian II - part 1)
From Subject to Change by Russell Hogg
April 20, 2026 · 47 min · Season 1 · Episode 103
About this episode
The episode discusses the early reign of Emperor Justinian II, highlighting the challenges he faced and the eventual violent end to his rule.
Justinian II becomes emperor at sixteen. Even allowing for the hostility of our sources the reign is not all plain sailing. I'm joined by Professor David Parnell to work through the first half of one of Byzantium's most extraordinary reigns. Part one takes us from his accession to the moment the city loses patience and terminates the reign violently. David and I are left scratching our heads as to why this story has never had its own Netflix series. We started with the empire Justinian inheri...
People in this episode
Host: Russell Hogg
Guest: Professor David Parnell
Topics covered
- Byzantine history
- Emperor Justinian II
- political intrigue
- historical analysis
- empire succession
Keywords
- Justinian II
- Byzantine Empire
- historical reign
- political challenges
- empire history
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Netflix
Places: Byzantium
More episodes of Subject to Change
- POWs of the Crimean War · May 22, 2026 · 47 min
- The Return of the Emperor (Justinian II - part 2) · April 27, 2026 · 1h 3m
- Buckingham: the most hated man in England · March 31, 2026 · 1h 18m
- YEAR ZERO: Jonathan Clements on the First Emperor of China · March 10, 2026 · 1h 20m
- The Big Hop of 1919 · February 17, 2026 · 1h 16m
- Martin Luther, serfdom and the German Peasants’ War · January 26, 2026 · 1h 5m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Subject to Change podcast page.