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This video is set between the years 1320 and 1341.
0:00 Intro
0:53 The Rise of Andronikos III, 1320-1321
3:15 Civil War between Andronikos II and Andronikos III, 1321-1328
7:30 Andronikos III saves the Empire, 1328-1332
11:35 Andronikos III against Thessaly, Epirus, and Serbia 1332-1337
15:45 The Last Years of Andronikos III, 1338-1341
18:13 Extro and Credits

This is the 4th episode of No Budget Films' 2nd season of its Byzantine history audio epics "The Last Roman Dynasty", a direct sequel to the 2020 NBF Byzantine history 3 episode audio epic series "The 57 Years: Byzantium in Exile". This series now centers on the last dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, the Palaiologos Dynasty beginning with its founder Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and ending in 1453 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire. The series' title refers to the Byzantine Empire as the direct continuation of the old Roman Empire except this time based in Constantinople as the "New Rome".

This episode (Episode IV) begins in the year 1320 where the Byzantine Empire that had been restored in 1261 falls into a state of ruin, economic crisis, and corruption and its old emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos proves to nothing more but ineffective in running the empire. In this dark time, an unlikely hero rises to save the empire from corruption and military defeats when there is still a chance to do so and this unlikely hero is the emperor's grandson also named Andronikos who however does not have a heroic start but rather is a wasteful, arrogant, and pleasure loving young man. However in 1320, one day everything turns around for young Andronikos when after a night of gambling and not paying his debts, he is ambushed by the man he owes his debts to but is mistaken for his younger brother who is killed by that man. Thinking young Andronikos caused his brother's death his father the co-emperor Michael IX dies from a heart attack while the grandfather emperor Andronikos II is furious thus removing his grandson from the succession. The grandson Andronikos too is furious and declares civil war against his grandfather to save his position but soon enough comes to realize that his rebellion against his grandfather was not just for his personal gain but for the good of the people of the empire, especially the younger generation whose hopes and dreams had been destroyed by the corruption and disasters of the old Andronikos II's reign. The grandson Andronikos manages to defeat his grandfather and oust him out of power in 1328 and becomes Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos vowing to restore the empire when there is still a chance to do so. In Andronikos III's reign, he embarks on a mission to reform the empire after years of corruption and sets off to reconquer lands the Byzantines had lost in Greece and Asia Minor. Though Andronikos III would face a number of difficulties, betrayals, and defeats, his ambitions show that Byzantium even though weakened still had a chance to become strong again, though unfortunately the dreams of Andronikos III would never be achieved as death came too soon for him in 1341, thus it will be all downhill for Byzantium from here on.

This audio epic is a work of historical fiction which tells a true story set in the 14th century, though in the No Budget Films perspective. Keep in mind that this video contains some references that could be culturally offensive to some. It consists of mixed media including No Budget Films' Lego characters, photographs of real locations, historical illustrations, and artworks from various online artists.

Produced and Narrated by Powee Celdran

Related No Budget Films Byzantine Epics:
The Last Roman Dynasty Part III (2021)-    • Last Roman Dynasty: Part III- The Beg...  
The Imperial Epilogue: A Byzantine Epic (2020)-    • The Imperial Epilogue: A Byzantine Epic