Located in Asia Minor across the water from Constantinople, Nicaea was the site of the first ecumenical council of the Christian church in 325, where the homoousios formula defining Christ's nature was adopted. The city recurred as a strategic military base across centuries, serving as a staging ground for sieges of Constantinople, the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum until its quiet surrender to Byzantium during the First Crusade, and the seat of the Byzantine government-in-exile from which Michael VIII launched his successful reconquest of Constantinople in 1261. It eventually fell to the Ottomans as part of their consolidation of Asia Minor following Othman's death.
What each episode says
Episode 4 (1 mention)
The site of the first great ecumenical council of the Christian church, held in 325, where the theological question of Christ's nature was debated and the homoousios formula was adopted. The council also set the date of Easter.
“And so in 325, the first great council of the church was held at Nicaea.”
Episode 13 (2 mentions)
The city across the Golden Horn from Constantinople where Bardas Skleros set up his headquarters and launched his amphibious siege of the capital. Later, Bardas Phokas was at Nicaea with his reserves when Basil II made his surprise night crossing and dawn attack.
“He advanced on Constantinople, set up his headquarters in the city of Nicaea, and began”
“He was at Nicaea with his reserves, and his mood could hardly have been made better by”
Episode 14 (4 mentions)
The capital of the Seljuk Sultan of Rum, besieged by the First Crusade. When the Sultan's army broke before the crusaders, the citizens of Nicaea, wanting to avoid a sack, quietly surrendered to the Byzantines overnight — causing the crusaders to awake to find the Byzantine flag flying and all hopes of looting gone. Also the site where 54,000 Turks arrived in 1113 and were surprised and annihilated by Alexios in his last major victory.
“rabble, confidently approached them as they besieged his capital of Nicaea.”
“When the crusaders awoke, it was to find the Byzantine flag flying over Nicaea, and all”
“In 1113, 54,000 of them reached Nicaea and tried to take it before they were surprised”
Episode 16 (2 mentions)
The base from which Michael VIII watched the declining Latin Empire and from which he launched his reconquest of Constantinople in 1261. Brownworth also notes that Nicaea fell to the Ottomans after Othman's death, part of the rapid Ottoman consolidation of Asia Minor.
“Michael the Eighth, watching from his base in Nicaea, decided that the time had come”
“Nicaea and Nicomedia fell in rapid succession, and soon all that was left of the empire”
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