If there is a broader narrative we should note, it is the truly dramatic story of a Christian empire that for more than 1,000 years preserved civilization in a perpetually troubled corner of the world, and which ultimately fell fighting with utmost heroism, defending Christianity and the treasures of Greek and Roman culture that had been preserved, upon which the intellectual and spiritual edifice of the West was built. These treasures are constantly under threat, even from within the Western world itself. The warrior emperors of Byzantium fought personally to safeguard their world, their people, and Christianity. Some won, others were defeated.

Of course, the role of a monarch today is completely different from what it was in the past. It is difficult for us to imagine a warrior monarch. In recent centuries, being a king or queen means leading a comfortable, privileged, and highly protected life as the "head of state," a ceremonial figure. All means of state security are mobilized to ensure that these individuals and their families are not at the slightest risk of personal harm and are protected in every way for their entire lives. Such excessive protection would seem unimaginable in earlier times, when the primary duty of a monarch was to protect the state and the people, leading the army on horseback and risking their life in battle (and sometimes their life or that of others).