Fiona Patton's Branion series

I'm planning to re-read Fiona Patton's Branion series.  I've read the first three at least twice, the last one once.

If you've read them, you might recall that they span 400 years or so and they go backwards -- the last book in the series is the earliest in the timeline.  I've already read them in publication order twice; I'm thinking about reading them in the order of the world's timeline this time, instead.  What do y'all think?  I figure some of you have read them.

I remember the first time through really enjoying learning historical trivia in the later books about things that are more important in earlier books, and I figure that in the other direction, I'll lose some of that.