The Byzantine Empire Classic Reprint Charles William Chadwick Oman 9781330085486 Books
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Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire
Fifty years ago the word Byzantine was used as a synonym for all that was corrupt and decadent, and the tale of the east-roman Empire was dis missed by modern historians as depressing and monotonous. The great Gibbon had branded the successors of Justinian and Heraclius as a series of vicious weaklings, and for several generations no one dared to contradict him.
Two books have served to undeceive the English reader, the monumental work of Finlay, published in 1856, and the more modern volumes of Mr. Bury, which appeared in 1889. Since they have written, the Byzantines no longer need an apologist, and the great work of the east-roman Empire in holding back the Saracen, and in keeping alive throughout the Dark Ages the lamp of learning, is beginning to be realized.
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The Byzantine Empire Classic Reprint Charles William Chadwick Oman 9781330085486 Books
This book is an excellent overview of the Eastern Roman Empire from the 5th Century after the fall of Rome to the Germanic peoples up until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Muslims. After the fall of Rome, the center of Roman administration moved to Byzantium, later named changed to Constantinople by Constantine. Constantine recognized the strategic military and economic power that the location of Byzantium held, moving Rome's administrative power to the location. He also foresaw the strategic advantage that the rising Christian religion could bring to organize and control his empire. The wall of Constantinople were unassailable for hundred of years, and was the primary reason for the long lasting dominance of Constantinople. Every ruler is touched over the thousand years, some great, some not so, usurpers, incompetents and others great leaders. The economic basis of Constantinople, once the center of trade between the east and the west, gradually wore away with the rise of Genoa and Venice. This loss of economic strength ultimately weakened Constantinople military strength, and opened them up to losses with barbaric tribes to the north, and ultimately the Muslims.Product details
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The Byzantine Empire Classic Reprint Charles William Chadwick Oman 9781330085486 Books Reviews
This is a review of the free edition.
This history of the Byzantines isn't very long (it says almost 4,700 locations, but only about 3500 of actual history), but I found it to be a very interesting summary of the Eastern Roman Empire. The fall of Byzantium is tragic, as the city was left alone.
It really makes it clear what a debt the West owes to the Greeks of Byzantium.
Easy to recommend if you like history.
Great read...if your at all interested in this time in history the information presented in this book will prove to be valuable.
This relatively short book is an excellent introduction to the history of the Byzantine Empire. The author, Charles Oman, seems to have been among the first western historians to get away from Gibbon's dismissal of the Byzantines as corrupt and cowardly and to present them in their true light, the defenders of the West from Islam for 800 years. There is a lot Oman skips over, that is unavoidable, but there is more than enough here to whet the appetite for more.
Excellent read that covers about 1000 years of Roman empire history sorely neglected in books and courses of western civilization. Great readability and style of writing. A narrative overview of the events with enough context to make them sensible. I wanted a good first read on this subject and this book did a better job of it than I could hope for.
Reading this book was a totally new experience for me. I am a history buff. But for all I've read, I've never had the opportunity to read a somewhat lengthy and detailed overview of the Byzantine Empire. Until I read the book, the Byzantine Empire had been a mystery to me. True I know isolated facts about the empire, but nothing of the authority and conciseness of this book. It left me with a desire to learn much more about the empire than was written in this tome.
A good history and background on the Byzantine Empire though some of the language from the late 19th century seems archaic in today's writing. Otherwise it's still quite easy to read and gives a good overview of this western-forgotten and important aspect of world history and culture.
"Byzantine" is usually defined as complex or intricate, and in the worst of cases, devious. Ever since Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in the 19th Century, this is how modern historians have classified the Eastern Roman Empire. And while it is true that certain aspects of this nation--especially some of its unscrupulous leaders--were truly "byzantine," the reality is much more nuanced.
Before Gibbon, historians called this nation what its own citizens and other nations called it the Roman Empire. After all, even though the capital was officially moved to Constantinople in the fourth century, and even after the western half of the empire was demolished in the fifth century, most legal and cultural aspects of the Roman Empire remained intact in the east until it was finally vanquished in 1453. The one notable exception to this was the Greek language spoken by the majority.
This is the primary truth that William Charles Chadwick Oman seeks to set forth in his volume. He ably covers most of the major historical episodes, including the Emperor Constantine moving the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, the exploits of the legendary General Belisarius who regained many of the lost western lands (albeit briefly), and the Empire's ongoing struggles against Persia, Western Europe, and Islam. Oman also tells the story of the inhabitants of the Empire how they lived, their attitudes towards their various emperors and generals, their great emphasis upon arts and literature, and the role of religion. All of these areas are crisply covered, in spite of the relative brevity of this volume.
I especially liked the narrative that flowed throughout this book. Some historical works can be rather dry, but this one was not. In particular, Oman did a solid job focusing on the inevitability of the Empire's decline, and how in its later years, it was merely a matter of time before the Ottoman Turks would conquer it, as happened under Mehmet II. The irony is that, inevitable as Constantinople's fall was, it still came as a major shock when news of this event reached Western Europe. Oman captured this very well.
There is only one reason why I did not give this book five stars it had precious little to say about the Great East-West Schism of 1047. This was one of the defining moments of the Middle Ages, and of the history of the Christian Church. To not address it--let alone give it the full attention it deserves--is disappointing.
All told, though, it is a satisfying read. I highly recommend it as a great starting place where one can learn more about the glorious Eastern Roman--not Byzantine--Empire.
This book is an excellent overview of the Eastern Roman Empire from the 5th Century after the fall of Rome to the Germanic peoples up until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Muslims. After the fall of Rome, the center of Roman administration moved to Byzantium, later named changed to Constantinople by Constantine. Constantine recognized the strategic military and economic power that the location of Byzantium held, moving Rome's administrative power to the location. He also foresaw the strategic advantage that the rising Christian religion could bring to organize and control his empire. The wall of Constantinople were unassailable for hundred of years, and was the primary reason for the long lasting dominance of Constantinople. Every ruler is touched over the thousand years, some great, some not so, usurpers, incompetents and others great leaders. The economic basis of Constantinople, once the center of trade between the east and the west, gradually wore away with the rise of Genoa and Venice. This loss of economic strength ultimately weakened Constantinople military strength, and opened them up to losses with barbaric tribes to the north, and ultimately the Muslims.
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