Introduction to Byzantium, 602–1453 provides students with an accessible guide to medieval Byzantium.
Beginning with the near collapse of Byzantium in the seventh century, the book traces its survival and development through to its absorption by the Ottoman empire. As well as having an overall political narrative, the chapters cover a wide range of topics including society and economy, art and architecture, literature and education, military tactics and diplomacy, gender and education. They also explore themes that remain prominent and highly debated today, including relations between Islam and the West, the impact of the Crusades, the development of Russia, and the emergence of Orthodox Christianity. Comprehensively written, each chapter provides an overview of the particular period or topic, a summary of the ongoing historiographical debates, primary source material textboxes, further reading recommendations and a ‘points to remember’ section.
Introduction to Byzantium, 602–453 provides students with a thorough introduction to the history of Byzantium and equips them with the tools to write successful analytical essays. It is essential reading for any student of the history of the Byzantine empire.
Introduction
i. What’s in a Name?
ii. The Study of Byzantium
iii. Byzantium in 602 CE
iv. The Tragic End of Emperor Maurice
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
Part I: Crisis and Survival 602-820
- Major Literary Sources for the Period 602-820
- Herakleios and the Wars of Survival (602-642)
- The Dark Age (642-718)
- The Beginnings of the Revival (718-820)
- Major Literary Sources for the Period 820-1045
- Amorians, Macedonians and Lekapenids (820-959)
- Economy and Culture
- Expansion and Social Change (959-1045)
- Major Literary Sources for the Period 1045-1204
- The Eleventh-Century Crisis (1045-1091)
- Stability under the Komnenos Dynasty (1091-1180)
- The Road to Catastrophe (1180-1204)
- Major Literary Sources for the Period 1204-1453
- Exile and Restoration (1204-1282)
- Decline and Downfall (1282-1453)
i. Byzantine Literature and Education
ii. Patriarch Nikephoros
iii. Theophanes Confessor
iv. Other types of Source: Hagiography and Military Manuals
v. Sources from Outside Byzantium
Points to Remember
Primary Sources in English Translation
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The Spiralling Crisis (602-622)
ii. Defeat into Victory (622-629)
iii. Why the War was Won
iv. Victory into Defeat (629-642)
v. What Went Wrong?
vi. The Balkans and the Western Provinces
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The New Enemy: The Umayyad Caliphate
ii. Constantinople under Siege
iii. The Battle for Asia Minor
iv. The Reorganisation of Asia Minor
v. The Balkans and the Western Provinces
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The North Syrian Dynasty
ii. Iconoclasm
iii. The Reign of Irene (780-802)
iv. The Limits of Revival: Bulgaria
v. The Limits of Revival: Italy
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
Part II: Reconquest and Hegemony 820-1045
i. The ‘Macedonian Renaissance’
ii. Historians at the Court of Constantine VII (945-959)
iii. Leo the Deacon
iv. Michael Psellos
v. Another Kind of Source: Letters
Points to Remember
Primary Sources in English Translation
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The Amorian Dynasty (820-867)
ii. Basil I and the Macedonian Dynasty (867-912)
iii. Church and State under the Amorians and Early Macedonians
iv. Romanos I and the Lekapenid Interlude (912-945)
v. The Macedonians Restored (945-959)
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. Economic Revival
ii. Art and Architecture
iii. Monasteries
iv. Cultural Influence
v. Urban Life
vi. Rural Life
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The Rise of a Landed, Military Aristocracy?
ii. The Soldier Emperors (963-976)
iii. Basil II (976-1025)
iv. After Basil (1025-1045)
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
Part III: Contraction, Recovery and Calamity 1045-1204.
i. Historians at the Komnenian court
ii. Anna Komnene and the Alexiad
iii. Niketas Choniates
iv. Other sources: Political Speeches and Views from the West
Points to Remember
Primary Sources in English Translation
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The Watershed Moment? The Reign of Constantine IX (1042-1055)
ii. The End of the Macedonian Dynasty (1055-1067)
iii. Romanos IV and the Battle of Manzikert (1067-1071)
iv. The Fall of Asia Minor (1071-1081)
v. The Struggle for the Balkans (1081-1091)
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. A New Style of Government under Alexios I
ii. Alexios I and the First Crusade (1091-1118)
iii. After Alexios: John II (1118-1143)
iv. ‘Most happy emperor of illustrious memory’: Manuel I (1143-1180)
v. Art and Architecture under the Komnenos Dynasty
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. Instability Returns (1180-1185)
ii. Alienation in the Provinces
iii. From Alienation to Separation: Isaac II Angelos (1185-1195)
iv. The Threat from the West: Alexios III Angelos (1195-1203)
v. The Fourth Crusade (1203-4)
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
Part IV: Decline and Disappearance 1204-1453
i. George Akropolites
ii. The Last Attic Historians
iii Historians writing after 1453
iv. Other Sources: Western and Archival
Points to Remember
Primary Sources in English Translation
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The Aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1204-1221)
ii. John III and the Expansion of Nicaea (1221-1259)
iii. Michael VIII and the Recovery of Constantinople (1259-1267)
iv. The Challenge of Charles of Anjou (1267-1282)
v. The Palaiologan Renaissance in Art and Education
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
i. The Calamitous Reign of Andronikos II (1282-1328)
ii. Civil War and Controversy (1328-1354)
iii. Urban and Rural Economy and Society
iv. The Descent into Vassaldom (1354-1394)
v. The Last Phase (1394-1453)
Points to Remember
Suggestions for Further Reading
16. Conclusion: Byzantium’s Legacy
Glossary
List of Emperors
Timeline
Web links
Bibliography of Secondary Literature
Index
Biography
Jonathan Harris is Professor of the History of Byzantium at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. His recent publications include: Byzantium and the Crusades (2nd ed., 2014); The Lost World of Byzantium (2015) and Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium (2nd ed., 2017).
'This book provides a fresh and up-to-date treatment of the Byzantine empire from 602 to 1453. It will be particularly useful for undergraduates encountering the Byzantine empire for the first time. Despite its broad coverage it conveys key debates and differences of interpretation. It is particularly distinguished by its use of boxes, which allows for deeper engagement with sources and also reflection on the development of the field of Byzantine Studies itself.'
Shaun Tougher, Cardiff University, UK