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A Short History of Byzantium | 
 enlarge | Author: John Julius Norwich
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
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Rating:  87 reviews
Sales Rank: 57358
Media: Paperback
Pages: 496
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0679772693
Dewey Decimal Number: 949.502
EAN: 9780679772699
ASIN: 0679772693
Publication Date: December 29, 1998
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Condition: water damage
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Amazon.com
The Byzantine Empire, one of its most eminent students reminds us, lasted "for a total of 1,123 years and 18 days," which is an astonishing duration matched by only a few others. Condensing Norwich's three-volume history, this overview captures the splendor and strangeness of Byzantine rule, marked by family intrigues, constant warfare, political and religious strife, and personal ambition--a "somewhat lurid background," as Norwich modestly declares in passing. Norwich is a master of the telling vignette. In one, he writes of imperial guards made up of "Anglo-Saxons who had left their country in disgust after Hastings and had taken service with Byzantium." Facing a Norman enemy in southern Italy, these Anglo-Saxons exacted terrible vengeance until the Normans rallied under the leadership of a fearless woman, one Sichelgaita, and massacred their enemy. Norwich's book abounds in similarly surprising and absorbing episodes.
Product Description
"Norwich is always on the lookout for the small but revealing details. . . . All of this he recounts in a style that consistently entertains."
--The New York Times Book Review
In this magisterial adaptation of his epic three-volume history of Byzantium, John Julius Norwich chronicles the world's longest-lived Christian empire. Beginning with Constantine the Great, who in a.d. 330 made Christianity the religion of his realm and then transferred its capital to the city that would bear his name, Norwich follows the course of eleven centuries of Byzantine statecraft and warfare, politics and theology, manners and art.
In the pages of A Short History of Byzantium we encounter mystics and philosophers, eunuchs and barbarians, and rulers of fantastic erudition, piety, and degeneracy. We enter the life of an empire that could create some of the world's most transcendent religious art and then destroy it in the convulsions of fanaticism. Stylishly written and overflowing with drama, pathos, and wit, here is a matchless account of a lost civilization and its magnificent cultural legacy.
"Strange and fascinating . . . filled with drollery and horror."
--Boston Globe
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| Customer Reviews: Read 82 more reviews...
 An Introduction That Leaves You Hungry For More June 8, 2000
R. A Forczyk (Laurel, MD USA)
40 out of 44 found this review helpful
An excellent introduction to the Byzantium Empire. Unlike most works written by British historians, this is very readable and not stuffy. Although this book races across 1,000 years of history in about 400 pages, it does an excellent job of synopsis. The record is full of succession struggles, with the losers usually castrated or beheaded. It is amazing how much energy the Byzantines wasted on theological disputes that continually undermined the morale of the empire. Norwich clearly explains these important but complicated theological issues which ultimately shaped Byzantium's destiny. On the military side, Norwich minimizes the impact of the defeat at Manzikert in 1071 and instead stresses that the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the depredations of the Catalonian mercenaries and the plague all did more real harm. Norwich could have had more detail on the Byzantine military and finances, both of which were crucial to the rise and decline of this great empire. The political drama of the continuous succession struggles is extremely well-told. Once readers complete this excellent introduction, they will be eager to read the original full-length three volume set.
1123 Years at Breakneck Speed December 3, 2002
doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania)
26 out of 32 found this review helpful
This is a very fast-paced and enjoyable history from Norwich, cramming a gigantic amount of history into a rather short book. Here Norwich has condensed his masterwork, a 1200-page trilogy on the Byzantine Empire, into a single volume for maximum impact. The intricate details, references, and notes are left to the trilogy - so this book, while short on evidence and details, is full of action and intrigue. For various reasons the Byzantine Empire has been unappreciated by Western scholars, being condemned to obscurity in favor of the less cultured and shorter-lived Roman Empire. In fact the Byzantine Empire survived for another thousand years after the Romans fell to a bunch of scraggly barbarians, keeping the classic culture of Rome and Greece alive while Europe languished uselessly in the dark ages. In addition to his competent research and sharply enjoyable writing, Norwich performs a real service in bringing to light the religious and cultural accomplishments of the Byzantines. He also has a real eye for the empire's never-ending political intrigues and skullduggery (an example is their love of gouging out their opponents' eyes). Due to this book's focus on the action, it can get confusing at times. Short-lived emperors, and a few empresses, often zoom on by without making much of an impression, while intricate political shenanigans with Europe (especially in the later days of the Empire) are hard to follow. Another problem is the Byzantines' habit of giving everyone the same names, as about a gazillion Constantines, Johns, Michaels, and even Andronicuses blur together in confusion. The lack of detail and clarification in some parts of this book may be frustrating, or may make you yearn to read the much larger trilogy. In either case this breakneck tour of Byzantium is a fascinating read.
Easy reading compared to John Fine... May 26, 2000
Dianne Foster (USA)
12 out of 19 found this review helpful
I read Dr. John Fine's two-volume "History of the Balkans" and then became engrossed with Colleen McCollough's fictional works on the Roman Republic/Empire. Recognizing my interests, my friend Russell the reference librarian recommended J.J. Norwich. The Roman Empire lasted a good deal longer than most people think. It continued another 1,000 years after the Emperor relocated from Rome to Constantinople. The western part of Europe was "at odds" with this Eastern entity for a number of centuries. (Christian theological differences are old). These ancient "attitudes" have been reflected in the various stances nations have taken recently toward Serbia (Orthodox Christian). This book is a distillation of the long, prosperous, and at times harrowing history of the Orthodox Christians of the Roman Empire. These people did not call themselves "Byzantines" or "Byzantium" but rather thought of themselves as Romans, albeit very Greek Romans (spoke and wrote in Greek). The Roman Empire did not end until the 1400's when the (Turks-Ottomans-Muslims) captured Constantinople. To their credit, the Muslim invaders did not destroy all the books and historical documents left behind --why we know something today of the entire history of the Roman Empire. Norwich writes extremely well, and although this history is not easy to follow, if you're interested in the topic, this is a good place to begin.
Norwich does a wonderful job where others ignore Byzantium August 29, 2000
R. Ritterman (San Mateo, CA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
For a History student who will probably never see a course titled "Byzantium" in his career, this book was a blessing in more ways than one. Not only has Norwich ventured into the unknown mystique that is Byzantium but does a great job writing a historical narrative at the same time. Indeed it was sad, watching as the longest existing Christian empire of all time slowly dwindled to the city of Constantinople and nothing more, but it makes you stand in awe at the pride and honor of these people as, even in that state, they regarded themselves as the most perfect empire on Earth, its emperor as God's Vice-Gerent on Earth, equal of the apostles. Where the last many students hear of Byzantium is usually Justinian in the 6th century, one's realizes that this empire withstood the rise Western Civilization as it grew from the ashes of the Western Roman Empire. Amazing it is to contemplate that the emperor of the Romans at one point held sway over territory as far West as Ravenna and Sicily and even the Holy Land. Luckily, left to posterity is the art of this wonderful empire: beautiful artifacts and icons, mosaic churches and old imperial buildings that still stand in Greece and Turkey. From Norwich, we better realize the context in which these things existed. We realize the consciousness of these deeply spiritual people, who sought not only a political unity, but a religious one as well, one whose authority was derived from Christ Himself.
 1100 Years of History, Quickly told and Full of Life February 20, 2001
F. Lybrand (Chapel Hill, NC US)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Norwich's shorter, colleted version of his three larger works bears many similarities to the many condensed version of Gibbon's classic "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Norwich's piece, having been written more recently moves at a much quicker pace and is not restrained by more antiquated language. Chapter by chapter the author fires blazing tales of corruption, intrigue, scandal, war and devastation. I particularly enjoyed the pieces pertaining to the reigns of Constantine (particularly the background around his conversion), Theodosius the Great, Justinian, and Basil II.These are fascinating stories, and the author makes sure to put them in the proper historical frame, to let the reader understand what else was happening in the world as Byzantium continued to shine as the lone beacon from the collapsed Roman Empire. As other historical characters fade in and out of Byzantium's historical spotlight, Mr. Norwich is careful to provide them with a proper introduction, allowing the reader to understand their motives and ambitions. One of the reasons I found this history so interesting is because it is so new. We learn so little about this culture through traditional American history classes that all of this information is enlightening. Mr. Norwich does lament this fact towards the end of the book, and he has certainly done a good job of helping correct this oversight.
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