Byzantium (I): The Early Centuries

I want to say that I have already read the short version, "A Short History of Byzantium" which is the author's condensation of this three-volume epic into one single paperback volume. It follows the same general pattern but doesn't go near as in depth and does not contain as many fascinating anecdotes as the long version. I gave the short version four stars, and thought it was awesome, but now that I have finished the first volume (The Early Centuries) of Norwich's long version in three volumes, I can see how superior it is to the condensed book. All I can say is "awesome!!!"Lord Norwich begins the epic in the year 286 when Diocletian divides the Roman Empire, setting the stage for the rise of Constantine the Great. He then details Constantine's rise to power, the defeat of his co-augustus, Licinius, his "adoption" of the Christian faith (and eventual conversion to Christianity), and the construction of his new capital at Byzantium (from which the empire gets its name, but was never called that by contemporaries). The volume covers the other remaining Roman emperors, up to the fall of the west and the deposition of Romulus Augustulus by barbarian invaders in 476, then continues with the part of imperial history which can truly be called Byzantine and not Roman (beginning with the eastern augusuts, Zeno). There is a quite helpful list of emperors in the back of the book to help you keep track of the narrative.The narrative is principally concerned with the lives of the emperors, and the political and historical aspect of the Byzantine Empire--rather than the lives of the base subjects of the empire or social and economic trends--which would be more of interest to archaeologists and professional historians. This is because the book is intended for *us*, the average reader who enjoys a good epic tale, rather than for professionals. It is for this reason that it is quite readable and even entertaining, rather than being much like a textbook on Byzantine civilization. Lord Norwich has a decent sense of humor, too which makes the book an absolute pleasure to read.The only sociopolitical trend covered in the book is early Christianity, because it was such an integral part of the lives of the emperors as well as their subjects, and he details it quite well and in an understandable--rather than theological or dogmatic--manner. Complex ideas like the Arian and Monophysite controversies are well explained and easy to understand in Norwich's writing. As he relies heavily on primary sources and contemporary historians (as he well should), there are parts of the history of Byzantium better and more extensively covered than others. Justinian's reign takes several whole chapters, whereas others are covered in less detail. This is not a flaw, only a reality reflecting the availability of information of a certain period.Lord Norwich is not Gibbon. He does not look down on the Empire with typical Enlightenment-era contempt of the Byzantines and their religious and political issues, as does Gibbon. He actually greatly admires the Byzantines, a fact reflected greatly in the narrative. He paints a picture of the Empire as one worth discussing and reading about. Who wants to sit through hundreds of pages of Gibbon's scorn for the Empire, when you can read Norwich's more positive and readable assessment of it?The volume ends with the coronation of Charlemagne by the Pope as western emperor in 800, which dealt a serious and contemptuous blow to Byzantine authority and its emperors' monopoly over the title "Emperor of the Romans", and the deposition shortly after of the Empress Irene. While the first volume seems to end seriously, it actually ends on a note of hope. The best is yet to come for Byzantium, however much territory they might have lost over the years or however serious their military or financial situation might be.Whether your interest in the Byzantine Empire is professional, amateur or even purely casual, you'll enjoy this wonderful narrative by a very talented author and storyteller. It'll keep you wide awake at night, wanting to read just one more deposed emperor or one more nose-slitting or castration! Not to miss!

Some time ago, I read the third volume of this set before reading this one and the second volume; in my review of that book, I acknowledged my mistake, and indicated that the sheer volume of information presented was somewhat overwhelming for a novice, but suspected that it would have been less so had I not made the mistake of reading the third volume first. Now I'm not so sure; Norwich's prose is still surprisingly readable, his (admittedly dry) humor still enjoyably unexpected in a book about a subject so potentially dry. But even starting from the beginning, and even with the advantage of having read the third book (perhaps not much of an advantage, but at least when reading this book I wasn't as rank a novice on the subject as I had been when reading the third) the sheer volume of information was still somewhat daunting. Nonetheless, that has more to do with the subject matter than with Norwich, who organizes his information very clearly. There is, after all, a reason why the adjective Byzantine came to mean complex and convoluted.Norwich is excellent at providing both the modern and period name of any place he mentions, which can avoid a great deal of confusion, and he generally makes at least passable hand-waving gestures at acknowledging situations in which the scarcity of available information makes definitive knowledge of actions and, particularly, motives uncertain at best, while still providing us with what he considers the most plausible explanations for events. He makes no bones about not being a professional historian, so for someone already well-versed in the subject matter, there is presumably nothing new here unless it is an interpretation of Norwich's which doesn't fit the standard interpretation of events. But for someone like me, previously totally uninformed on the subject, this book, indeed this entire set (presumably; I haven't begun the second yet) is a wonderful primer.

John Julius Norwich creates a landscape of blood-soaked battlefields dominated by glorious conquering armies, and glittering marble cities filled with golden churches and restless plebeians who are as passionate about theology as they are about Chariot races. His book is filled with interesting characters: mighty emperors and generals, scheming wives and lovers, and devilishly shrewd nobles and bishops, to name a few. Norwich's story is hard to put down, and he is one of the few writers talented enough to make his historical figures leap into life and remind us that they were real people.Is this an epic movie? A blockbuster novel? No, its history, Byzantine history, to be precise. It's not like any history you have read before. Don't look for endless lists of footnotes, dry re-hashing and reinterpretation of primary source evidence, or some Earth-shattering revelation of the latest archaeological findings. This is not a "scholar's" history, so lower that nose about 45 degrees!And yet, Norwich gives us absolutely no reason to doubt him. His conclusions are reasonable and sound, and he makes occasional references to respected scholars such as Ostrogorsky or Bury to support his work. Norwich's history is the kind of history that inspired Machiavelli to produce a great work of political philosophy: reasonable, yet passionate and human, and above all: READABLE!So turn off the TV, prepare your favorite hot or cold beverage, and ensconce yourself in the comfortable chair by the fire -- while Viscount Norwich enthralls you into the wee hours of the morning with his masterpiece which is too good to be history!

super good book, good condition, reliable mailings

Un ottimo libro per gli appassionati di storia. Peccato che non esista una traduzione in italiano, ma l'Inglese è molto comprensibile.Purtroppo le pagine sono un po' ingiallite, altrimenti avrebbe meritato 5 stelle

Hay muchas historias de Bizancio, pero nadie como John Julius Norwich escribe de ese tema de una forma tan amena como bien documentada.

Covering the first 500 years of Byzantine history, this book takes the reader from the founding of Constantinople in 330 CE to the crowning of Charlemagne in 800 CE. However, this is not dry history by any means; John Julius Norwich not only knows his subject, he knows how to write! Norwich is one of those rare authors who can present history in a manner both lively and authoritative; he does not bore the reader, nor does he trivialize the material. He has written a history book which manages to be informative, readable and even humourous.This is the first volume in his trilogy on the Byzantine Empire or the Eastern Roman Empire. To the people who lived during this period of history it was simply known as the Roman Empire. This is not an era of European history that I am familiar with and this book has left me far more knowledgeable about Roman history, the history of the Mediterranean, the divide between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church - it touches on so many aspects of European history, religion, architecture and society. The 1,100 years of Byzantine history was a black hole to me. After reading "Byzantium: The Early Centuries", it no longer is, at least not the first 500 years.This volume contains maps, family trees for the emperors, a list of emperors giving the dates during which they reigned, a list of Byzantine monuments still existing, an extensive bibliography and a detailed index.I have ordered the two companion volumes ( Byzantium: The Apogee  and  Byzantium: The Decline and Fall ), a single volume abridged version is also available. Byzantium: The ApogeeByzantium: The Decline and Fall

Norwich's writing is superb, and even the fascinating events and characters of the Byzantine Empire feel like mere accompaniments to Norwich's beautiful prose. Even reading the book in a crowded place with a hundred people around, one is so drawn into the rich language that ambient noise disappears.There have been multiple passages that I could not help but re-read, savouring the turns of phrase and simply enjoying the use of the language.It is an all too rare event when reading history which, despite the fascinating content, too often suffers from heavy, convoluted prose. Norwich somehow achieves sophisticated language that flows beautifully.I recently read Tom Holland (Rubicon, Persian Fire, having not yet read Millenium) and considered his writing to be excellent. Norwich surpasses every author I have read to date.