Byzantium: The Apogee

In _Byzantium: the Apogee_, Norwich continues his excellent history of the Eastern Roman empire, beginning with the regin of Empress Irene (775 - 810) and concluding with the defeat of the Byzantines at Manzikert in 1071. While a considerably shorter time span than the previous work (_Byzantium: the early centuries_, a history from 330 - 811), Norwich give the political zenith of the empire meticulous attention.The role Byzantium played as a major political force in the Mediterannean is frequently overlooked in histories of the early and high middle ages. Norwich does much to remind us that Europe - and the world - owe much to the Byzantines. Beginning with the failed political relationship between Charlemagne and Irene in 802 (and the resulting union of Christendom that would have resulted), Norwich goes on to illustrate the profound impact Byzantium had on the Balkans, Russia and the near east, particularly as the Abbysid Caliphate, il Khanid Caliphate and subsequent Sekjuk Turks grew in power in the region. The brilliant (and frequently mercurial and trecherous) political manoeverings of the Byzantines is the strongest portion of the book.However, as with his previous book, Norwich's focus is almost exclusively towards the political. While the econcomic issues Byzantium faced are discussed at more length thatn in _The Early Centuries_, they are empahsized primarily as they impacted or were the consequences of political decisions. The role of women or common citizens were scarcely mentioned at all. For this, I had to deduct a star from my rating.This remains an excellent history on the subject, and I do recommend it particularly to those wanting a broader view of Christendom in the high middle ages; merely be aware of the shortcomings of the historial narrative.

This book, in combination with its two sister volumes (Byzantium: The Early Years, and Byzantium: The Decline and Fall) is an exhaustive, voluminous history of the Byzantine Empire. As such, one might expect it to be informative but horribly dry reading. If so, one would be extremely pleasantly surprised; it IS informative, to the point that the sheer volume of information can be daunting to the neophyte, but the writing style is actually quite enjoyable; Norwich has a dry but nonetheless droll sense of humor, and he manages to make the narrative about as comprehensible as it is possible for the subject (which, after all, is the very source for the word "byzantine") to be. I am given to understand that he is not a professional historian, which may explain his willingness to speculate in those cases in which sources either are contradictory or nonexistent; nonetheless, he always labels his speculation as such, and always gives the other possible interpretations as well, along with his reasons for discounting them and the arguments against his conclusions. So if he's more willing to speculate than a "professional" would be, he's very even-handed about it, which seems to me to mitigate any complaint one might have. If you are already knowledgable about Byzantine history, I really cannot guess as to whether this book would be useful to you, although it might be worthwhile even so to have a pleasant and readable narration of the history. But for the beginner with no previous background in the subject, interested but somewhat daunted by the prospect, this is an absolutely marvellous set of volumes.

Norwich writes with passion and intelligence of a subject that has been near his heart. He lays out the stories and the facts with a style that is never boring or obtuse. After I read each volume I would take time out and read Ostrogorsky's History of Byzantine. Adding the latter's more politically oriented work to the mix made Norwich's work even more complete. If nothing else I had the chance to re-read Ostrogorsky. One does not need anything else to enjoy and learn from Norwich. With the excitement that Norwich created, I then took up Babinger's Mehmed the Conqueror. A wonderful way to continue. What makes these three authors work is their style and subtle sense of humour. Norwich brought me back to an intriging era of world history that we need to learn from in our present time. What makes it even better is that he levels the playing field. I am happy that I opted for the complete set and not the condensed version. This way I get the author's whole intent along with his wit and style. Well worth the time and money involved. This is a work that I will return again and again. A good friend!

Let me start by saying this and the other volumes comprising Norwich's history of Byzantium are engagingly written and pretty fun to read. That said, turn at random to any page and you will find at least a handful of cliched phrases, which, to me, do get tiring once the reader starts to realize just how frequently they occur. The major limitation of this history, though--and it is a major one--is that it is very much written in the tradition of Carlyle's "great men" vein of history. This is almost solely a history from the perspective of the rulers of Byzantium and is more or less a chronological history of what they did, not life in the empire as a whole over its course of existence. There's little explored other than the trials and tribulations of the ruling family, how they responded to palace intrigue and invasions and diplomacy. It's all interesting stuff, but it's not an all-encompassing history of an empire.

Very readable and as usual has unique and good way of interpreting history of the Byzantine Empire.

excellent

Arrived as described and very well priced.

Excellent - clearer account than any I've read yet by far.

very good book....excellent service.