Justinian: The Last Roman Emperor

Rating:
Summary: Really thorough
Review: I liked it a lot, really, I did. I'm not just saying that because the author is dead either. He's really comprehensive in the way he covers Justinian's reign and doesn't, as some authors try, to cover up the pressure of the implications and effects of the Coucil of Chalcedon on Justinians reign. He doesn't talk too much about the building, or rather, the re-building of Hagia Sophia which is somewhat of a disappointment for me. He gives great insite into court intrigue and peronal decisions and friendships which reveal huge amounts about his personality such as his friendship and appointment of John as what we would today consider the head of the IRS and treasury combined. Plus, there's excellent information on Bellisarus and his character. The author makes it clear that, as sexist as it sounds, Justinian and Belisarus were just trying to get the job done and their skanky wives wouldn't stay out of it which only caused trouble. It's a real "behind the scene's look" at the person of Justianian and the people under him who made the empire work. A great read, very enjoyable, and intelligently written.

Rating:
Summary: The Law-Giver
Review: That great narrative G.P. Baker, who also published splendid lives of Sulla, Constantine and Hannibal, takes us to what he calls the "last" of the Roman emperors. This is generally how we in the West regard Justinian, who (though his brilliant general Belisarius) made the last reconquest of the Western Empire. Justinian the Law-Giver is also famous to lawyers throughout history as the great codifier of the Roman laws. Even more intriguing to modern readers is the story of Theodora, the former actress who became wife and de facto co-empress at Justinian's court. Baker gives a wonderful description of life in 5th century Constantinople, including life around the Hippodrome and the revolt of one of its clubs. Baker ends his narrative with a meditation on the barbarian invasions and the "loss" of empire in the West. I would read this in conjunction with (1) Norwich's series on Byzantium, for whom Justinian was an early, not a late, emperor; and (2) Dr. Bray's book on "Armies of Pestilence," which argues convincingly that Justinian's attempted reconquest of the West failed because of a spectacularly virulent plague (but for which Roman history would be very different).

Rating:
Summary: The Law-Giver
Review: That great narrative G.P. Baker, who also published splendid lives of Sulla, Constantine and Hannibal, takes us to what he calls the "last" of the Roman emperors. This is generally how we in the West regard Justinian, who (though his brilliant general Belisarius) made the last reconquest of the Western Empire. Justinian the Law-Giver is also famous to lawyers throughout history as the great codifier of the Roman laws. Even more intriguing to modern readers is the story of Theodora, the former actress who became wife and de facto co-empress at Justinian's court. Baker gives a wonderful description of life in 5th century Constantinople, including life around the Hippodrome and the revolt of one of its clubs. Baker ends his narrative with a meditation on the barbarian invasions and the "loss" of empire in the West. I would read this in conjunction with (1) Norwich's series on Byzantium, for whom Justinian was an early, not a late, emperor; and (2) Dr. Bray's book on "Armies of Pestilence," which argues convincingly that Justinian's attempted reconquest of the West failed because of a spectacularly virulent plague (but for which Roman history would be very different).

Rating:
Summary: Useful concise history of Justinian and his reign
Review: Whether or not you accept the idea that Justinian was indeed the "Last Roman Emperor," if you enjoy classical history, you'll get a lot out of this book. It is an excellent synopsis of the reign of that great emperor and his epic attempts to reconstitute the boundaries of the Roman Empire. Drawing mainly from Procopius and secondary sources like Bury, the author paints vivid portraits of the scenes and personalities involved: from Justinian himself, to Belisarius, Theodora, John the Cappadocian, Narses, and many others.

Originally published in 1931, this book is a handsome paperback reprint. The text appears to be abridged as it contains numerous elipses (...) throughout. The author's writing style will seem a bit archaic to the modern reader and this tendency is highlighted by the antique-looking typesetting used by the publisher. The author freely injects his own opinions into the text, but it is usually very clear when he is doing so. He also uses some turns of phrase that seem remarkably un-politically correct today--such as repeatedly referring to Belisarius's force in Italy the "Little Dago Army." In the author's defense, (and I say this as someone of Italian heritage myself) he was doing this in an attempt to mimic the Goth's deprecation of the Roman imperial army as "greeklings."

The only real drawback to this book is the dearth of footnotes, which makes it unsuitable for scholarly use. Having read much of Procopius already, I was curious where the author got some of the quotes and anecdotes he included which were not from that source.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, balanced overview of Justinian's reign that doesn't rely too heavily on the infamous 'Secret History.'