The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453

Rating:
Summary: The Long Journey of Byzantium's Tragic but Noble End
Review: Donald Nicol's account of the last 250 years of Byzantine history is accurate, well written and neatly organized. Unlike studies of earlier ages for the Empire where the Empire and the Arabs ruled the East, Eastern Mediterranean history after the Fourth Crusade can get rather complex and confusing, as not only the Empire, but the "crusading" Latins, the Islamic nomads, and the Slavic Christian Kingdoms must all be considered. A tale that could easily become entangled and confusing for the reader, Nicol superbly narrates the events and provides detailed accounts of the players. He cleverly demonstrates how entrenched the beleagured Byzantines were, with the greedy Italians to the west, the encroaching Turks to the east, the growing Serbian Empire to the north, and the festering internal decay of Imperial decentralization from within. Yet, the Empire still produced great leaders like Theodore Laskaris I, John Vatazes, Michael VIII, John Cantacuzene, and perhaps the most tragic of all medieval heroes, Constantine XI Palaeologos, who all, in better times and without so many encoaching powers from the outside, may have saved the Empire from such tragedies. But in addition to this sad tale of Byzantium's fall, Nicol also narrates the flourishing of Orthodoxy in the Imperial and Slavic world, as well as the flowering of learning and thought at Mistra, in the lower Peoloponese. This alone, was the spark that triggered the resurgance of knowledge and arts in the Italian Peninsula, less than 100 years after the Fall of Constantinople. What many, scholars and readers alike, tend to forget is that Byzantium's lasting legacy lay in its cultural achievements in the Orthodox Church, as well as providing the materials and teachers that would reawaken Western Europe into that period of rebirth so commonly referred to as the Renaissance.

Rating:
Summary: The Long Journey of Byzantium's Tragic but Noble End
Review: Donald Nicol's account of the last 250 years of Byzantine history is accurate, well written and neatly organized. Unlike studies of earlier ages for the Empire where the Empire and the Arabs ruled the East, Eastern Mediterranean history after the Fourth Crusade can get rather complex and confusing, as not only the Empire, but the "crusading" Latins, the Islamic nomads, and the Slavic Christian Kingdoms must all be considered. A tale that could easily become entangled and confusing for the reader, Nicol superbly narrates the events and provides detailed accounts of the players. He cleverly demonstrates how entrenched the beleagured Byzantines were, with the greedy Italians to the west, the encroaching Turks to the east, the growing Serbian Empire to the north, and the festering internal decay of Imperial decentralization from within. Yet, the Empire still produced great leaders like Theodore Laskaris I, John Vatazes, Michael VIII, John Cantacuzene, and perhaps the most tragic of all medieval heroes, Constantine XI Palaeologos, who all, in better times and without so many encoaching powers from the outside, may have saved the Empire from such tragedies. But in addition to this sad tale of Byzantium's fall, Nicol also narrates the flourishing of Orthodoxy in the Imperial and Slavic world, as well as the flowering of learning and thought at Mistra, in the lower Peoloponese. This alone, was the spark that triggered the resurgance of knowledge and arts in the Italian Peninsula, less than 100 years after the Fall of Constantinople. What many, scholars and readers alike, tend to forget is that Byzantium's lasting legacy lay in its cultural achievements in the Orthodox Church, as well as providing the materials and teachers that would reawaken Western Europe into that period of rebirth so commonly referred to as the Renaissance.