Byzantium Triumphant

Author : Julian Romane
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 299 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2021-08-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473845923

Get Book

Byzantium Triumphant by Julian Romane Pdf

This vibrant history examines the wars of three Byzantine emperors: Nicephorus II Phocas, John I Tzimiskes, and Basil II “The Bulgar Slayer”. In Byzantium Triumphant, Julian Romane presents an in-depth chronicle of the many wars waged by Nicephorus II Phocas, his nephew and assassin John I Tzimiskes, and the infamous Basil II. Capturing the drama of battle as well as the strategic operations of each campaign, Romane depicts the new energy and improved methods of warfare developed in the late tenth and early eleventh century. He also sheds light on the court intrigues and political skullduggery of the period. These emperors were at war on all fronts, fighting for survival and dominance against enemies including the Arab caliphates, Bulgars, and the Holy Roman Empire, not to mention dealing with civil wars and rebellions. Romane’s careful research, drawing particularly on the evidence of Byzantine military manuals, allows him to produce a gripping narrative underpinned by a detailed understanding of the Byzantine tactics, organization, training and doctrine.

Author : Michael McCormick
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 476 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 1990-06-29
Category : History
ISBN : 0521386594

Get Book

Eternal Victory by Michael McCormick Pdf

The Roman triumph's resurgence is documented from the Tetrarchy through the end of the Macedonian dynasty in Byzantium and to Charlemagne's successors in the early medieval West.

Author : René Guerdan
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1962
Category : Byzantine Empire
ISBN : UVA:X030152738

Get Book

Byzantium by René Guerdan Pdf

Author : Charles Freeman
Publisher : Abrams
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2010-08-12
Category : Art
ISBN : 9781468303025

Get Book

The Horses of St. Mark's by Charles Freeman Pdf

The noted historian explores the mysterious origins and surprising adventures of four iconic bronze statues as they appear and reappear through the ages. In July 1798, a triumphant procession made its way through the streets of Paris. Echoing the parades of Roman emperors many years before, Napoleon Bonaparte was proudly displaying the spoils of his recent military adventures. There were animals—caged lions and dromedaries—as well as tropical plants. Among the works of art on show, one stood out: four horses of gilded metal, taken by Napoleon from their home in Venice. The Horses of St Mark's have found themselves at the heart of European history time and time again: in Constantinople, at both its founding and sacking in the Fourth Crusade; in Venice, at both the height of its greatness and fall in 1797; in the Paris of Napoleon, and the revolutions of 1848; and back in Venice, the most romantic city in the world. Charles Freeman offers a fascinating account of both the statues themselves and the societies through which they have travelled and been displayed. As European society has developed from antiquity to the present day, these four horses have stood and watched impassively. This is the story of their—and our—times.

Author : Neil Churchill
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 215 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2024-01-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9781003835585

Get Book

Power and Representation in Byzantium by Neil Churchill Pdf

Throughout the history of Byzantium 65 emperors were dethroned and only 39 reigns ended peacefully. How might a usurper get away with murdering his predecessor? And how could a bloody act of regicide lead to one of the most glorious of all eras in Byzantium? These were questions that puzzled Michael Psellos as he looked back at Basil I’s assassination of Michael III and the origin of the Macedonian dynasty. Might the imperial art of Basil, his sons and grandson help to explain how the dynasty overcame its violent beginnings and secured the loyalty of its subjects? It has long been recognised that the early Macedonian emperors were active propagandists but royal art has usually been viewed thematically over the span of centuries. Official iconography has been understood to project imperial power in ways which were impersonal and unchanging. This book instead adopts a chronological approach and considers how Basil justified his seizure of power, and how his successors went on to articulate their own ideas about authority. It concludes that imperial art did at times reflect the personality of the emperor and the political demands of the moment, such as the need for an heir, the nature of court politics or the choice of successor. This innovative account of the forging of the Macedonian dynasty will appeal to those interested in how early medieval kings and emperors used art to create their own image, to differentiate themselves from rivals and to extend the boundaries of their personal power.

Author : Lara Frentrop
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 189 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2023-11-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781000997255

Get Book

The Art of Dining in Medieval Byzantium by Lara Frentrop Pdf

Thousands of intact ceramic bowls and plates as well as fragments made in the medieval Byzantine empire survive to this day. Decorated with figural and non-figural imagery applied in a variety of techniques and adorned with colourful paints and glazes, the vessels can tell us much about those who owned them and those who looked at them. In addition to innumerable ceramic vessels, a handful of precious metal bowls and plates survive from the period. Together, these objects make up the art of dining in medieval Byzantium. This art of dining was effervescent, at turns irreverent and deadly serious, visually stunning and fun. It is suggestive of ways in which those viewing the objects used a quotidian and biologically necessary (f)act – that of eating – to reflect on their lives and deaths, their aspirations and their realities. This book examines the ceramic and metal vessels in terms of the information offered on the foods eaten, the foods desired and their status; the spectacle of the banquet; the relationship between word and image in medieval Byzantium; the dangers of taste; the emergence of new moral and social ideals; and the use of dining as a tool in constructing and enforcing hierarchy. This book is of appeal to scholarly and non-scholarly audiences interested in the art and material culture of the medieval period and in the social history of food and eating.

Author : Bettany Hughes
Publisher : Da Capo Press
Page : 709 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2017-09-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9780306825859

Get Book

Istanbul by Bettany Hughes Pdf

Istanbul has long been a place where stories and histories collide, where perception is as potent as fact. From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names--Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul -- resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, North and South, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City," but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city, but a global story. In this epic new biography, Hughes takes us on a dazzling historical journey from the Neolithic to the present, through the many incarnations of one of the world's greatest cities--exploring the ways that Istanbul's influence has spun out to shape the wider world. Hughes investigates what it takes to make a city and tells the story not just of emperors, viziers, caliphs, and sultans, but of the poor and the voiceless, of the women and men whose aspirations and dreams have continuously reinvented Istanbul. Written with energy and animation, award-winning historian Bettany Hughes deftly guides readers through Istanbul's rich layers of history. Based on meticulous research and new archaeological evidence, this captivating portrait of the momentous life of Istanbul is visceral, immediate, and authoritative -- narrative history at its finest.

Author : Kevin Lygo
Publisher : Thames & Hudson
Page : 440 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2022-06-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9780500777336

Get Book

The Emperors of Byzantium by Kevin Lygo Pdf

A vivid narrative history of one of the founding civilizations of the modern world, the Byzantine empire, evocatively told through the lives of its ninety-two emperors. The Byzantine empire was one of the most successful states of the Middle Ages, ruling over a huge terrain straddling Europe and western Asia for eleven hundred years from the fourth to fifteenth centuries. This chronicle by Byzantine expert Kevin Lygo brings this majestic yet turbulent period to life through the lives of its emperors: the supreme military commander, the head of state, and God’s representative on Earth, no less. These rulers, who included famous figures such as Constantine the Great and Justinian I, a scattering of women, as well as ruthless usurpers, left their mark upon the modern world with the establishment of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, the creation of a visual template for Christian art, and the magnificent artistic achievements of Hagia Sophia and Mount Athos. Each illustrated biographical entry contributes to the story of how Byzantium shaped art, culture, religious beliefs, and justice systems, as well as the role this extraordinary empire played in halting repeated invasions, allowing the idea of “Europe” to flourish. Through this compelling history, Lygo paints vivid portraits of the entire Byzantine cast, with tales of petty revenge, religious devotion, sexual intrigue, and artistic brilliance. From soaring intellectuals to illiterate peasants, eunuchs, and despots, this is a humanizing portrayal of the individuals whose rule profoundly impacted the lives of millions.

Author : Leslie Brubaker
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 592 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 1999-02-25
Category : Art
ISBN : 0521621534

Get Book

Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium by Leslie Brubaker Pdf

The Byzantines used imagery to communicate a wide range of issues. In the context of Iconoclasm - the debate about the legitimacy of religious art conducted between c. AD 730 and 843 - Byzantine authors themselves claimed that visual images could express certain ideas better than words. Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium deals with how such visual communication worked and examines the types of messages that pictures could convey in the aftermath of Iconoclasm. Its focus is on a deluxe manuscript commissioned around 880, a copy of the fourth-century sermons of the Cappadocian church father Gregory of Nazianzus which presented to the Emperor Basil I, founder of the Macedonian dynasty, by one of the greatest scholars Byzantium ever produced, the patriarch Photios. The manuscript was lavishly decorated with gilded initials, elaborate headpieces and a full-page miniature before each of Gregory's sermons. Forty-six of these, including over 200 distinct scenes, survive. Fewer than half however were directly inspired by the homily that they accompany. Instead most function as commentaries on the ninth-century court and carefully deconstructed both provide us with information not available from preserved written sources and perhaps more important show us how visual images communicate differently from words.

Author : Mitko B. Panov
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 476 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2019-03-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004394292

Get Book

The Blinded State by Mitko B. Panov Pdf

This book offers a new approach to the late 10th- and early 11th-century state of Samuel. Mitko B. Panov deconstructs the Byzantine distorted image of the Samuel’s polity that was recycled by the Balkan elites of the medieval and modern periods and exploited for their political agendas and territorial aspirations.

Author : René Guerdan
Publisher : Hassell Street Press
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2021-09-09
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1014401291

Get Book

Byzantium, Its Triumphs and Tragedy by René Guerdan Pdf

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Author : Jean-Claude Cheynet,Claudia Sode
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 333 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2011-09-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9783110960082

Get Book

Studies in Byzantine Sigillography. Volume 8 by Jean-Claude Cheynet,Claudia Sode Pdf

For several years now, sigillography as an independent subarea in the field of Byzantine studies has received increasing attention from both Byzantine studies and related disciplines, because it is the only area still able to provide academia with large amounts of material not previously analysed. The articles of Studies in Byzantine Sigillography deal with all aspects of Byzantine sigillography: presentation of new finds, discussion of new methods, questions of the political and ecclesiastical administration of Byzantinum, prosopography, historical geography, and art historical and iconographical problems. In addition, the volumes contain a loosely arranged list of Byzantine seals, which have been published in essays and auction catalogues, thus enabling those from more obscure publications to be located and identified.

Author : John M. Ford
Publisher : Tor Books
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2020-09-29
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781250269027

Get Book

The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford Pdf

“The best mingling of history with historical magic that I have ever seen.”—Gene Wolfe In a snowbound inn high in the Alps, four people meet who will alter fate. A noble Byzantine mercenary . . . A female Florentine physician . . . An ageless Welsh wizard . . . And Sforza, the uncanny duke. Together they will wage an intrigue-filled campaign against the might of Byzantium to secure the English throne for Richard, Duke of Gloucester—and make him Richard III. Available for the first time in nearly two decades, with a new introduction by New York Times-bestselling author Scott Lynch, The Dragon Waiting is a masterpiece of blood and magic. “Had [John M. Ford] taken The Dragon Waiting and written a sequence of five books based in that world, with that power, he would’ve been George R.R. Martin.” —Neil Gaiman At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Author : Alessandra Bucossi,Alex Rodriguez Suarez
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 238 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2016-06-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9781317110712

Get Book

John II Komnenos, Emperor of Byzantium by Alessandra Bucossi,Alex Rodriguez Suarez Pdf

The Emperor John II Komnenos (1118–1143) has been overshadowed by both his father Alexios I and his son Manuel I. Written sources have not left us much evidence regarding his reign, although authors agree that he was an excellent emperor. However, the period witnessed territorial expansion in Asia Minor as well as the construction of the most important monastic complex of twelfth-century Constantinople. What else do we know about John’s rule and its period? This volume opens up new perspectives on John’s reign and clearly demonstrates that many innovations generally attributed to the genius of Manuel Komnenos had already been fostered during the reign of the second great Komnenos. Leading experts on twelfth-century Byzantium (Jeffreys, Magdalino, Ousterhout) are joined by representatives of a new generation of Byzantinists to produce a timely and invaluable study of the unjustly neglected figure of John Komnenos.

Author : Shay Eshel
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2018-03-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004363830

Get Book

The Concept of the Elect Nation in Byzantium by Shay Eshel Pdf

In The Concept of the Elect Nation in Byzantium, Shay Eshel shows how the Old Testament model of the ancient Israelites was a prominent factor in the evolution of Roman-Byzantine national awareness between the 7th and 13th centuries.