Byzantium: The Decline And Fall (1995) - Plot & Excerpts
At 3:09am last night I finished my epic journey through Norwich's three books about Byzantium. I'm glad I did; history fans need to read these books as they are masterpieces. True, Norwich emphasizes the Empire's political history, but there is plenty of depth when taken as a whole. The plot twists and cast of characters are as colorful and lively as in any bestselling novel, and Norwich has wonderful prose. Any professional or amateur historian needs to read this series!Some of my favorite parts (spoiler alert):5) All of the entertaining yet failed diplomatic attempts to reunite the Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox Church. Towards the end, three Emperors went as far as "reuniting" with the Church out of a plea for help, but the Byzantine people wouldn't have it, and the help never came in earnest.4)The Fourth Crusade. A debacle if there ever was one, this "Crusade" eventually saw Constantinople sacked by the Crusaders in 1204, and the city would never recover. The main culprit was the eighty-something Doge of Venice Enrico Dandolo, who was also blind as a bat. A sad and pathetic tale!3) How Tamburlaine's surprising beating on the Ottomans gave the Byzantines a desperately needed second wind. To top it off, captured Ottoman Sultan Bayezit is paraded around in an iron cage, occasionally used as a footstool, and his wife is forced to serve Tamburlaine's table while in the nude.2) The First Crusade. Originally just wanting mercenaries to help regain Byzantine lands, talented Emperor Alexius Comnenus is shocked beyond belief by the People's Crusade, the sinful behavior of the Crusaders, and the shady Crusader leaders who want to conquer former Byzantine lands for themselves. A fascinating and necessary point of view in order to better understand the First Crusade.1) The fall of Constantinople in 1453. Sultan Mehmet II, aged 21 and hellbent on annihilating the Empire once and for all, leads a 48 day siege with the biggest cannon ever built (27 feet long, 2.5 feet diameter, 8 inches thick of bronze!). When the attack finally begins, the pillaging is so extreme that Mehmet cuts the normal 3 day sacking to one day only. The last emperor, Constantine XI, dies in the middle of the melee. What a finish!All in all, 5/5 stars, but to nit pick I'd have liked to have read more about Russia's later role in the Orthodox Church, how the Turks handled the city after Mehmet's conquest, a final chapter to summarize the Byzantines in general, and also more photographs would have been nice to keep track of all of the characters. A great book and series!
This, the final volume of a three book series, brings to end a rivetting and excellent history of the Byzantium Empire. I cannot add anything to the other reviews and comments on this series other than to say if your enjoy reading about history you should love these accounts of this Empire and its times. I found my first volume in a second hand bookshop without knowing anything about its author or the subject matter. It was a great read and I could not wait to buy the following two volumes. I only wish I had read these books before I visited Istanbul in 1990. I loved them, they are excellent histories, the author does a great job in bringing the characters and times to live. Read the series and lose yourself in the history. Great books!
What do You think about Byzantium: The Decline And Fall (1995)?
A fascinating, albeit depressing chronicle of the later years of the Byzantine Empire. Norwich gives us a picture, particularly after 1260 of an Empire surrounded by foes trying desperately to survive. We are given almost too much detail into the petty civil wars and diplomatic snafus that define the Paleologi dynasty. It is an interesting and very readable account. The history suffers from the problem of broad history's - focusing far too much on the people on top and leaving us to guess how life in the Empire for the non-aristocrat was like.
—Graham Podolecki
