A definitive new biography of the Byzantine emperor JustinianJustinian is a radical reassessment of an emperor and his times. In the sixth century CE, the emperor Justinian presided over nearly four decades of remarkable change, in an era of geopolitical threats, climate change, and plague. From the eastern Roman—or Byzantine—capital of Constantinople, Justinian’s armies reconquered lost territory in Africa, Italy, and Spain. But these military exploits, h...

After surviving the fifth century fall of the Western European Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire flourished as one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe for a thousand years. In this Very Short Introduction Peter Sarris introduces the reader to the unique fusion of Roman political culture, Greek intellectual tradition and Christian faith that took place in the imperial capital of Byzantium under the emperor Constantine and his heirs. Using example...

A trusted member of the Byzantine establishment, Procopius was the Empire's official chronicler, and his History of the Wars of Justinian proclaimed the strength and wisdom of the Emperor's reign. Yet all the while the dutiful scribe was working on a very different - and dangerous - history to be published only once its author was safely in his grave. The Secret History portrays the 'great lawgiver' Justinian as a rampant king of corruption and tyranny, the Empress Theodora as a sorceress ...

Drawing upon the latest historical and archaeological research, Dr Peter Sarris provides a panoramic account of the history of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East from the fall of Rome to the rise of Islam. The formation of a new social and economic order in western Europe in the fifth, sixth, and seventh centuries, and the ascendancy across the West of a new culture of military lordship, are placed firmly in the context of on-going connections and influence radiating outwards fro...

After surviving the fifth century fall of the Western European Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire flourished as one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe for a thousand years. In this Very Short Introduction Peter Sarris introduces the reader to the unique fusion of Roman political culture, Greek intellectual tradition and Christian faith that took place in the imperial capital of Byzantium under the emperor Constantine and his heirs. Using example...

A sweeping new history of the Byzantine Empire in all its power and splendorFor more than a thousand years, the Byzantine Empire stood at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, shaping the course of world history. Its capital, Constantinople, was the largest and wealthiest city in the Christian world, a hub of trade, learning, and artistic achievement that dazzled visitors from every direction. Its emperors commanded armies, patronized extraordinary art, and sparred wi...

A definitive new biography of the Byzantine emperor JustinianJustinian is a radical reassessment of an emperor and his times. In the sixth century CE, the emperor Justinian presided over nearly four decades of remarkable change, in an era of geopolitical threats, climate change, and plague. From the eastern Roman—or Byzantine—capital of Constantinople, Justinian’s armies reconquered lost territory in Africa, Italy, and Spain. But these military exploits, h...

A sweeping new history of the Byzantine Empire in all its power and splendorFor more than a thousand years, the Byzantine Empire stood at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, shaping the course of world history. Its capital, Constantinople, was the largest and wealthiest city in the Christian world, a hub of trade, learning, and artistic achievement that dazzled visitors from every direction. Its emperors commanded armies, patronized extraordinary art, and sparred wi...

From an award-winning scholar, this definitive history reveals the tensions and transformations of the Russian Revolution.“McMeekin writes muscular history. His Russian Revolution grips the reader.” —Niall FergusonIn The Russian Revolution, acclaimed historian Sean McMeekin traces the events which ended Romanov rule, ushered the Bolskeviks into power, and introduced communism to the world....

**From an award-winning historian of ancient Rome, the definitive history of Rome’s most devastating defeat.“Goldsworthy is the preeminent military historian of Rome.” —History Today**In Cannae, celebrated historian Adrian Goldsworthy offers a concise and enthralling account of one of history’s bloodiest, and most famous, battles. On August 2, 216 BC, across a narrow plain near the Souther Italian town of Cannae, a massive Roman army met the heterogeneous ...

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY • An “important, deeply affecting—and regrettably relevant” (New York Times Book Review) chronicle of a sinister idea of freedom: white Americans’ freedom to oppress others and their fight against the government that got in their wayAmerican freedom is typically associated with the fight of the oppressed for a better world. But for centuries, whenever the federal government intervened on behalf of nonwhite people, ma...

Winner of the New-York Historical Society Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American HistoryWinner of the American Academy of Diplomacy Douglas Dillon AwardShortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize in Literary NonfictionFrom the author of Battle of Bretton Woods comes a “brilliant book…by far the best study yet” (The Wall Street Journal) of the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan an...