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The Wiles Lectures
The Last Byzantine Renaissance (Cambridge Texts and Studies in the History of Education) by Steven Runciman
During the last two centuries of its existence the Byzantine Empire was politically in a state of utter decadence, but, in contrast, its intellectual life has never before shone so brilliantly. In these four lectures the author discusses the leading scholars of the period, their erudition, their intense individualism, their controversies and their achievements.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
Hardcover
First published July 2, 1970
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About the author
Steven Runciman
44 books236 followersA King's Scholar at Eton College, he was an exact contemporary and close friend of George Orwell. While there, they both studied French under Aldous Huxley. In 1921 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge as a history scholar and studied under J.B. Bury, becoming, as Runciman later commented, "his first, and only, student." At first the reclusive Bury tried to brush him off; then, when Runciman mentioned that he could read Russian, Bury gave him a stack of Bulgarian articles to edit, and so their relationship began. His work on the Byzantine Empire earned him a fellowship at Trinity in 1927.
After receiving a large inheritance from his grandfather, Runciman resigned his fellowship in 1938 and began travelling widely. From 1942 to 1945 he was Professor of Byzantine Art and History at Istanbul University, in Turkey, where he began the research on the Crusades which would lead to his best known work, the History of the Crusades (three volumes appearing in 1951, 1952, and 1954).
Most of Runciman's historical works deal with Byzantium and her medieval neighbours between Sicily and Syria; one exception is The White Rajahs, published in 1960, which tells the story of Sarawak, an independent nation founded on the northern coast of Borneo in 1841 by the Englishman James Brooke, and ruled by the Brooke family for more than a century.
After receiving a large inheritance from his grandfather, Runciman resigned his fellowship in 1938 and began travelling widely. From 1942 to 1945 he was Professor of Byzantine Art and History at Istanbul University, in Turkey, where he began the research on the Crusades which would lead to his best known work, the History of the Crusades (three volumes appearing in 1951, 1952, and 1954).
Most of Runciman's historical works deal with Byzantium and her medieval neighbours between Sicily and Syria; one exception is The White Rajahs, published in 1960, which tells the story of Sarawak, an independent nation founded on the northern coast of Borneo in 1841 by the Englishman James Brooke, and ruled by the Brooke family for more than a century.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 16, 2015
This is actually a very readable book on the Palaeologan Renaissance comprised of four lectures given in the late '60s. It requires basic knowledge on Byzantine political history, but it is such a well written, witty and often funny text that I am sure the average non-fiction reader can enjoy it too! I will definitely read some more Runciman.
August 12, 2016
Profoundly readable, insightful, and concise, Runciman sheds his luminary light with his characteristic grace. Not for a casual reader, it is not inaccessible but will require both interest and background knowledge to appreciate.
April 4, 2023
Although to some extent glorifying of the latest centuries of the Byzantine empire, it is still an iconic book that properly introduces an unfamiliar reader to this interesting era.
April 17, 2023
Ένα ειδικευμένο σχεδόν επιστήμονικο σύγγραμμα που αν δεν έχεις ιδιαιτερο λόγο να κόπτεσαι να μάθεις για εκείνα τα χρονια μάλλον δεν θα σε συγκινήσει και ας είναι καλομελετημένο και γεμάτο πληροφορίες .
January 17, 2022
A good spring board to explore late Byzantine literature
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews