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Юстиниан и Теодора
Едва ли в световната история има друга владетелска двойка, която толкова да е впечатлявала съвременниците си и да е будела въображението на бъдните поколения, колкото Юстиниан и Теодора.
Император Юстиниан I (527-565) води Източната Римска империя (или Византия), към нейното най-голямо териториално могъщество и културен разцвет. Стратег, политик и покровител на правните науки и изкуството,
Юстиниан изповядва визията за възстановяване на някогашната Римска империя, обхващала цялото Средиземноморие.
Неговата красива съпруга Теодора - жена със силен характер и от
неблагороден произход, подобно на Юстиниан - е истински крепител
и вдъхновител на съпруга си.
Книгата "Юстиниан и Теодора" на бележития британски историк Робърт Браунинг е нещо повече от обикновена биография на великия византийски император и неговата влиятелна съпруга. Въз основа на обилни изворови материали Браунинг рисува една пъстра картина на византийското общество и култура.
Както обикновеният читател, така и специалистът ще намерят за освежителен лекия разказвателен стил на Браунинг, подплатен
с богато историческо съдържание и оригинална аналитичност.
Император Юстиниан I (527-565) води Източната Римска империя (или Византия), към нейното най-голямо териториално могъщество и културен разцвет. Стратег, политик и покровител на правните науки и изкуството,
Юстиниан изповядва визията за възстановяване на някогашната Римска империя, обхващала цялото Средиземноморие.
Неговата красива съпруга Теодора - жена със силен характер и от
неблагороден произход, подобно на Юстиниан - е истински крепител
и вдъхновител на съпруга си.
Книгата "Юстиниан и Теодора" на бележития британски историк Робърт Браунинг е нещо повече от обикновена биография на великия византийски император и неговата влиятелна съпруга. Въз основа на обилни изворови материали Браунинг рисува една пъстра картина на византийското общество и култура.
Както обикновеният читател, така и специалистът ще намерят за освежителен лекия разказвателен стил на Браунинг, подплатен
с богато историческо съдържание и оригинална аналитичност.
206 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
2 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Robert Browning
12 books8 followersRobert Browning, Greek historian, translator, Byzantinist, and professor was born in Glasgow in 1914. He graduated from Glasgow University in 1931, acquiring several prizes and honors. He also learned several Eastern European languages, beginning with Albanian. In 1939, he acquired a second degree from the university and joined the Royal Artillery, where he mastered Georgian.
Browning returned to academia from WWII to teach and work in several universities, including Merton College, Oxford, London University, University College, and Birkbeck, University of London, from which he retired as Professor of Classics and Ancient History in 1981.
Browning remained active, serving in an advisory capacity at Dumbarton Oaks and the University of Cyprus, and receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham.
Browning returned to academia from WWII to teach and work in several universities, including Merton College, Oxford, London University, University College, and Birkbeck, University of London, from which he retired as Professor of Classics and Ancient History in 1981.
Browning remained active, serving in an advisory capacity at Dumbarton Oaks and the University of Cyprus, and receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 19, 2016
This is a military historian's book that focuses very much on Justinian's dream for reunifying the Roman empire, but not a lot on the scandalous Theodora. One page is all she gets for a bio. The rest is Justinian and his ambitions to unify the empire through law, theology and warfare. The first part of the book is rushed, but the book slows do a conversational tone as soon as Justinian ascends to the throne. The author is particularly able when explaining the causes of the Nika rebellion and also when playing architectural tour guide through the Haggia Sophia, Justinian's masterpiece. Belissarius looms large as does Totila. Interesting reading first source quotes from Justinian in understanding how he saw his policy. Not what the title led me to expect but very decent.
August 10, 2017
A good basic book on the life of Justinian. Light on the life of Theodora. The two big focus areas of this book centered on Justinian's attempt to rebuild Byzantium to the glory of the old Roman Empire with re-conquests of North Africa and Italy, and dealing with the different view of Christianity-The Holy Trinity or the Monophysitics which was firmly in place in Egypt and growing in Syria. Justinian never did get the empire back and his last few decades saw Rome sacked, Constantinople attacked and many tribes from the East change the landscape of Byzantium. While the empire lasted for almost 900 more years, the change in governance from the Roman Empire and the Byzantium Empire made his reign the turning point, especially for the West. Very little about Theodora, other than a few comments.
October 6, 2024
Tribonian was born in Side in Pamphylia, on the southern coast of Asia Minor. He first emerged in public during the reign of Justin as a popular advocate in the court of the praetorian prefect. He was "a man of deep and extensive learning, whose Eurydice amazed his contemporaries." He was greedy and extremely venal. When the emperor entrusted him with the implementation of his legislative program, he made and repealed laws for his own gain. It was this character trait that caused the populace of Constantinople to hate him; during the revolt of Nicaea, Tribonian was removed from office, but later returned to his position. In the first year of Justinian's reign, he was appointed magister officiorum (a powerful palatine official, with the title of illustris (at least in the 380s), who controlled the staff (civil and military) involved in coordinating and dispatching business (legal, administrative, diplomatic, ceremonial), and in 529 - questor sacri patatii (an official of the imperial court in ancient Rome who acted as the emperor's legal advisor. The term in Latin means "quaestor of the sacred palace", the highest legal authority in the late Roman Empire and early Byzantium, responsible for creating laws.)
In the 30s of the 6th century, Tribonian was the soul of Justinian's great codification of Roman law. But in the introductions to the Digest - a systematic collection of fragments from the writings of the most eminent Roman lawyers - and a host of other legislative acts, he is mentioned separately, on first place, as the inspirer and organizer of this great undertaking. In the years 530–533 CE, the Codex Justinianus, or Justinian Code, was a law code. It consisted of various collections of laws and legal interpretations collected and codified by scholars under the direction of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. What is the significance of the Justinian Code? Although the Justinian Code itself was not a new law code, it rationalized hundreds of years of existing Roman statutes. Contradictions and conflicts were eliminated, and any existing laws not contained in it were repealed.
The Justinian Code consists of four books:
(1) Codex Constitutionum,
(2) Digesta, or Pandectae,
(3) Institutiones
(4) Novellae Constitutiones Post Codicem
The Codex Constitutionum was based in part on the 5th-century Theodosian Code.
The Digest (also known as the Pandect “All-Containing”) was a collection or summary of legal writings on Roman law, prepared by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The Novellae Constitutiones, also known as the Novels, is a collection of 168 constitutions issued by the Roman Emperor Justinian and his immediate successors. These constitutions were added to the Corpus Juris Civilis, or collection of Roman laws.
Calonymus probably came from Alexandria, the capital of the Egyptian diocese. In 533, he was appointed sole commander of the Byzantine fleet during the Vandalic War. There was one clear victory, in which the Vandals sent fireships to destroy the Roman fleet at anchor. The Romans fell apart and were dismantled individually. Under their king Geiseric, the Vandal fleet launched pirate raids across the Mediterranean, sacked Rome in 455, and defeated a Roman invasion in 468.
A fleet sailed from Constantinople in late June 533, solemnly blessed by Patriarch Epiphannius and watched over by Justinian from the walls of the imperial palace. In all, it numbered 500 ships, including 92 war galleys. They were accompanied by 16,000 soldiers of the London army and 30,000 sailors and marines, mostly from Egypt or the western coast of Asia Minor. Belisarius was commanded by Dorotheus and the eunuch Samolon and his wife Antonina. All the other commanders listed by Procopius were Thracians. Except for the cavalry commander Aigan, who was a Hun.
Procopius is best known for his History of the Wars of Justinian, commonly called the Wars, which was published in two parts. The first, comprising the first seven books, appeared in 550/551 and covered Justinian's wars with the Sassanids, Vandals and Ostrogoths. The eight books cover the Persian wars of the emperors Justin and Justinian up to 550 (2 books); the Vandal War and the events that followed in Africa in the years 532–546 (2 books); the war between the Goths and the Ostrogoths in Sicily and Italy in the years 536–552 (3 books); and a sketch of events to the year 554 (1 book). Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500 – c. 560), late antique historian, author of the most important works enabling knowledge of the era of Justinian I the Great (527-565). He was born in Caesarea (Palestine), into a wealthy family, which provided him with an education in rhetoric and law.
Flavius Aetius begins a campaign in Gaul against the Burgundians, following their raids into neighbouring Gallia Belgica by King Gunther.
The Burgundian Revolt of Gunther was a revolt of the Burgundian foederati in the Western Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Valentinian III. The uprising took place in the Gallic province of Germania Prima and was led by the King of the Burgundian Gunther, his main opponent was General Aetius.
In all opinion, the Burgundians wanted to negotiate their treaty with the Romans by force. In addition, according to H.H. Anton has another reason behind the uprising. In his view, the Burgundians came under increasing pressure from the Huns and Gunther invaded the nearby area in response.
Siegfried comes to Worms to acquire the hand of the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from her brother King Gunther.
Flavius Aetius, Roman general (magister militum), attempts to put an end to Burgundian raids in Gaul. He calls in Hun mercenaries under the command of Attila and his brother Bleda, which plunder Augusta Vangionum, killing some 20,000 Burgundians. The Kingdom of the Burgundians is destroyed; King Gunther and his family are killed (this epic disaster will later provide the source for the Nibelungenlied).
In both the Continental (German) and Scandinavian traditions, Gudrun/Kriemhild is the sister of the Burgundian king Gunther/Gunnar and marries the hero Siegfried/Sigurd. Both traditions also feature a major rivalry between Gudrun and Brunhild, Gunther's wife, over their respective ranks.
The capture of Rome in 546 was carried out by the Ostrogoths under their king, Totila. The capture of the city took place during the ongoing Ostrogothic-Eastern Roman War of 535–554. Totila began his campaign in Tivoli, from where he intended to set off to conquer Latium and Rome.
At that time, the Bulgarians again invaded the Balkan Peninsula, taking many prisoners, among them the wives and children of Illyrian soldiers in service in Italy.
Justinian then invited - seeing it as a temporary solution to the difficulties - the Slavic tribe of the Antes to settle near the mouth of the Danube, thanks to which they would act as a buffer against the Bulgarians. This was an example of the old Roman method of turning thieves into policemen. The Antes remained Roman allies until their fall in the first decade of the 7th century. They often engaged in conflicts with the Avars, such as the war described by Menander the Guardsman.
The Antes lived in a democracy, where all matters were delegated to the people. The religion of the Antes, like that of other Slavic tribes and peoples, was Slavic paganism. The Antes and Sclaveni were skilled warriors, especially in guerrilla warfare, exploiting the terrain. Modern-day Moldavia and central Ukraine, in central and southern Russia. Antes, a federation of East Slavic nomadic tribes known in the 3rd century CE. A powerful people with highly developed agriculture, crafts, and blacksmithing, the Antes fought the Goths, who fled west from the Huns in the 4th century.
Menander the Guardsman was a Byzantine historian whose surviving works are a valuable authority for the 6th century, especially in geography and ethnography. At the request of Emperor Maurice (582–602) he wrote a history based on the history of Agathias. It begins where Agathias' work ended, and the preserved text covers the period from the arrival of the Huns of the Kotrigur dynasty in Thrace in 558 to the negotiations with the Avars over Sirmium in 582.
Khosrow, adopted by Justin, who could have inherited all of Rome, but Rome would already have been Persian by then. He invaded Edessa, and its most valuable treasure was said to be a letter written by Christ to the King of Edessa. On the other hand, practically the entire Black Sea was under Roman rule at that time.
King Abgar V of Osroene (c. 1st century BCE–c. 50 CE), called Ukkāmā (meaning "Black" in Syriac and other dialects of Aramaic), was the king of Osroene with his capital at Edessa. Abgar V is considered one of the first Christian kings, having been converted to the faith by Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the seventy disciples. The church historian Eusebius records that the archives of Edessa contained a copy of the correspondence exchanged between Abgar of Edessa and Jesus.
Constantine the Great is the first Christian king, but of Constantinople.
The Sassanids (Persians) were to receive an annual subsidy of 30,000 gold nomismata, with the first seven years to be paid immediately. Expenditures on defensive lines in the Caucasus against the nomads in the north, for which there was a common interest and which were the responsibility of the Sassanids, were included in the payments. Both sides agreed not to build new fortifications or strengthen existing settlements on the border. To prevent espionage, trade was restricted to Callinicum, Nisibis, and Dvin, while merchants from other nations were restricted to Dara (under Byzantine rule) and Nisibis (under Sassanid rule). Refugees were free to return to their homes. In a separate treaty, Christians in the Sassanid Empire were promised freedom of worship.
It was an era of lively experimentation in literature, when, alongside the strictest classicism, new literary forms were created, such as the elaborate hymns of Romanus, and the language of the common people was introduced into literature. It was also an era of fierce intellectual disputes. It cannot be denied that theological disputes often consisted of piling up quotations from the Church Fathers. But when John Philoponus argued against Proclus that the universe was created in time and that it had not always existed, a sharp and powerful mind was struggling here with truly philosophical problems. And the last Neoplatonists, such as Simplicius and Damascius, were not just Eurydites, they were severe and courageous seekers of truth.
The West also preserved the memory of Justinian. Dante met his spirit, who outlined for him the history of the Roman Empire, from Aeneus to Charlemagne. In some political circles Justinian was judged to be a devil and it was feared that his ghost was walking the corridors.
Uyghurs from French Ogre. Wild man, werewolf. In contrast to the Han, the Uyghurs worship wolves, whose skin and bones are believed to bring good luck.
The origin of the word comes from the Latin Orcus (hell, god of hell), before the Italian orco meant "ogre". Ariosto in 1516 in his Orlando furioso described the ogre as an animalistic and blind monster, inspired by the Cyclops of the Odyssey. Orcus is the Demon Prince of the Undead and Lord of Necromancy. He is also considered the god of the undead and has a devoted cult consisting mainly of necromancers who do his bidding.
A man of a violent temperament who does not want to have company with anyone.
The Antes, Slavs are these Wild man. Maby Tolkien meant that these who kill Rome and civilization, these of slaves are evil are Orgs.
In the 30s of the 6th century, Tribonian was the soul of Justinian's great codification of Roman law. But in the introductions to the Digest - a systematic collection of fragments from the writings of the most eminent Roman lawyers - and a host of other legislative acts, he is mentioned separately, on first place, as the inspirer and organizer of this great undertaking. In the years 530–533 CE, the Codex Justinianus, or Justinian Code, was a law code. It consisted of various collections of laws and legal interpretations collected and codified by scholars under the direction of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. What is the significance of the Justinian Code? Although the Justinian Code itself was not a new law code, it rationalized hundreds of years of existing Roman statutes. Contradictions and conflicts were eliminated, and any existing laws not contained in it were repealed.
The Justinian Code consists of four books:
(1) Codex Constitutionum,
(2) Digesta, or Pandectae,
(3) Institutiones
(4) Novellae Constitutiones Post Codicem
The Codex Constitutionum was based in part on the 5th-century Theodosian Code.
The Digest (also known as the Pandect “All-Containing”) was a collection or summary of legal writings on Roman law, prepared by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The Novellae Constitutiones, also known as the Novels, is a collection of 168 constitutions issued by the Roman Emperor Justinian and his immediate successors. These constitutions were added to the Corpus Juris Civilis, or collection of Roman laws.
Calonymus probably came from Alexandria, the capital of the Egyptian diocese. In 533, he was appointed sole commander of the Byzantine fleet during the Vandalic War. There was one clear victory, in which the Vandals sent fireships to destroy the Roman fleet at anchor. The Romans fell apart and were dismantled individually. Under their king Geiseric, the Vandal fleet launched pirate raids across the Mediterranean, sacked Rome in 455, and defeated a Roman invasion in 468.
A fleet sailed from Constantinople in late June 533, solemnly blessed by Patriarch Epiphannius and watched over by Justinian from the walls of the imperial palace. In all, it numbered 500 ships, including 92 war galleys. They were accompanied by 16,000 soldiers of the London army and 30,000 sailors and marines, mostly from Egypt or the western coast of Asia Minor. Belisarius was commanded by Dorotheus and the eunuch Samolon and his wife Antonina. All the other commanders listed by Procopius were Thracians. Except for the cavalry commander Aigan, who was a Hun.
Procopius is best known for his History of the Wars of Justinian, commonly called the Wars, which was published in two parts. The first, comprising the first seven books, appeared in 550/551 and covered Justinian's wars with the Sassanids, Vandals and Ostrogoths. The eight books cover the Persian wars of the emperors Justin and Justinian up to 550 (2 books); the Vandal War and the events that followed in Africa in the years 532–546 (2 books); the war between the Goths and the Ostrogoths in Sicily and Italy in the years 536–552 (3 books); and a sketch of events to the year 554 (1 book). Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500 – c. 560), late antique historian, author of the most important works enabling knowledge of the era of Justinian I the Great (527-565). He was born in Caesarea (Palestine), into a wealthy family, which provided him with an education in rhetoric and law.
Flavius Aetius begins a campaign in Gaul against the Burgundians, following their raids into neighbouring Gallia Belgica by King Gunther.
The Burgundian Revolt of Gunther was a revolt of the Burgundian foederati in the Western Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Valentinian III. The uprising took place in the Gallic province of Germania Prima and was led by the King of the Burgundian Gunther, his main opponent was General Aetius.
In all opinion, the Burgundians wanted to negotiate their treaty with the Romans by force. In addition, according to H.H. Anton has another reason behind the uprising. In his view, the Burgundians came under increasing pressure from the Huns and Gunther invaded the nearby area in response.
Siegfried comes to Worms to acquire the hand of the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from her brother King Gunther.
Flavius Aetius, Roman general (magister militum), attempts to put an end to Burgundian raids in Gaul. He calls in Hun mercenaries under the command of Attila and his brother Bleda, which plunder Augusta Vangionum, killing some 20,000 Burgundians. The Kingdom of the Burgundians is destroyed; King Gunther and his family are killed (this epic disaster will later provide the source for the Nibelungenlied).
In both the Continental (German) and Scandinavian traditions, Gudrun/Kriemhild is the sister of the Burgundian king Gunther/Gunnar and marries the hero Siegfried/Sigurd. Both traditions also feature a major rivalry between Gudrun and Brunhild, Gunther's wife, over their respective ranks.
The capture of Rome in 546 was carried out by the Ostrogoths under their king, Totila. The capture of the city took place during the ongoing Ostrogothic-Eastern Roman War of 535–554. Totila began his campaign in Tivoli, from where he intended to set off to conquer Latium and Rome.
At that time, the Bulgarians again invaded the Balkan Peninsula, taking many prisoners, among them the wives and children of Illyrian soldiers in service in Italy.
Justinian then invited - seeing it as a temporary solution to the difficulties - the Slavic tribe of the Antes to settle near the mouth of the Danube, thanks to which they would act as a buffer against the Bulgarians. This was an example of the old Roman method of turning thieves into policemen. The Antes remained Roman allies until their fall in the first decade of the 7th century. They often engaged in conflicts with the Avars, such as the war described by Menander the Guardsman.
The Antes lived in a democracy, where all matters were delegated to the people. The religion of the Antes, like that of other Slavic tribes and peoples, was Slavic paganism. The Antes and Sclaveni were skilled warriors, especially in guerrilla warfare, exploiting the terrain. Modern-day Moldavia and central Ukraine, in central and southern Russia. Antes, a federation of East Slavic nomadic tribes known in the 3rd century CE. A powerful people with highly developed agriculture, crafts, and blacksmithing, the Antes fought the Goths, who fled west from the Huns in the 4th century.
Menander the Guardsman was a Byzantine historian whose surviving works are a valuable authority for the 6th century, especially in geography and ethnography. At the request of Emperor Maurice (582–602) he wrote a history based on the history of Agathias. It begins where Agathias' work ended, and the preserved text covers the period from the arrival of the Huns of the Kotrigur dynasty in Thrace in 558 to the negotiations with the Avars over Sirmium in 582.
Khosrow, adopted by Justin, who could have inherited all of Rome, but Rome would already have been Persian by then. He invaded Edessa, and its most valuable treasure was said to be a letter written by Christ to the King of Edessa. On the other hand, practically the entire Black Sea was under Roman rule at that time.
King Abgar V of Osroene (c. 1st century BCE–c. 50 CE), called Ukkāmā (meaning "Black" in Syriac and other dialects of Aramaic), was the king of Osroene with his capital at Edessa. Abgar V is considered one of the first Christian kings, having been converted to the faith by Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the seventy disciples. The church historian Eusebius records that the archives of Edessa contained a copy of the correspondence exchanged between Abgar of Edessa and Jesus.
Constantine the Great is the first Christian king, but of Constantinople.
The Sassanids (Persians) were to receive an annual subsidy of 30,000 gold nomismata, with the first seven years to be paid immediately. Expenditures on defensive lines in the Caucasus against the nomads in the north, for which there was a common interest and which were the responsibility of the Sassanids, were included in the payments. Both sides agreed not to build new fortifications or strengthen existing settlements on the border. To prevent espionage, trade was restricted to Callinicum, Nisibis, and Dvin, while merchants from other nations were restricted to Dara (under Byzantine rule) and Nisibis (under Sassanid rule). Refugees were free to return to their homes. In a separate treaty, Christians in the Sassanid Empire were promised freedom of worship.
It was an era of lively experimentation in literature, when, alongside the strictest classicism, new literary forms were created, such as the elaborate hymns of Romanus, and the language of the common people was introduced into literature. It was also an era of fierce intellectual disputes. It cannot be denied that theological disputes often consisted of piling up quotations from the Church Fathers. But when John Philoponus argued against Proclus that the universe was created in time and that it had not always existed, a sharp and powerful mind was struggling here with truly philosophical problems. And the last Neoplatonists, such as Simplicius and Damascius, were not just Eurydites, they were severe and courageous seekers of truth.
The West also preserved the memory of Justinian. Dante met his spirit, who outlined for him the history of the Roman Empire, from Aeneus to Charlemagne. In some political circles Justinian was judged to be a devil and it was feared that his ghost was walking the corridors.
Uyghurs from French Ogre. Wild man, werewolf. In contrast to the Han, the Uyghurs worship wolves, whose skin and bones are believed to bring good luck.
The origin of the word comes from the Latin Orcus (hell, god of hell), before the Italian orco meant "ogre". Ariosto in 1516 in his Orlando furioso described the ogre as an animalistic and blind monster, inspired by the Cyclops of the Odyssey. Orcus is the Demon Prince of the Undead and Lord of Necromancy. He is also considered the god of the undead and has a devoted cult consisting mainly of necromancers who do his bidding.
A man of a violent temperament who does not want to have company with anyone.
The Antes, Slavs are these Wild man. Maby Tolkien meant that these who kill Rome and civilization, these of slaves are evil are Orgs.
May 19, 2019
I gave this book a four star rating because I was very impressed by extensive research compacted in such a short book. I really enjoyed reading about the battles court intrigue between Justinian Theodora and Belisarius and his wife.
July 22, 2018
This book was very dry, but it was a wonderful bedtime read to nod off to. The history is fascinating even without much embellishment and the images of the artifacts and frescoes are gorgeous.
August 6, 2021
Linked biographies of this outstanding couple. Very densely written, with lots of genuine information, a good read for dipping into.
July 9, 2021
W ofercie Państwowego Instytutu Wydawniczego można znaleźć wiele dzieł, które powinny zainteresować pasjonatów czasów Cesarstwa Bizantyńskiego. Jednym z nich jest wznowienie książki Justynian i Teodora autorstwa Roberta Browninga, które pojawiło się w ramach serii Biografie Sławnych Ludzi.
Robert Browning był cenionym szkockim historykiem, specjalizującym się w tematyce bizantyjskiej. Polskiemu czytelnikowi jest on znany głównie z dzieł Cesarstwo Bizantyńskie i właśnie Justynian i Teodora (książka pierwotnie ukazała się na rynku w roku 1977). Biorąc więc pod uwagę zakres jego wiedzy opartej na latach badań i wielką pasję do danego zagadnienia, można być pewnym, że pod względem merytorycznym treść publikacji prezentuje najwyższy możliwy poziom.
Jak sam tytuł jasno wskazuje, historyk skupia się tu na życiu i rządach człowieka, którego najważniejszym życiowym celem było zarówno chęć zostania zapamiętanym przez historię, jak i ponowne odbudowanie potęgi Cesarstwa Rzymskiego. Przez wiele lat u jego boku w staraniach tych wspierała go piękna żona, która okazała się niebywale zręcznym politykiem i bardzo dobrym doradcą w naprawdę wielu kwestiach.
W kolejnych rozdziałach publikacji autor serwuje czytelnikowi dość zróżnicowaną treść, pozwalającą zapoznać się między innymi z kolejnymi etapami życia danych postaci historycznych, elementami mającymi ogromny wpływ na sprawowaną przez Justyniana władzę czy jego dokonaniami. Na sam początek Browning serwuje doskonale skrojony obszerny wstęp ukazujący drogę Justyniana do tronu cesarskiego. Później przedstawia ważnych i niebywale uzdolnionych ludzi wokół niego, którzy pozwolili mu osiągnąć wiele sukcesów i których zdolności potrafił on doskonale wykorzystywać. Odpowiednią ilość miejsca historyk poświęca również na pokazanie reform prawa, wojen czy spisków, które było częścią życia cesarza. Nie zabrakło tutaj również rozdziału poświęconego budowie Hagia Sophia, do czego Jystynian przykładał wielką uwagę.
Obok tego wszystkiego ciekawym elementem książki jest pokazanie przez Browninga szerokiego kontekstu religijno-społeczno-politycznego opisywanych przez niego czasów. Historyk wszelkie opisane działania podejmowane przez parę cesarską stara się właśnie skontrastować z otaczającym ich światem, który miał ogromny wpływ na niektóre podejmowane decyzje. Ma to również niestety pewne swoje małe wady. W kilku fragmentach publikacji autor kompletnie niepotrzebnie wchodzi w rolę „adwokata” i stara się nie tyle wytłumaczyć decyzje cesarza, co wręcz staje w jego obronie. Tego typu treści na całe szczęście nie ma tutaj za wiele, ale i tak te, które się pojawiają kłują w oczy (historyk powinien zachować jednak pełną neutralność).
Nawet biorąc pod uwagę pewne drobne wspomniane powyżej wady, nadal mamy tutaj do czynienia ze świetną historyczną publikacją. Justynian i Teodora to więc książka, którą powinien docenić każdy pasjonat Bizancjum.
https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...
Robert Browning był cenionym szkockim historykiem, specjalizującym się w tematyce bizantyjskiej. Polskiemu czytelnikowi jest on znany głównie z dzieł Cesarstwo Bizantyńskie i właśnie Justynian i Teodora (książka pierwotnie ukazała się na rynku w roku 1977). Biorąc więc pod uwagę zakres jego wiedzy opartej na latach badań i wielką pasję do danego zagadnienia, można być pewnym, że pod względem merytorycznym treść publikacji prezentuje najwyższy możliwy poziom.
Jak sam tytuł jasno wskazuje, historyk skupia się tu na życiu i rządach człowieka, którego najważniejszym życiowym celem było zarówno chęć zostania zapamiętanym przez historię, jak i ponowne odbudowanie potęgi Cesarstwa Rzymskiego. Przez wiele lat u jego boku w staraniach tych wspierała go piękna żona, która okazała się niebywale zręcznym politykiem i bardzo dobrym doradcą w naprawdę wielu kwestiach.
W kolejnych rozdziałach publikacji autor serwuje czytelnikowi dość zróżnicowaną treść, pozwalającą zapoznać się między innymi z kolejnymi etapami życia danych postaci historycznych, elementami mającymi ogromny wpływ na sprawowaną przez Justyniana władzę czy jego dokonaniami. Na sam początek Browning serwuje doskonale skrojony obszerny wstęp ukazujący drogę Justyniana do tronu cesarskiego. Później przedstawia ważnych i niebywale uzdolnionych ludzi wokół niego, którzy pozwolili mu osiągnąć wiele sukcesów i których zdolności potrafił on doskonale wykorzystywać. Odpowiednią ilość miejsca historyk poświęca również na pokazanie reform prawa, wojen czy spisków, które było częścią życia cesarza. Nie zabrakło tutaj również rozdziału poświęconego budowie Hagia Sophia, do czego Jystynian przykładał wielką uwagę.
Obok tego wszystkiego ciekawym elementem książki jest pokazanie przez Browninga szerokiego kontekstu religijno-społeczno-politycznego opisywanych przez niego czasów. Historyk wszelkie opisane działania podejmowane przez parę cesarską stara się właśnie skontrastować z otaczającym ich światem, który miał ogromny wpływ na niektóre podejmowane decyzje. Ma to również niestety pewne swoje małe wady. W kilku fragmentach publikacji autor kompletnie niepotrzebnie wchodzi w rolę „adwokata” i stara się nie tyle wytłumaczyć decyzje cesarza, co wręcz staje w jego obronie. Tego typu treści na całe szczęście nie ma tutaj za wiele, ale i tak te, które się pojawiają kłują w oczy (historyk powinien zachować jednak pełną neutralność).
Nawet biorąc pod uwagę pewne drobne wspomniane powyżej wady, nadal mamy tutaj do czynienia ze świetną historyczną publikacją. Justynian i Teodora to więc książka, którą powinien docenić każdy pasjonat Bizancjum.
https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...
July 22, 2010
How many books do you have to read before it can be claimed you have "a thing" for a topic? Two books? Ten? I would say I definitely have a thing for the late Roman era, with sub-things for Augustine and north Africa, and more recently for Justinian's reign of the Byzantine empire. Admittedly, reading historical fantasy by Guy Gavriel Kay sparked the Justinian thing, but it's taken off since. This book by Browning is a really excellent look at Justinian's empire and all the complicated people who surrounded him. It was fun to see unfolding some of the events and characters that Kay swiped for his novels, and fun to see the "true" stories of these people and get a sense of what parts of Kay's work are fact and what are fiction. Not that Browning is only interesting to Kay aficionados: I found this book accessible and really informative in its own right. There's a lot about the battles, and less about Theodora and the court life, but in Browning's defense the battles are much better documented than the lives of women, even women like Theodora. This book is also beautifully illustrated, which really helps with the architectural details, and also with imagining who these people really were. Highly recommended.
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November 1, 2016The overall lens of BroWning's book is Justinian's attempts to reunify the Roman empire by military and political means. The first couple of chapters, the prelude, seemed hurried. HoWever, after Justinian becomes emperor the book takes on a more entertaining tone. Very little focused attention is given to topics that the author disregards as 'vulgar', ex. the biography of ex-actress and courtesan, the empress Theodora is only one dry page long. Comments about the number of christian persecutions before Justinian might be taken With a grain of salt, as they give no exact figures or places and contradict other experts. MeanWhile, the Nika rebellion and the campaigns against Totila and the visigoths in Italy loom large as does Justinian's plan to unify his kingdom through religious accords and laW. I Was pleasantly surprised to read an in-depth description of the architecture of the Church of the Holy Wisdom, Haggia sophia. Overall, an enjoyable if opinionated book.
November 19, 2012
While the referencing could be better, Robert Browning's biographies is a very readable account of the years of Justinian's reign.
February 18, 2018
Really good and useful biography of Justinian and his wife, Theodora.
December 31, 2014
Useful.
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