The World of Byzantium

by Kenneth W. Harl

Byzantium is too-often considered merely the "Eastern rump" of the old Roman Empire, a curious and even unsettling mix of the classical and medieval. Yet it was, according to Professor Harl, "without a doubt the greatest state in Christendom through much of the Middle Ages," and well worth our attention as a way to widen our perspective on everything from the decline of imperial Rome to the rise of the Renaissance.
In a series of 24 tellingly detailed lectures, you'll learn how the Greek-speaking empire of Byzantium, or East Rome, occupied a crucial place in both time and space that began with Constantine the Great and endured for more than a millennium - a crucible where peoples, cultures, and ideas met and melded to create a world at once Eastern and Western, Greek and Latin, classical and Christian. And you'll be dazzled by the achievements of Byzantium's emperors, patriarchs, priests, monks, artists, architects, scholars, soldiers, and officials
Preserving and extending the literary, intellectual, and aesthetic legacy of Classical and Hellenistic Greece
Carrying forward path-breaking Roman accomplishments in law, politics, engineering, architecture, urban design, and military affairs
Deepening Christian thought while spreading the faith to Russia and the rest of what would become the Orthodox world
Developing Christian monastic institutions
Shielding a comparatively weak and politically fragmented western Europe from the full force of eastern nomadic and Islamic invasions
Fusing classical, Christian, and eastern influences
Helping to shape the course of the Humanist revival and the Renaissance

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Ancient History, Medieval History, Middle East, World History

13 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Dr. Kenneth W. Harl is Professor of Classical and Byzantine History at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he teaches courses in Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader history. He earned his B.A. from Trinity College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

Recognized as an outstanding lecturer, Professor Harl has received numerous teaching awards at Tulane, including the coveted Sheldon H. Hackney Award two times. He has earned Tulane's annual Student Body Award for Excellence in Teaching nine times and is the recipient of Baylor University's nationwide Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teachers.

In 2007, he was the Lewis P. Jones Visiting Professor in History at Wofford College. An expert on classical Anatolia, he has taken students with him into the field on excursions and to assist in excavations of Hellenistic and Roman sites in Turkey.

Professor Harl has also published a wide variety of articles and books, including his current work on coins unearthed in an excavation of Gordion, Turkey, and a new book on Rome and her Iranian foes. A fellow and trustee of the American Numismatic Society, Professor Harl is well known for his studies of ancient coinage. He is the author of Civic Coins and Civic Politics in the Roman East, A.D. 180–275 and Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700.

Reviews

[Roy Lotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought these lectures on Byzantium in preparation for my trip to Istanbul, and it was an excellent choice. This is exactly the kind of painless survey that I wanted—the history broken down into half-hour chunks, which I could listen to on walks or runs.

Now, in the world of education there has been a lot of criticism of lectures; they are decried as ineffective for encouraging passivity—a stuffy, conservative holdover from less enlightened times. But listening to a skilled lecturer like Harl demonstrates that it can be a very effective tool, especially if you want to cover a lot of ground. Though I occasionally felt lost in the more synoptic lectures, in which he jumped from emperor to incompetent emperor, for the most part I found it easy to follow and retain the information.

Harl brings up Gibbon mainly to criticize him; but I was surprised at how closely Harl’s account cleaved to Gibbon’s. The story, in essence, is one of a glorious beginning following by a long, slow, grinding decline, occasionally reversed by brilliant leaders. And though historians like to complain that Byzantium is unduly ignored, even Harl mainly sees the value of Byzantium through the role it played in Western European history: stopping the advance of Islam, preserving Greek arts and letters, and shaping Christianity.

In any case, Byzantium has a fascinating and important history—standing at the crossroads of so many different worlds, historical and geographical—and Harl does an admirable job in serving it up to us.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging history. Like the focus on aspects of culture as well as history.

[William Adam Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with the mystery that surrounds the Byzantine Empire. I've always wanted to know more. One of these days, I mean to get to John Julius Norwich's "History of Byzantium". Until then, I decided to listen to these courses. I have listened recently to Professor Harl's "Decline of the Pagans and rise of Medieval Christianity" and enjoyed it. This is an earlier course, but I enjoyed it equally well. Professor Harl speaks clearly, I would say he has less "um's" in this course than the other one. I have noticed some reviewers don't enjoy that mannerism of his and have commented on it!

This course starts out with out the problems the Roman Empire was having in the 3rd and 4th century and then quickly moves to Constantine the Great. You will learn about the high point of the Byzantine Empire, which was under Justinian, whom Harl devotes several lectures to. Then you will move onto the long struggle Byzantium had with the rise of Islam, the Crusades, the decline of Byzantium, and ultimately its fall.

I actually would have liked a longer course than 24 lectures. I was glad with what I learned, but unfortunately it likely won't stay with me very long unless I supplant it with additional readings. There is a course guidebook which is very helpful. It reviews each lecture, gives additional suggestions for readings, has a timeline, and a short biograph of every person mentioned in the lectures. Byzantium is a fascinating culture and empire and I was glad to get started on learning more about its rich history and traditions.

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasure to read (or - rather - to listen to).
Packed with interesting facts, spanning several dimensions (cultural, political, military, etc.) across 10 centuries of Byzantine history. Are there any flaws? Just a few:
1. very slow start (the context of the Roman empire before division is more extensive than I've expected)
2. a bit too little detail on the unique act of splitting the empire (financial, logistical, even political)
3. I know 10 centuries is a lot of time, but sometimes I lacked some details on where some nations/peoples came from and how did they rise to power
4. It's a small, but surprising detail: the term "Russia" was used incorrectly more than once - in an over-generalized & incorrect way; it didn't invalidate the whole content of course, but still - I was surprised

Good stuff

[Mikel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Byzantine Empire (or more accurately the later Roman Empire) has been criminally under represented in Western history. It continues to have a vast influence in our world today but very few people even knew it existed. Such as Russia's deep distrust of the West, which is often sighted back to western Europe's betrayal of the Byzantine Empire in the Fourth Crusade.

While most of Europe was in the throws of the illiterate middle ages, the Byzantine Empire was filled with great orators, writers, educators and artists. The fall of the Byzantine Empire coincides with the beginning of the Enlightenment in Italy. Coincidence? No, many of the Byzantine Empires great minds (that managed to escape the all out slaughter of their countrymen) fled to Italy where they became leading members of this 'Enlightenment' movement.

From the Mongol hordes to the Caliphate, Western Europe should have been over run by armies much larger and more sophisticated then they were many times. Why weren't they? Why were they allowed to ignore the rest of the world and engage in their petty feudal wars? Because of the Byzantine Empire.

These lectures are chalked full of amazing information! I have only scratched at the surface. I only wish there was more information out there.

[Einar Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm such a sucker for these historical lectures from The Great Courses. Of course, they are not all great but this is one of the better ones. I got this (and the one on the Ottoman Empire) as I'll be traveling to Istanbul soon and I've learned so much. About the reasons for the crusades, about the cultural influences, the empire had on the west and pretty much everything that happened after Justinian. It will be great to travel to the city after listening to this. So if you are a history buff you will enjoy this.

[Aaron Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Imperial Crisis and Reform

A century of crisis between A.D. 193 and 305 propelled the Roman world out of the classical into the early medieval age. After A.D. 235, a series of civil wars and invasions shattered the peace of the 60-million-subject Empire, profoundly changed all aspects of life, and set the stage for the rise of the civilization that would be known as Byzantium.

Third century—rapid and fundamental change
Loss of professional army—recruiting of barbarians
Ballooning of central government
New position of emperor—principate to dominate
Rise of Christianity—fall of the Pagans

2. Constantine

Convinced that the Christian God had given him a signal victory, Constantine (r. 306–337) embraced the new faith and pointed the Empire in new directions. His sponsorship of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325) and his decision to build a "New Rome" on the strategic Bosporus laid the foundations of Byzantium.

3. State and Society Under the Dominate

Abandoning republican fictions, emperors after the 3rd century A.D. ruled as autocrats. Imperial demands eroded civic life and put classical religion and civilization in jeopardy. As the 5th century dawned, the bonds that had tied local elites to Rome had loosened, and in the West the outlines of medieval localism were emerging.

Great increase in civil administration.
Imperial government becomes a magnet for the ambitious and corrupt.
Higher taxes.

4. Imperial Rome and the Barbarians

Citizen legions had long guarded Rome's frontiers. But after 235, emperors increasingly recruited barbarian tribal fighters under native leaders, thereby creating the very forces that would topple imperial power in the West.

5. The Rise of Christianity

Until the conversion of Constantine, Christians remained relatively few in number, mostly in Mediterranean cities. But Christian self-definition was well-honed by 312, putting Christian emperors and bishops into a position to reshape a classical world whose people mostly remained pagans into the 5th century.

6. Imperial Church and Christian Dogma

The Council of Nicaea in 325 endorsed the Trinitarian theology of Athanasius but did not settle all debate. Later councils at Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) condemned Nestorians and Monophyistes, respectively. Emperors would continue striving to reconcile the latter, who commanded loyalty in the crucial provinces of Egypt, Syria, and eastern Anatolia.

7. The Friends of God—Ascetics and Monks

Solitary anchorites of the Egyptian desert inspired the 4th-century ascetic movement that led to medieval monasticism. St. Basil of Caesarea (330–379) penned rules regulating monastic life. His Latin counterpart, St. Benedict of Nursia (480–543), followed suit four generations later. Monasteries would play a decisive role in civilizing and converting Europe.

8. The Fall of the Western Empire

By 425, the western portion of the Roman Empire had shrunk to its Mediterranean core. The eastern court, secure behind Constantinople's Theodosian Walls, defied barbarian invaders, paid off Attila, and reformed its army. But it was too late to save the West, whose fall is usually dated to the deposition of Emperor Romulus Augustus by Odoacer in 476.

9. The Age of Justinian

Justinian (r. 527–565) was a cultured visionary, tireless public servant, and the last of the great Roman emperors. His supporting cast, headed by his wife Theodora (a former courtesan) and his superb general Belisarius, was similarly brilliant.

10. The Reconquest of the West

Justinian knew he could not afford long wars, but felt he had to fight the Arian German kingdoms in Italy, the Vandals in Africa, and the Persians to his east. Commanding small, often-outnumbered armies, both Belisarius and Narses (the eunuch general) worked military wonders, though the former was driven from command by the emperor's distrust.

11. The Search for Religious Unity

Well schooled in theology, Justinian believed that a common creed could unite Chalcedonians and Monophysites. But he failed to reckon with the depth of the disagreements among Rome, Constantinople, and Alexandria. Despite all his efforts, the imperial church at the end of his reign was even more bitterly divided than before.

12. The Birth of Christian Aesthetics and Letters

Justinian presided over the synthesis of Jewish, classical, and provincial arts into a Christian art and architecture that shaped medieval aesthetics and created such glories as the church mosaics of Ravenna and the magnificent dome of the Hagia Sophia. This lecture also contains a fascinating discussion of the origins and design features of basilicas and other Christian church buildings in the Eastern Empire.

13. The Emperor Heraclius

Defeater of the Persians

Heraclius (r. 610–641), the next great emperor after Justinian, managed to tame the Persian threat and restore the empire's fortunes on other fronts as well. But as Heraclius lay dying, his achievement was being nullified by the might of Arab horsemen and their powerful new faith, Islam.

14. The Christian Citadel

Heraclius to Michael III (641-867)

For more than two centuries, the heirs of Heraclius battled Lombards in Italy, Slavs and Bulgars in the Balkans, and Arabs in Anatolia. At the Battle of Poson (863), imperial forces won a victory that made it possible to carry Christianity and the civilized arts to the peoples of Eastern Europe. In the crucible of these wars was born the Byzantine Empire: Roman in government, Orthodox in faith, and Hellenic in language.

15. Life in the Byzantine Dark Age (610-867)

Emperors of the "Dark Age" cracked down on corruption, and Constantinople fueled economic recovery by offering ready markets, but war and plague led to a demographic collapse by 700. Desperate imperial officials settled Slavs, Armenians, and Christian sectarians as soldiers or peasants, sponsored trade, and regulated prices. In response to crisis, emperors and subjects heroically reformed their world.

16. The Iconoclastic Controversy

Something needed to connect humans with the divine.

Many Byzantines became convinced that icons meant idolatry, and hence divine punishment. Iconoclasm ("the breaking of images") began under Leo III (r. 717–741) and was finally settled by a moderate compromise in 843. The dispute defined orthodox ritual and widened the divide between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Henceforth, Rome looked west and Constantinople became the "queen of cities" for Eastern Europe.

17. Recovery Under the Macedonian Emperors

(867-1056) Byzantine Greatness

The illiterate usurper Basil the Macedonian (867–886) and his heirs sought legitimacy via military victory and patronage of the arts. They could not have acted more opportunely. The 10th century was an era of battles won and peoples baptized, including the Varangians of Russia and the South Slavs. By 1025, Eastern Europe had taken on its early shape as a Byzantine Orthodox commonwealth—Slavic in speech, Byzantine in aesthetics, and imperial in institutions.

18. Imperial Zenith—Basil II

Basil II—nicknamed "The Bulgar-Slayer"—was the greatest warrior of his age. Scorning imperial ceremony and ruling in splendid isolation with Varangian mercenary guards, he crushed rebellions and annexed Armenia, Georgia, and Bulgaria. But Basil left no heir, and his very success had created a false sense of security among his inept successors. Once again, the Byzantine Empire was headed for crisis.

19. Imperial Collapse

How did the Byzantine state, which Basil II had left in perhaps its strongest position since the days of Justinian, so quickly become enfeebled and exposed to new invaders both east and west? In 1071, on the distant Armenian battlefield of Manzikert, Byzantine forces facing the Seljuk Turks suffered a staggering defeat that changed world history.

20. Alexius I and the First Crusade

Alexius, committed to reversing the verdict of Manzikert by reconquering Anatolia, asked Western princes to send him knights. Pope Urban II took this appeal for mercenaries as a summons to liberate the Holy Land, unleashing the Crusades and the eventual ruin of Byzantium.

21. Comnenian Emperors and Crusaders

When the Crusades of the 12th century ended in failure, Westerners blamed Byzantine treachery rather than their own poor logistics and strategy. Distracted by the Crusades, meanwhile, Constantinople neglected the Seljuk threat and lost to the Turks again at Myriocephalon (1176). The fecklessness of a new and weak dynasty, the Angelans, left Byzantium's great capital vulnerable to Crusader assault.

22. Imperial Exile and Restoration

In April 1204, members of the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople. Crusader barons and Byzantine generals carved out pieces of the faltering Empire. Michael VIII Palaeologus (1258–1282) eventually retook Constantinople, but neither he nor his less-than-brilliant heirs could reverse Byzantium's loss of even regional power or status.

23. Byzantine Letters and Aesthetics

Guardians of the classical heritage, Byzantine scholars saved many priceless Greek texts. From the 10th century on, emperors endowed schools and promoted intellectual life. Byzantine authors wrote in the tradition of Thucydides and Plutarch, and Photius revived the study of Plato. The mannerist church frescoes of the Byzantine 14th century compare with the best of contemporary Italian art, and exercised considerable influence on the Italian Renaissance.

24. The Fall of Constantinople

The Palaeologan emperors hoped to preserve their shrunken realm with Western aid but could not stop the Ottomans. The last emperor, Constantine XI, and his 7,000 gallant comrades went down fighting as the historic capital of the Christian East fell to the guns and bigger battalions of Sultan Mehmet II in May 1453. From the ashes of Constantinople, Mehmet built Istanbul, seat of a new Islamic empire that would last through World War I.

[Jessica McKendry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such an interesting series of lectures! I knew very little about the Byzantine empire before listening to these and so much of it was fascinating.

I think my favorite parts were learning about:
- How the Roman Empire fractured and part of it became the Byzantine empire
- Constantine, the first Emperor of the Byzantium, how he came to power and how he converted to Christianity
- How Christianity flourished and evolved in Byzantium
- Justinian I and his wife Theodora. Justinian I married Theodora for her mind. She was looked down upon by the upper classes because it seems she had been a courtesan (basically a high class prostitute) before marrying Justinian. With her influence and support, Justinian became a great emperor to his people.
- How Islam affected Byzantium, and how the crusades later became part of the empire's downfall

All these things were so cool!

There were definitely a few parts that were a little bit dull, but overall this was a great lecture series. I can't wait to listen to more great courses!

[Darnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopefully a good enough foundation for me to read more specific books about Byzantium.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of Harl's better courses, very interesting and informative and engagingly presented throughout - even though his pronunciation of some names occasionally made me wince.

[Gebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting course about an area of history I was pretty ignorant of. I learned a lot about how Byzantine culture influenced the modern world and how early Christiany flourished. If you're interested in that, highly recommend.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never done any of the Great Courses collection before, I picked up this particular collection, which contains 24 lectures of 30 minutes apiece, from the library. The appeal of the Great Courses collection is that it offers serious university level education from world class professors for free to those who are able to listen to audiobooks. It's a good appeal, and this book certainly delivers the goods by providing lectures that are about a quarter length on a subject of serious personal interest, namely Byzantine history [1]. The professor for this course is from Tulane University and happens to be well-regarded and highly decorated, and he comes off as being a person of a great sense of humor as well as serious passion about the somewhat obscure religious, political/military, and cultural history of the Byzantine empire.


The contents of this audiobook are far more wide-ranging than is the case for most examinations of Byzantine history, and a large part of that has to do with the author's background in the Classics as opposed to the more usual political or military history one. The course takes a mostly chronological approach to Byzantine history, beginning in the period of imperial crisis and reform in the third century. After this there is an examination of the life and career of Constantine, state and society under the Dominate, imperial Rome and its dealings with barbarians, the rise of Christianity, the Imperial church and Nicene era Christian dogma, the supposed friends of God in ascetics and monks, the fall of the Western empire, the age of Justinian, the reconquest of the West, the elusive search religious unity in the Byzantine world, and the birth of Christian aesthetics and letters that closes out the first half of the course. The second half of the course covers the career of the emperor Heraclius, Byzantium as a Christian citadel during the next three centuries, life in the Byzantine dark ages, the Iconoclastic controversy, the recovery of the empire during the Macedonian dynasty, the imperial zenith under Basil II, the imperial collapse over the next 50 years, Alexius I and the first crusade, the Commenian emperors and their dealings with Crusaders, Imperial Exile and Restoration after the fourth crusade, Byzantine letters & aesthetics, and a last melancholy chapter on the fall of Constantinople in 1453.


Byzantine history is a melancholy subject, perhaps one reason why I like to read about it, given my own native melancholy, largely because it is an empire that ended in a glorious but ultimately futile defense after having such a long and noble history and surviving despite numerous disasters and reverses. This particular class, despite the fact that its view of religious history is predicated on the praise of Hellenistic Christianity rather than biblical Christianity, is particularly strong on focusing on the distinctive elements of Byzantine culture, on pointing out the need for better archeology of the Byzantine era, something I have seen myself in my travels in Turkey, and on bringing the attention of the person taking to the class to the vital role of the Byzantine Empire in transmitting the classical heritage to the West, something that is generally neglected by many. Although the course is ultimately a sad one, the instructor does a solid job at praising and pointing out the surprising resilience of the empire and its many recoveries from what seemed like hopeless positions, only to fail at last due to changing technology and disastrous demographics and logistics. Byzantium deserved a better fate given its long and noble life, but at least we can respect its history.


[1] See, for example:


https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice introduction to the history of Byzantian Empire, which I could recommend to anyone new to the subject matter. The 24 30 minutes long lectures are divided logically into three distinct sections - the first tries (quite successfully) to deal with the 'split' of Roman Empire into eastern and western sections and explains why the western section went under while the eastern continued to thrive. It is up to each 'student' to agree or disagree with lecturer's analysis, but it certainly was interesting and slightly different than usual approach.
Once we're finished with the 'setup' for the story, we move on to the Byzantine Empire and its different aspects. Here, professor Harl tries to cover a lot of terrain within limited time and the narrative is understandably somewhat shallow and rushed. The chronological story is punctured with side-stories about social structure, developments on the religious front and everyday life within the great city itself and the provinces. Overall, one gets pretty good grasp of the challenges facing the rulers and how the events shaped the fortunes of the empire.
The final part of the lectures deals with the decline of the empire and fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Empire. The story is retold and an attempt is made to explain why the history took this particular course. The entire course is then rounded up with a retrospective analysis of Byzantine empire's impact on the history of the region and Europe as a whole. Once again, professor Harl's conclussions are worth considering, even though I suspect that not everyone will agree with him.

As a whole, 'The World of Byzantium' course set is very enjoyable learning experience. Its content if certainly of high educational quality, while lecturer's personal lecturing style is quite engaging. In first couple of lectures his perpetually rushed way of speaking did disturb me a bit. Once you get used to it and concentrate on the story, you'll appreciate both the richness of facts and occasional witty remark. So overall, I'd say it's one of better TTC courses I've listened to in a good while.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Presentation, Dry Content

AT A GLANCE:
Byzantine intrigue and lots (and lots) of info!

CONTENT:
From the founding of Constantinople in late antiquity to its fall in 1453, this course effectively traces the rise and fall of an empire. Be aware that it is straight history, with multitudes of dates and names that may not stick in your memory if you dispense with the provided notes. It covers many areas including military and Church history, society, art and architecture.

NARRATOR:
Prof. Harl has a peculiar speaking voice though I adjusted to it quickly. He shows enthusiasm for his work. I would listen to more courses from him.

OVERALL:
If you're interested in the Eastern Roman empire this is a great primer. It covers many topics and would be a great resource for deciding further study.

[anja · Rating 3 out of 5]

ehh it’s alright. i got a very broad overview of byzantium, but i would have liked to have learned more about it. half of the book was spent on two centuries and the remaining like 7 were the rest of the book. i get that the guy making it is a roman historian, but still. it was often just “this emperor did this and then this shitty one came along” and not that much about the life in the empire, which would have been interesting to me.

[John Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent course on the Byzantine era. Very good lectures with some humor but lots of why Byzantium was important.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished listening to this, and it was pretty good. Some parts where very interesting while other parts just seemed like rather dull political/military history that really did not have much overall consequence. Though that just might be me getting a bit sick of listening to great courses history courses.

Anyway, what I found rather interesting was his explanation for why the Western Roman Empire fell. He argues that the Roman Empire suffered from a few inherent institutional weaknesses, most notably the succession and its defense. I am sure everyone knows about the succession problems, so his argument for defense is that since the army was just so costly to train and maintain that Rome relied on that superiority to be able to beat any other army on the open field, and if things truly went to shit, then you could move an army from the quieter areas to that danger areas.

The problem arises when the Empire is threatened on multiple fronts and succession crises. Well, there were a crap ton of succession crisis in the 3rd century. On the front issue, the German tribes became better organized and, most importantly, the Sassasanid Empire's rise in the East. This was a powerful foe that required the Roman Empire to move troops from the West to the East to be able to defend against this new threat. Problem is, the Germans then started raiding and settling in the West because there was now not sufficient force to beat them back. This was further compounded by Rome's numerous civil wars during the period that absolutely bled them dry. Consequently, Rome was militarily weaker, they had to raise a crap ton of money to raise new armies to defend against their enemies who now were aware of Rome's weakness, which lead to increased taxes, currency debasement and the increasing reliance on barbarians to fill out the ranks. That shit just increases overtime, and bam, fall of Rome.

Personally, I find the ecological, disease and demographic crises as the main reason to be more convincing because it explains so much, but this definitely seems like very good major second reason. I never really liked the whole barbarian argument because it did not make much sense to me, but the Persians being the impetus for that does make a lot of sense.

Onto the Byzantium Empire, I think the reign of Justinian presents a fascinating what if question. During the reign of Justinian, the Byzantium Empire undertook tremendous efforts to re-conquer the Western Roman Empire, basically meaning North Africa and Italy first. While they 'won', they could not hold onto these territories for long, and these military excursions absolutely bankrupted the state, weakened the army considerably, and saw basically all of its territory and power shrink considerably.

One of the major why this was not successful to due a massive demographic collapse during the reign of Justinian due to plague. So, it is interesting to think about what would have happened if the plague didnt hit? Would the Roman Empire have been unified? Would the Byzantine-Sassanid wars been avoided? the Persians were preying upon Byzantine weakness and trying to conquer new territory, but the Byzantines eventually got a brilliant Emperor in charge, reformed the military, and just absolutely crushed the Persians. Right after he did that though, was the rise of the Islamic Empire. Would that Empire have been successful if it wasnt for Justinian's failure, the plague, and the Byzantine-Sassanid Wars that basically destroyed one power and left the other short of manpower and will to do anything (Emperor had a water phobia).

Pretty crazy how a plague at just the right moment might have prevented the re-unificaiton of the Roman Empire and allowed the Islamic Empire to just spread like wildfire over the Middle East and North Africa.

Basil the Bulgar Slayer has to be the best nickname ever (I even made a thread about it!), but he actually did some important non-Bulgar slaying shit. He expanded the borders, kept peace at the borders, and enriched the treasury. Perhaps his most important reforms were his land reforms that tried to get them into the hands of peasants instead of them getting scooped up by powerful Eastern nobles. Not only did this have the effect of reducing the power of the Eastern Nobles (who constantly threatened the power of the Emperor), but it also set the empire on a much better economic and stable footing. Another important reform was his edict that allowed the Orthodox Slavs to be able to worship how they wanted and with their own preachers.

What is amazing is how this all went to shit after he died. The preceding rulers took the exact opposite approach - canceled the land reform, interfered with the religious institutions of the Slavs, spent lavish amounts of money, ruined the army (out of fear of revolt) and turned the political game into even more of a traitorous, backstabbing affair. All of this culminated in the battle of Manzikert that saw the Turks defeat the Byzantines on the field, which started the Turkification of Anatolia. What is crazy is that the Byzantines could have likely won, but due to the back-stabby politics of the Byzantine court, the second army that was supposed to support the Emperor (which was equal in number) never showed up to the battle. Even so, during the battle it was relatively even. The emperor decided to slowly pull back after a day of fighting, but then one of the nobles decided to call out and spread the rumor that the Emperor was dead. This caused the army to flee, a mass route ensued and the Emperor was captured.

This battle right there basically resulted in the Crusades because the Byzantines no longer had the power to fight the Turks on their own, so the Byzantine Emperor called on the Pope to help. Problem is, is that the Crusades were not all that successful for the Byzantine Empire. Essentially, it was really a culture class, conflicting interest and mistrust. Basically, just picture a Germanic tribe (western Europeans) visiting the Roman Senate (Byzantium). This was further exacerbated due to the fact that the Crusaders decided to create Crusader states instead of give those to the Byzantine Empire. This created great distrust and probably disgust on both sides, specifically the cities of Antioch and Odessa, which were considered very Byzantine since Orthodox Greeks lived there.

I should point out that the only reason why the first Crusade was successful was that the Middle East at this time was politically fragmented and weak, so they were able to play off groups off one another. And the Crusades were actually an impetus that caused the Muslims to unite, and when they did they kicked the Latins out.

Well, due to those Crusader states existing, they needed to be defended, which caused more crusades and more distrust, which eventually led to the 4th Crusade and the sack of Byzantium. This basically ended Byzantium as a power and pretty much doomed it to whoever could take it. This does make it amusing that much of the West Bemoaned the fall to the Turks when they were the ones who helped make that happen. Also interesting is that the Greeks likely much preferred the Turks to the Latins, because during the period when the Latins controlled Constantinople and set up feudal states within the Empire, they tried to force Catholicism, Latin bishops etc as well as established feudalism and serfdom. The Turks just left the Orthodox Greeks alone and worked through the existing institutions.

One Interesting consequence of the sack of Constantinople by the Latins and then the fall of the city by the Turks was that Greek culture began to spread more to the West and spread dramatically right before the fall of the city to places like Italy. This allowed the Italian Renaissance, which was mostly just a Latin Renaissance, to have access to Ancient Greek texts and Greek speakers who kept that Classical tradition alive. So yea, he very much discounts the opinion that the Moors or other Muslims were the ones who transmitted classical learning to Europe, and I think that makes a lot of sense. What the Moors did was to spread very technical subjects like Math, geometry, mapmaking, etc and also Aristotle and important commentaries by Avveroes (a Moor) on him. Italy already had access to much of the Classical Latin literature, they simply needed to find it. And the vast majority of Greek literature and knowledge came from the Byzantium Empire. Personally, I think that just makes sense. I mean, why would the Muslim world need to be the ones who transmitted classical learning to Europe when the Byzantine Empire existed?

So yea, an interesting and important period, and, as the speaker notes, that it is kinda funny that the Byzantine Empire might have achieved its greatest influence after its fall since Greek literature and thought became very important to the West and many of the major events, the Renaissance, the Reformation, etc etc.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the Great Courses series, this is an audiobook recording of 24 lectures given by Kenneth Harl, Professor of History at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The course covers the development of the Greek-speaking empire Byzantium (also known as East Rome) from the rule of Constantine I, the first Christian Roman emperor and his establishment of Constantinople as the new seat of the Roman Empire in the year 330 until it was taken over by the Ottomans in 1453. It delves into the politics of the period in some detail, including the important role the region had in the Middle Ages and the formation of Europe as we know it today.

Although I knew some of the basics – that Byzantium was in the east, that Constantinople was named after Constantine, who converted to Christianity and was responsible for its initial spread around his sphere of influence – I was unaware of its broader significance in medieval geopolitics. So this material was mostly new to me, and it took a while to digest all the characters populating the story as emperors came and went, the legacy of the Greeks was preserved, philosophy and religious thought progressed, technological and legislative innovations were introduced, and Europe headed towards the Renaissance.

Because it was something new to me, I liked this course a lot. But I do have one niggling complaint. Professor Harl hesitates too much, uses “um” and “ah” too often, and even mispronounces names and places frequently, quickly correcting himself afterwards. According to his Wikipedia page, he has won several teaching awards, so I assume these verbal tics are less noticeable if you see him lecture in person. But on audiobook, when you are focused only on his voice, they are quite distracting, and detract from an otherwise enjoyable learning experience.

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive, understandable, occasionally quite funny
I've read a half dozen histories of Rome and usually when you get to the continued survival of the eastern half of the Roman Empire the author hand waves away that survival as Byzantine (or too confusing or pointless to bother with). I've been curious about these guys, especially as how modern treatment of them shines a light on the unstated jingoism of "Western History" as a justification for White Supremacy. I mean, why study something that blows up all your 'proof' and casts the "West" (i.e. the White race) in a bad light?
So here's just some of what I learned.
-The city of Constantinople didn't fall until 1450 (40 years before Columbus voyage to the West indies)
-It took the introduction of gun powder to breach the walls of Constantinople.
-The early ecumenical counsels argued about the duality of Christ's nature before the invention of the trinity.
-These guys bankrupted themselves trying to 'rescue' western Rome from the Goths & Vandals.
-They ruled Egypt and north Africa until the Muslims came along, and most of the Roman empire except western Europe during our 'dark ages'.
-oh yeah, the Roman Emperors had long abandoned the city of Rome before moving the capitol to the eastern Mediterranean.

This is a great source if you care about this period of history.
I especially enjoyed it because it plays into my confirmation bias that history is tailored to promote Western Chauvinism and White Supremacy, and this subject undercuts that narrative.
Those are my views, not necessarily the views of Kenneth W. Harl.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not actually done with this yet. The library divided the lectures into two halves. Done with the first half, but had other things on my list to listen to so will get to the second half later.

For some reason I hadn't been previously interested in Byzantium. I think the problem lies with my prior historical education, and the basic narrative of history I had in mind from it. In that narrative, the emphasis is solidly on the West, with the fall of Rome being a disaster that marks the start of a dark age until the successor barbarian kingdoms manage to claw they way back to something resembling civilization. Byzantium in this narrative is just a weird side-note, a knock-off Rome known for decadence and corruption. But then in another lecture series they noted that it is hard to date the fall of the Roman Empire since Byzantium held on for another millennium or so, and from their perspective they were Rome; the empire hadn't so much fallen as gone into steep decline, and really the Western portion was so backwards anyway, who needed it?

This lecture series has proven quite interesting so far. It provides a more comprehensive view of the transition between the (European) Ancient World and the Middle Ages than I have previously encountered. And not just society changes, but religious as well. Again, there is a bias in my perspective (one that many people share I am sure) that places the Pope as the traditional head of Christianity, even if one is aware of some of the scandals and general messiness connected to the office throughout its history. But this lecture reveals that much of what became church doctrine was decided in the Eastern half of the Empire, with the impetus for actually clarifying various issues coming from various Emperors. And on a related note, though we now think of Latin as a language of scholarship and learning, we see here an alternate where Latin is more a common language, while Greek carries the weight of scholarly tradition, high learning, and philosophy (at least within the Mediterranean sphere at that time).

Finished the second half. Not quite a "read twice" situation, but close enough.

The second half really felt like it was more about Byzantium, though it was also about the Crusades, which was interesting to hear about, as it is a topic I haven't really studied. But where the first half kind of filled in a gap of the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, here it is more about what Byzantium was up to while Western Europe was going through the familiar parts of Medieval History.

[Xiao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome topic and tons of awesome material. I love Kenneth Harl's passion and energy and love that he starts each lecture with a reserved tone and reads stuff off of his outline and within 3 minutes, you can visibly see his blood boiling with passion and his voice goes up 20dB. But occasionally his passion gets the better of him and he throws off tangential commentaries that are inaccurate and removes the comfort of being able to just listen to the lecture without being on the edge of caution throughout.

I was partially concerned to start with since his other lecture "The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes" was definitely the lowest quality lecture I've listened to among the 10 or so Great Courses topics I went through so far. Despite being such a fascinating topic, Mr. Harl keeps making pedestrian remarks and serendipitously dishes out blatantly inaccurate or oversimplified statements every 2 minutes.

Unfortunately inaccuracies are present here too but Byzantine history is definitely his comfort zone as he admitted in the steppes lecture and the meat/fluff ratio on the lecture is definitely much higher.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (3.5 stars) Solid series of lectures about the history of Byzantium. These lectures primarily focus on the geopolitical/military history of the region, for the time of the Roman Empire, to the split of the Empires, the fall of the West, and how the Empire managed to survive for nearly another 100 years. Much emphasis on the religious history and role that the split in Christianity played in the foundation of Byzantium. There is not much discussion about the socio-economic details of the Empire, so that is a little limiting. Still, for many an American student, Byzantium may as well be another planet. The listener will get at least a basic knowledge about the region and its history. A good starter, but probably need to look to other sources for more detailed information, especially for daily life considerations.

[Anthony Meaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great series of lectures from my favorite Great Courses Prof.
Byzantium is really the continuation of the Roman empire which hung on till 1453. They had some great emperors and some terrible emperors. They suffered through a devastating plague and numerous invaders including the Christian Crusaders. But it wasn't till the Turks showed up that Byzantium finally fell.
Picks up nicely from Harl's earlier "Rome and the Barbarians" and is a nice bridge to his follow up "The Ottoman Empire"

Well worth it.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overall view of an Empire and a period of history that I didn't know too much about. Presents insight into how the Crusades where viewed from the other side of the world and how those events changed the Byzantine Empire. Does a good job of highlighting the importance the Byzantine Empire had in preserving Greek culture and influencing the European Renaissance with out over playing that roll.

[Charles Lupo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was an interesting listen. I like the way Professor Harl lectures. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. I expected sort of a tour of what life was like in Constantinople from different perspectives, but it was really a historical timeline of the rise and then fall of the city. I learned a few thing along the way so all in all, worthwhile.

Recommended for History of Rome fans.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An enjoyable survey of a fascinating period. I was pleasantly surprised by how much was at least passingly familiar from the course I took in college, lo these 40 years ago. I'm afraid that I still had trouble keeping track of all the ins and outs, plots and counterplots, assassinations, usurpations and invasions, but I suppose that's why one of the meanings of "byzantine" is just that.

[Randolph King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lecture series provides incredible detail into the world of Byzantium and its relationships to other civilizations over the millennium of its existence. This is a time period during the middle ages that I, and many I know, lack much knowledge.

The only complaint I have is that the information comes too fast. It really is designed as a lecture, where you can sit and take notes. Not having that opportunity, I suspect I will not retain much, but the lecture would be worth a second hearing.

[Elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, a lot of information about a period of history and geographical area that I knew almost nothing about. The period between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance was pretty empty for me, especially in the East. I wish I could remember everything that was covered, but at least I know now more than I did!

[Rik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of context and less of the historical timeline i'd expect. It was good though, detailed explanation of the split between Rome and the Eastern Orthodox churches. I've done a few Roman great courses too and this has hands down the most detailed examination of the fall of the Roman empire. Solid 3.5 stars.

[Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a series of lectures and covers the history of Byzantium from its formation till its destruction. It is very informative and interesting and provides plenty of extra resources for further readings.