A History of the Eastern Roman Empire from the Fall of Irene to the Accession of Basil I 802-867

by John Bagnell Bury

This classic history of the Eastern Roman Empire-first published in 1912 and a companion to Bury's two-volume History of the Later Roman Empire-remains one of the most readable works on the era, and is highly recommended for students of Roman culture. This essential volume • the reigns of Nicephorus I, Stauracius, and Michael I, (A.D. 802-813) • Leo V, the Armenian, and the revival of Iconoclasm (A.D. 813-820) • Michael II, the Amorian (A.D. 820-829) • Theophilus (A.D. 829-842) • Michael III (A.D. 842-867) • financial and military administration • the Saracen wars • relations with the Western Empire • the conversion of Slavs and Bulgarians • and much, much more. British historian JOHN BAGNELL BURY (1861-1927) was professor of modern history at Cambridge. His writings, known for a readability combined with a scholarly depth, include History of Greece (1900) and Idea of Progress (1920).

Genres: History, Ancient History

548 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1912

About the author

John Bagnell Bury (often published as J.B. Bury) was a classical scholar, historian, and philologist. He held the chair in Modern History at Trinity College, Dublin, for nine years, and also was appointed Regius Professor of Greek at Trinity, and Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University.

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bury's in-depth exploration of a 65-year period in 9th century Byzantium was published in 1912. The author's analytical skills are impressive. His prose style comes from decades before historians accepted the value of popular history, so it is a dense read. The first third of the text covers the lives and interests of the many emperors who were enthroned during this short period; the last two-thirds cover the administrative trends of the period, with a final chapter about the artistic, literary and educational aspects of the culture. If you are willing to pick through the outdated phrasing, there is a lot of meat to be found.

I was tickled by one spelling that especially dates this book: "sovereign" is spelled throughout as "sovran".

I found no bibliography in the kindle version. I don't know how recently the inclusion of a bibliography became a convention, but presumably it was after 1912.