Sign in with Facebook
“Roman emperors and their advisors never solved the problem of succession. They were defeated in part by biology, in part by lingering uncertainties and disagreements about how inheritance should best operate. Succession always came down to some combination of luck, improvisation, plotting, violence and secret deals. The moment when Roman power was handed on was always the moment when it was most vulnerable.”
― SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
― SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
“No one has ever framed a better critique of Roman imperial power than the words put into the mouths of rebels against Rome by Roman writers themselves.”
― SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
― SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
“When a bad man has the advantage, cruelty and outrage are the consequences. —William Marshal”
― The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
― The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
“When you keep searching for ways to change your situation for the better, you stand a chance of finding them. When you stop searching, assuming they can’t be found, you guarantee they won’t.”
― Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
― Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
“Henry I was, as one contemporary chronicler put it, “the man against whom no one could prevail except God himself.” The fourth son of William the Conqueror, he enjoyed an exceptionally long, peaceful, and prosperous reign of thirty-five years, in which royal authority in England reached new heights. After his father’s death in 1087, England and Normandy had been split apart. Henry ruthlessly reunited them.”
― The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
― The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
Smiti’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Smiti’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Smiti
Lists liked by Smiti
