Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western CivilizationFilled with unforgettable stories of emperors, generals, and religious patriarchs, as well as fascinating glimpses into the life of the ordinary citizen, Lost to the West reveals how much we owe to the Byzantine Empire that was the equal of any in its achievements, appetites, and enduring legacy. For more than a millennium, Byzantium reigned as the glittering seat of Christian civilization. When Europe fell into the Dark Ages, Byzantium held fast against Muslim expansion, keeping Christianity alive. Streams of wealth flowed into Constantinople, making possible unprecedented wonders of art and architecture. And the emperors who ruled Byzantium enacted a saga of political intrigue and conquest as astonishing as anything in recorded history. Lost to the West is replete with stories of assassination, mass mutilation and execution, sexual scheming, ruthless grasping for power, and clashing armies that soaked battlefields with the blood of slain warriors numbering in the tens of thousands. |
Contents
1 | |
Constantine and the Church Ascendant | 11 |
The Pagan Counterstroke | 27 |
Barbarians and Christians | 39 |
A Dreadful Rumor from the West | 49 |
The Fall of Rome | 57 |
The Rise of Peter Sabbatius | 67 |
Nika | 73 |
The Glorious House of Macedon | 167 |
The Brilliant Pretender | 179 |
Death and His Nephew | 193 |
Basil the Bulgar Slayer | 207 |
The March of Folly | 219 |
The Comneni Recovery | 229 |
Swords That Drip with Christian Blood | 249 |
The Empire in Exile | 261 |
Of Buildings and Generals | 83 |
IO Yersinia Pestis | 103 |
A Persian Fire | 115 |
The House of | 129 |
The Image Breakers | 137 |
The Crumbling Empire | 145 |
I | 157 |
II | 162 |
The Brilliant Sunset | 271 |
The Eternal Emperor | 287 |
Byzantine Embers | 301 |
Emperors of Constantinople | 309 |
Acknowledgments | 315 |
318 | |
323 | |
Other editions - View all
Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western ... Lars Brownworth Limited preview - 2010 |
Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western ... Lars Brownworth No preview available - 2009 |
Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western ... Lars Brownworth No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
Alexius Alexius IV Alexius's Antioch Arab arrived Asia Minor attack barbarian Bardas Bardas Phocas Basil Basil II Belisarius Bosporus brother Bulgarian Byzan Byzantine army Byzantium caliph campaign capital century Christian church citizens conquered Constan Constantine VII Constantinople crown crusaders death defenders Diocletian dynasty East eastern emperor empire's enemies Europe fighting force Fourth Crusade frontier gates golden Goths Greek Hagia Sophia Heraclius Holy iconoclasts icons imperial army invaded Irene Islam Italy John John Tzimisces Julian Justinian king land Latin Lecapenus Macedonian dynasty managed Manuel Mehmed Michael VIII military Murad Murad II Muslim named navy nearly never Nicaea Nicephorus numbers Ottoman pagan palace patriarch peror Persian Phocas pope reign returned Roman Empire Romanus II Rome Sclerus seemed seize Seljuk sent soldiers soon sultan terrified territory Theodosius Theophano thousand threat throne tinople troops Turkish Turks turned Tzimisces Venetian Venice victory walls West western