The Story of the Byzantine Empire

LLU TR T DYr HARR Y M ARTH UR LM Yr H M R Y HAL A Y MA Y AR Y AY r Y AI ULD U AL Y HU A Y r Y HA r A FR D LH UR H Y A Y M YARTH UR LM AI TA LY L LMA ARAH Y I Y A I ML<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">MAH FFY </li><li style="flex:1">Y L A M I r </li></ul>A Y I Y I YM LY LA L H H RY RAD LYY U K Y TA LY L LY M IA A YL IA A Y M I V L A U T MA Y M I Y H LLA YU A H LMH R LD R RY H A HL LZ M M R Y A LY I AI r A Y A A AI Y U IA LFR D T L Y HLU R H L<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Y</li><li style="flex:1">U M </li></ul>M RR Y LA Y I Z LA H M T H TDY U A M R T H r t v u U M Y K L I RI HIA MF LL UL L L F RD U H MA MP P M <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">L D </li><li style="flex:1">H</li></ul>Y IGH GUAM I H I rrPR FAC <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">F years ago the word </li><li style="flex:1">was used </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">as a </li><li style="flex:1">for all that was c rrupt and decadent </li></ul>and the tale of the ast Roman mpire was dis mi ed by modern hi rian depressing and m not nou The great Gibb n had branded the ucce or Ju tinian and Heracliu a eries of viciou weaklings and for several generations one dared to c ntradict him Two bo k have served undeceive the ngli h reader the monumental work Finlay published in and the more modern volume Mr Bury <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">which appeared </li><li style="flex:1">ince they have written </li></ul>the Byzantine no l nger need an apologist and the great work of the a t R man mpire in holding back the aracen and in keeping alive thr ughout the Dark Age the lamp of learning is beginning to be realized The writer thi b ok endeavoured to tell the tory Byzantium in the pirit Finlay and Bury not in that of Gibbon He wi he acknow led e his d bt both to the veter the war vi Greek ndependence and to the young Dublin pro Without their aid task would have been very heavy with it the di culty removed The author d es not claim to have grappled with all the chronicler the a tern realm but thinks that some acquaintance with Ammianus Proc pius <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Maurice s </li><li style="flex:1">Leo the Deacon Leo the </li></ul>Wise C n tantine Porphyr genitu Anna and iceta may justify his having undertaken the task he essayed I C T T YZ IU rly hi t ry the ity y tium de tr ye u d ti y tium y ti e luxury ke I I U I C I L t ti e h i e e te u e Hipp dr me phi t ti e Dedi t ti e the Gre t I p gr phy t ti ple ti e tiv l I H I H G th the Hu utbre k le the G th ttle dri ple UMtili h hry t m the G th G i l i xil AIZ I M I eig xile ud i uth he d iu r i u Ze re rg i e the rmy ebelli he d ri Dep rture t ly U I I he d r Ju ti i per l h r ter u ti i rmy Ju ti i f reig p li y lue <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Gree </li><li style="flex:1">i t </li></ul>he d r pee h U I I I e k e the G th t ly qu t fri ugury G h be iege me eli riu t ke ve De th i g re quer t ly Ju ti i p i h que t VIll ti h Gre t l gue Ju ti i he l gi el riu defe t the Hu uil i g phi r piu phi Ju ti i rt Legi l ti MI L mb rd L mb rd que t t ly i e the p y er V r l v h ir v i e i ll uri e xi AK U i f rtu e h Letter e i Her liu i t rie er liu Iir t ie e t ti ple riumph I L IDe y the ti t ue hri ti ity the t te hri ti ity l very vil ti i m uper titi I e k e e y ti e iety tim te y ti e iety Ii e h met r b v i yri lem t ke re ted r t <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Her liu </li><li style="flex:1">heme </li></ul>ei I HY Ju ti i e t r ti Ju ti i e i the uri urp ti ll r hy U A K <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">t ti le </li><li style="flex:1">ie e r i ed </li></ul>ALuper titi u itie Le ru de i t m e t ti e di lve the terie re e bli d her <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">r ti </li><li style="flex:1">the Gre t </li></ul>ei the eig er e uti by he philu i h el h i e he philu i h el the Dru k rd XI Y H I IM <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">ei </li><li style="flex:1">t ti e Le </li></ul>Letter mmer e t ti XMIL L Y De y the r e p er que t <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">h</li><li style="flex:1">pture ti h urder </li></ul>J h defe t the u i riumph De th M I Y Y ulg ri r De th i g muel mpre her rri e xiii mi the i e e i f rtu e m u h r ter lexiu m e u <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">C</li><li style="flex:1">C U </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">rm </li><li style="flex:1">tt e Dur </li></ul>que t lexiu e d rm ru de eig J h m e u r uel ll dr i u C U i f rtu e the eli Iypru ulg ri urth ru de Le der the ru de iege i i g i t the r k r k e ter t ti ple <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">lu der the ity </li><li style="flex:1">lexiu Du </li></ul>I I M I I d i l i ttle u e e he d re uer hr e urp ti i h e le l gu m ller L ti t te J h r k drive fr m t ti ple <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">I</li><li style="flex:1">Y</li></ul>e k e the re t red mpire mmer i l De y i e the tt m urk urki h r dr i u er de l r i i r l t TU K U rkh the urk ev lt que t the ervi iege hil delphi urk r i t ur pe XAL eig J h le l gu urki h ivil r De th uel J h l re e h met tt k L t H ur ur d tt k t ti ple p thy the Greek ll t t ple t ti e xvi L LL A V L Y U M A YZA I L YZ I HA L AY A I QU I MAIL LUM HI HI HI LL I U I U M V I MML A YZA I H L Y A I QUA I AL VI HI M L YZ I AY I QU I ILLUMI A I I IAL M YZ I L YZ I c Y I QU I <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">HU H </li><li style="flex:1">LV L H L I </li></ul>M L YZA I HA L AY I QUA I I H M K KI L Y M A <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">M</li><li style="flex:1">M A YZ I </li><li style="flex:1">M</li></ul>ML Z I H L Y I QU I <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">A I </li><li style="flex:1">M</li></ul>HYZA I IV Y M L A YZA I HA L AY A I QUA I IL HI M AL K L LV L M L YZ I H L AY I U I <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">I I </li><li style="flex:1">M YZ I </li></ul>M L A YZ I H L AY A I QUA I L LL xvii A<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">U</li><li style="flex:1">VI I U M </li></ul>MI M L YZ I H L Y I QU I QU I M YZ I ML A YZ I H L Y I QU I U I A HI U M YZ I M L HU H VL IMI M L A YZ I H L Y I QU I L L I M U I U I M IV Y I M L H L Y I QU I I I M M Y H L Y I QUA I YZ I IV Y VI L H U Y M I I H MU UM M L YZ I H L Y I QU I M L YZ I U M YZ I M L YZ I H L Y I QU I VI I L M I H U YZ I LIQU Y M L YZ I H L Y A I QU I I I L M YZ I H L Y I QU I HIA M L <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">U I </li><li style="flex:1">U</li></ul>xviii L LL AH L I AL M IA M L YZA I HA L Y A I QUA I I U L L U I L M L YZ I H L Y A I QU I HI I M M A Y M L YZA I H L Y I QU I M U L L L U AMILY M A M Y M L YZA I H L Y A I QU I QU I M A YZ I L YZ I HA L AY I QU I MIL HI L I H M L YZ I H L Y I Q I Z<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">thousand five </li><li style="flex:1">and eight years </li></ul>ago a little fleet of galley t iled pa nfully again t the current up the l ng trait the Helle p nt rowed acro the broad Pr p nti and came a chor in the smooth water the first inlet which cuts int the uropean shore the Bo phorus There a long cre cent haped creek which after ages were to kn w the Golden Horn trike inland even miles forming a quiet backwater from the rapid stream which runs ut ide the headland enclo ed between thi inlet and the pen a hundred c loni ts di embarked and ha tily ecured themselve from the wild tribe the inland by running me rough ort a tockade acr s the gr und from beach beach Thu unded the city Byzantium The ettler were Greek the D rian race n tiv the thriving eap rt t te Megara of Zthe most enterprising all the citie of Hellas in the time colonial and commercial expansion which was then at height Wherever a Greek pr w had cut its way int unkn wn waters there Megarian eamen were soon found ollowing in wake band these venture ome traders pu hed far to the We t plant col nies in icily but the larger hare the attention of Megara turned t wards the unri ing towards the mi t enshrouded entrance the Black and the fabul u land that beyond There legend told was be found the realm the Golden Fleece the ldorad the ancient world where king of untold wealth reigned over the t ribe of Colchis there dwelt by the bank the river the Amaz n the warlike women had once vexed far off Greece by their inr ad there too was be f und if could but truggle far enough up its northern sh re the land the Hyper the ble ed f lk dwell behind the orth Wind and kn nothing of storm and winter To seek the e fabled w nder the Greek ailed ever orth and a t till they had come the extreme limit of the The riche the G lden Fleece they did not find the country of the Hyper the tribes of the Amaz n but they did di cover many land well w rth the knowing and grew rich the pr fit which they drew fr m the metals of Colchi and the fore t Paphlag nia from the rich corn land by the bank the Dnieper and Bug and the fi heri the B ph ru and the Lake Pre ently the wh le coa tland the which the Greek their fir t c ming called DZthe nhospitable became fringed with trading ettlements and its name changed the Hospitable recognition of its friendly ports was in a imilar pirit that thousand year later the eamen led the next great impul e expl rati n that r e in ur pe turned the name the Cape of torm into that of the Cape Good Hope The Megarian almost more than any other Greeks devoted their attention to the uxine and the f undati n Byzantium but one of their many achievement Already seventeen years bef re Byzantium came into being another band Megarian colonists had e tablished themselves at Chalcedon the opposite Asiatic hore the Bosphoru The ettlers who were de tined to found the greater ity applied to the oracle elphi give them advice as to the site of their new h me and Apoll we are t ld bade them build their t wn over again t the ity of the blind They therefore pitched upon the headlan d by the G lden H rn reasoning that the Chalcedonian were truly blind have neglected the more eligible site the Thra ian sh re in order to f und a colony on the far less Bithyn ian ide of the strait Fr m the first ituation marked out Byzantium as de tined for a great future Alike fr the mili tary and fr m the commercial p int view no city c uld have been better placed Looking from the easternmo t headland Thrace with all ur pe behind it and all A ia bef re it equally well suit d be the fr ntier f rtre defend the b rd r the or the b i perati n invasio fr m the h r f rtr e nt in th rly day it alm t impr gnable ide pr tected by the water the third by a tr ng wall c mmanded by any neighbouring h igh all ea ly hi t ry Byzantium never f ll by t rm famine treach ry acc unted the cca i n whi h it fell int the hand an nemy c mmercial a pect the place even m re fav urably ituated com c mmanded the wh le Bl ck trade every A LY C I YZA IUM <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">LA </li><li style="flex:1">YZA IUM H I G C C </li></ul>Ave sel th t went f rth fr m Greece nia traffic with cythia C lchi the land by the Danube m uth hore the l e under w ll th t the pr p ity a hun dred Hell nic t n uxin al ay the ake had p mercy the ma ter Byzantium The Greek l ved h r tag and frequ nt t ppage and half way h u e al ne Byzantium w uld have been pr per u but it had al a fl uri hing l c l trad with t ibe neighb uring Thr ian inland the bstinate garrison The fleet wintered there and it was at Byzantium that the fir t tions of the naval empire Athens were laid when all the Greek tates of Asia placed their hips at the dispo al of the Athenian admiral Cim n and During the fifth century Byzantiu twice declared war on Athen now the mistress of the sea and on each occasi n fell into the hands of the enemy once by voluntary surrender in once by treachery from within in But the Athenian except in one or two di graceful ca e did not deal hardly with their conquered enemies and the Byzantines escaped anything harder than the payment a heavy war ndemnity a few years their commercial gains repaired all the l sses of war and the state was it elf again We know comparatively little about the internal hi tory of the e early centuries of the li e of Byzantium ome odd fragment of inf rmation urvive here and there we kno for example that they u ed iron instead of opper for small money a peculiarity hared by no other ancient tate ave parta Their alphabet rejoiced in an abn rmally shaped B which puzzled all other Greek for it resembled a with an extra The chief gods the city were those that we might have expected Poseidon the ruler of the sea ho e ble ing gave Byzantium its chief wealth and Demeter the goddess who presided ver the Thracian and cythian corn lands which formed second ou ce of pro perity i p e ZL X The Byzan tine ere if ancient chr niclers tell the truth a luxurious a well as a bu y race they pent too much time in their numer u inn where <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">the excellent wine of </li><li style="flex:1">and ther neighb ur </li></ul>ing place f ered great temptation They were glutton as well as tippler on occa ion we are as ur d the whole ivic militia struck work the height a siege till their c mmander con ented all w re taurant to be erected at c nven ient di tances round the rampart comic writer inf rm that the Byzantines were eating young tun y their favourite dish constantly that their whole b die had become well nigh gelatin u and it t ught they might melt if expo ed to great heat Probably the e tale are the scandal neighb ur envied Byzantine pro perity it is at any rate certain that the city h wed all thr ugh its hi tory great energy and love of independence and never hrank fr m war as we hould have expected a natio of epicure was till the ri e of Philip Macedo greater son Alexander that Byzantium fell the fifth time into the hands of an enemy The elder king repulsed from the city wall after a l ng in an attempt at an escalade by night which fru trated owing to the udde appearance of a light in heaven which revealed the advancing e emy and was taken by the Byzantines as a toke n <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">of pecial divine aid </li><li style="flex:1">c mmemorati n </li></ul>of it they as umed as their civic badge the blazing crescent and tar which has de ce ded to our days and till u ed as an emblem by the resent owner the i y the tt man ultan But af er repul ing Philip the Byzantin had u mit some year lat r to Alexander T ey f rmed under him part the n rmou Maced nian empire and passed on decea e thr ugh the hand of ucce or <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Demetriu </li><li style="flex:1">and Ly imachu After the </li></ul>death the latter in b ttle h ever they recovered precari u freed m and were again an independent c mmunity a hundred year till the p er R me invaded the regi Thrace and the Helle pon <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Byzantium </li><li style="flex:1">the citie which t k the </li></ul>wi e c ur e m king an early alliance with the Roman and obtained g d and ea y ter in During the war of R me with Macedon and Anti chu the Great it proved u h a faithful a si tant that the enate gave it the tatu a a free and onfederate city and it taken under direct R man g vern ment but all wed c mplete liberty in everything ave the con tr l its f reign relation and the payment a tribute to Rome not till the R man Republic had l ng pas ed away that the mper r Ve pa i n tripped it of the e rivilege and threw it into the pr vince Thrace exi t the future an rdinary provincial t wn Th ugh deprived of a liberty which had long year been alm t n minal Byzan iu m could not be deprived of its unrivalled p iti n c mmerce continued flouri h under the long continued peace which all the inner countri em ire enj ed during the fir centuries the ZD D the imperial and mentioned again and again as one the m t important citie of middle regi n of the Roman world But evil time for Byzantium as all the other parts the ivilized world began when the golden age the Ant nines cea ed and the ep ch of the mili <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">tary emper r followed </li><li style="flex:1">C mm du the </li></ul>the great and g d Marcu Aurel iu was murdered and ere long three military u urpers we e wrangling bl d tai ned diadem Most unhappily it elf Byzantium lay the line of divi i n between the ea ter pr vince where Pes iger had been pr claimed and the llyrian province where everu had a u med the imperial tyle The city s ized by the army yria and strengthened in a te Pre ently everu appeared fr m the we t after he had made him elf ma ter R me and taly and fell up n the f rce rival Vict ry foll w d the arm the lly rian legi n the ea t ubdued and the yri n emper r put death But when all other adherents had yielded the garrison of Byzantium refu ed ubmit m re than year they maintained the impregnable ity again t the lieu <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">tenant of everu and it </li><li style="flex:1">till </li><li style="flex:1">th t </li></ul>they were f rced to yi eld The emper r appeared in per on puni h the long pr tracted re i tance of the t wn not only the garri n but the ivil magi trates Byzantium were lain bef re eyes The ma ive wall so firmly built with great square st ne clamped together with b lts of ir n that the whole eemed but one block were laboriou ly ast down The pr perty

The Story of the Byzantine Empire

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