Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization

The secondary sources that have been most helpful can be broken down into two groups—those that are overviews of Byzantine history and those that deal with specific periods. In the former category I have made most use of Warren Treadgold’s exhaustive history and Lord Norwich’s three-volume set. Timothy Gregory’s work has also been important, and, of course, Edward Gibbon—though with a certain amount of salt. In the latter category, for the period of the Crusades, I was assisted by Jonathan Harris’s work, and for the early Macedonian Dynasty by the great Steven Runciman. In detailing the final moments of the empire I am indebted to Roger Crowley and especially Donald Nicol for his excellent study on Constantine Dragases.

Crowley, Roger. 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West. New York: Hyperion, 2005.

Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 6 vols. New York: Random House, 1993.

Gregory, Timothy E. A History of Byzantium. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005.

Harris, Jonathan. Byzantium and the Crusades. London: Hambledon Continuum, 2006.

Nicol, Donald M. The Immortal Emperor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Apogee. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.

Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Decline and Fall. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.

Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Early Centuries. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989.

Runciman, Steven. The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1929.

Treadgold, Warren. A History of the Byzantine State and Society. California: Stanford University Press, 1997.

Appendix

EMPERORS OF CONSTANTINOPLE

CONSTANTINIAN DYNASTY (324-363)

324—353......Constantine the Great

353—361......Constantius..........Son of Constantine the Great

361—363......Julian the Apostate..........Cousin of Constantius

NON-DYNASTIC

363—364......Jovian..........Soldier, chosen on the battlefield

364—378......Valens..........Brother of Western Emperor Valentinian

THEODOSIAN DYNASTY (379-457)

379—395......Theodosius I the Great..........Soldier, chosen by Western Emperor Gratian

395—408......Arcadius..........Son of Theodosius

408—450......Theodosius II..........Son of Arcadius

450—457......Marcian..........Married Theodosius II’s sister

LEONID DYNASTY (457-518)

457—474......Leo I the Thracian..........Soldier, chosen by Eastern general Aspar

474......Leo II..........Grandson of Leo I

474—475......Zeno..........Son-in-law of Leo I

475—476......Basiliscus..........Usurper, brother-in-law of Leo I

476—491......Zeno (again)

491—518......Anastasius I..........Son-in-law of Leo I

JUSTINIAN DYNASTY (527-602)

518—527......Justin I..........Commander of the Palace Guard

527—565......Justinian I the Great..........Nephew of Justin I

565—578......Justin II..........Nephew of Justinian

578—582......Tiberius II ....Adopted by Justin II

582—602......Maurice..........Son-in-law of Tiberius II

NON-DYNASTIC

602—610......Phocas..........Usurper, soldier of Maurice

HERACLIUS DYNASTY (610-711)

610—641......Heraclius..........Usurper, general from Carthage

641......Constantine III..........Son of Heraclius Son of Heraclius Son of Constantine III

641......Heraclonas..........

641—668......Constans II the Bearded..........

668—685......Constantine IV..........Son of Constans II

685—695......Justinian II the Slit-Nosed...Son of Constantine IV

695—698......Leontius..........Usurper, soldier of Justinian II

698—705....Tiberius III ....Usurper, Germanic naval officer of Leontius

705—711......Justinian 11 (again)

NON-DYNASTIC

711—713......Philippicus..........Usurper, Armenian soldier of Justinian II

713—715......Anastasius II..........Usurper, imperial secretary of Philippicus

715—717......Theodosius III..........Usurper, tax collector and son (?) of Tiberius III