- Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; 3 edition (31 Oct 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140114491
- ISBN-13: 978-0140114492
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
249,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > 500-1500
- #77 in Books > History > Europe > The Crusades
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £5.45
Trade in Byzantium: The Decline and Fall: The Decline and Fall v. 3 for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £5.45, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
From the accession of Alexius in 1081, through the disastrous Fourth Crusade - when an army destined for the Holy Land was diverted to Constantinople by the blind, octogenarian but infinitely crafty Doge of Venice - to the painfully protracted struggle against the Ottomans, the closing centuries of the Byzantine era are rich in pathos, colour and startling reversals of fortune. The terrible siege of Constantinople in 1453 ended the empire, founded in the year 330, which Lord Norwich has devoted many years to re-creating; this volume forms the climax to an epic sequence of books.
About the Author
John Julius Norwich was born in 1929. He was educated at Upper Canada College, Toronto, at Eton, at the University of Strasbourg and, after a spell of National Service in the Navy, at New College, Oxford, where he took a degree in French and Russian. In 1952 he joined the Foreign Service, where he remained for twelve years, serving at the embassies in Belgrade and Beirut and with the British Delegation to the Disarmament Conference at Geneva. In 1964 he resigned from the service in order to write.
Byzantium: The Decline and Fall is the third in his three-volume history of the Byzantine Empire.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is another masterpiece of popular history (although based on serious research and rigorous)by Julius Norwich.
The book is actually the final volume of the Byzantium trilogy by the same author, which covers all the over 1000 years of history of the Byzantine empire.
Readers who have already read the previous volumes already know how enjoyable and informative they are: the third volume adds to the virtues of the first two parts a tragic - at times pathetic - tone: this is the history of an agony, starting with the fall of the Comneni dinasty and extending over two centuries, during which the Byzantine empire is progressively reduced in its size, depleted of its riches, divided by internal strifes. It is a sad history indeed: and Julius Norwich is a master in striking a perfect balance between the need to give a serious account of a decline which has manifold causes, and that of keeping the reader involved in the narration.
He succeeds perfectly: at the end of the book you will know why Byzantium fell, and at the same you will feel sorry for it, after having ventured into the captivating account of the last siege by Mehmet the Conqueror (although this part of the book is basically a summary of Professor Runciman's previous work, as acknowledged by Norwich himself).
Finally, as suggested by other reviewers, I would recommend if possible NOT to buy the one-volume synopsis of Norwich's trilogy: don't be put off by the size of the three volumes, they are thoroughly enjoyable! Go for the big read!
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
John Julius Norwich is a great author and historian. Here he is given one of the worlds great tradgedies as his background and he uses it to create a compelling history.
From it's opening through to Mehmet "The conqueror" praying in Hagia Sophia, the spiritual heart of the empire, the whole book brings to life the death of Byzantium. It should be read after savouring the previous two books in the trilogy. I enjoyed the sequence so much it led me to visit Istanbul which proved to be one of the best vacations I have had.
The account of the final fall on that fateful Tuesday is brilliantly created. The heroism of Constantine as he dies fighting on the walls sums up the life of an empire which bridged the classic, medieval and modern worlds.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This series of books (permit me to include mention of the other two in the trilogy here) is a great read, a telling of the complete saga of Byzantine history, covering a period of 1000 years. The author lays bare the facts about the various Emperors of Byzantium, the good, the bad, the incompetent and the heroic, giving as good idea as possible about each of their character, deeds and misdeeds, and the times and events in which they existed. He does it in a style that draws the reader in and captivates the interest which I find admirable. This is definately the way history should be written.
I was disappointed by the maps at the beginning of each book: they only give a very vague idea of where things are happening, and I would have loved to have seen what areas the Empire controlled at various points in its history. It seems a shame to have to look elsewhere for such maps, considering the quality of the writing.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great end to a great trilogy
Of all 3 I enjoyed this one the most. Very moving. Made me shed a tear at the final chapter.
Published 1 month ago by DavesTheName
Reviewing the trilogy: Volume Three, in which Norwich describes in...
For a long time to come this trilogy of books will be the first and last word for the general reader looking to learn about this most vibrant, fascinating, ignored and downright... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Cardew Robinson
Enjoyable historical survey
I knew the general outline of Byzantine history, but a lot of the detail was just a blank to me. No longer. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jezza
Brilliant
Just as good as the previous two volumes. Though it can be a little bit sad at times reading about the fall of the Byzantium Empire.
A fantastic book. Read more
A fantastic book. Read more
Published 18 months ago by The Emperor
A sad decline of a great civilisation
The story of the Byzantine empire is rivettingly told by Norwich - how in effect the Roman empire continued well into the next millenium but slowly and inexorably succumbing to the... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2009 by Aquinas
BYZANTIUM: THE DECLINE AND FALL - JOHN JULIUS NORWICH
The last in the trilogy whose title again imitates Gibbons and whose style is as readable and captivating. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2008 by Hillpaul
Stunning conclusion to an amazing trilogy
I defy you not to read this work in one sitting. Norwich's final hours of Byzantium are tinged with sadness, stupidity and remarkable valour on the part of the final Emperor. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2006 by madradubh
A narrative to rate with the greatest
This was the first book i ever read on Byzantium, loaned to me via my history teacher (Kinghorn) and since then i have rarely had the book out of my possession. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2005 by Laconfiraux
Full Stop
Most empires only fade away; Byzantium died spectacularly. It's a rare example in history of a definite full stop, the end of 2000 years of the old Graeco-Roman... Read more
Published on 27 April 2005
The Trilogy Comes to an End
Many factual books are readable, informative and stirring. But rarely are they moving. Byzantium: The Decline and Fall manages to be all of the above and so much more. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2004 by D. Evans
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
