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Byzantium: The Decline and Fall v. 3
 
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Byzantium: The Decline and Fall v. 3 (Paperback)

by John Julius Norwich (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Byzantium: The Decline and Fall v. 3 + Byzantium: v. 2: The Apogee.: The Apogee v. 2 + Byzantium: v. 1: The Early Centuries: The Early Centuries v. 1
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Product details

  • Paperback: 488 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 (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 63,818 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #7 in  Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > 500-1500
    #25 in  Books > History > Europe > Vikings, Dark Ages, Medieval Europe 501-1500
    #45 in  Books > History > Countries & Regions > South America

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.

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The bad thing is that this is the last volume...., 19 Aug 2003
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!

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart rending history as the Roman Empire dies fighting, 3 Feb 2001
By A Customer
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.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brings Byzantium to Life, 3 Jan 2004
By Puffin "Puffin" (London England) - See all my reviews
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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Aquinas

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 21 months ago by Hillpaul

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

4.0 out of 5 stars 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

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

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