Forgotten Power – Byzantium – Bulwark of Christianity

The period of Byzantine power is one of the major epochs in world history. This empire, controlled by the extraordinary metropolis of Constantinople, was for many centuries the centre of Christendom, the mistress of the Mediterranean, and the symbol for all the rest of the world of splendour, wealth and cultural ascendancy.

The Byzantine period spans from the ancient classical world of the Roman empire until the dawn of the Renaissance, and throughout the medieval era it remained a source of constancy. However, the empire's history is one of constant upheaval, glittering emperors who ranged from the brilliant to the completely mad, and a hotbed of theological controversy.

Tremendous historical detail is presented in a lively and entertainingly narrative text, complemented by 190 colour photographs and more than 70 colour maps help to untangle the rapidly changing state of Byzantine fortunes. From politics to art, military action to the lives of ordinary citizens, this title brings into focus the splendour and tragedy, genius and folly, and the sheer drama of an epoch all too often ignored by historians. And it reminds us of how much the subsequent events of European and Middle-Eastern history owe to Byzantium's influence.

The book also contains seven family trees, comprehensive glossary, tables detailing the emperors, patriarchs of Constantinople and the popes of Rome, and an index.

Roger Michael Kean has been a film-maker and journalist, and editor of historical reference books for many years, including the Historical Atlas series. Kean is author of The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome published by Thalamus Publishing.