Byzantines and crusaders

This is the third and concluding volume of British author John Julius Norwich's popularized work on the history of the Byzantine Empire. The story starts during the crusades, when the empire temporarily rose to its feet again under the strong rulers of the Komnenos dynasty: Alexius, John and Manuel. Alexius was the emperor who requested military aid from the West against the Muslims, thereby triggering the crusades. John was known as John the Beautiful, since he almost never sacked conquered cities. Manuel was mostly known for his interest in Western culture, unusual for a Byzantine. 

The climax of the story is the Fourth Crusade in 1204, when a weakened empire became the prey of Venetian-led crusaders, who took and thoroughly plundered Constantinople. This was the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Having been deprived of its capital and large swaths of its territory, what was left of the empire split into three competing states. In 1261, Michael Palaeologus managed to recapture Constantinople and “restore” the Byzantine Empire, but it would henceforth be just another late medieval kingdom. Constantinople didn't fall to the Muslim Ottomans until 1453, but although that orgy of bloodlust is well known, the Byzantine Empire was really given the coup de grace by the “Christian” crusaders over two centuries before. Such is the irony of history…

As usual, Norwich's narrative concentrates on the gory and colorful parts of medieval history, but he does manage to mention the Late Byzantine Renaissance and Hellenic philosopher Gemistos Plethon somewhere in this volume. If you know next to nothing about the Byzantines – and chances are that you don't – the three volumes of “Byzantium” are nevertheless a necessary read. The entire series is probably unique, and deserves five stars.