Byzantium : the surprising life of a medieval empire

In the eighth and ninth centuries, three Byzantine empresses--Irene, Euphrosyne, and Theodora--changed history. Their combined efforts restored the veneration of icons, saving Byzantium from a purely symbolic and decorative art and ensuring its influence for centuries to come. In this exhilarating and highly entertaining account, one of the foremost historians of the medieval period tells the story of how these fascinating women exercised imperial sovereignty with consummate skill and sometimes ruthless tactics. Though they gained access to the all-pervasive authority of the Byzantine ruling dynasty through marriage, all three continued to wear the imperial purple and wield tremendous power as widows. From Constantinople, their own Queen City, the empresses undermined competitors and governed like men. They conducted diplomacy across the known world, negotiating with the likes of Charlemagne, Roman popes, and the great Arab caliph Harun al Rashid. Vehemently rejecting the ban on holy images instituted by their male relatives, Irene and Theodora used craft and power to reverse the official iconoclasm and restore icons to their place of adoration in the Eastern Church. In so doing, they profoundly altered the course of history. The art--and not only the art--of Byzantium, of Islam, and of the West would have been very different without them. As Judith Herrin traces the surviving evidence, she evokes the complex and deeply religious world of Constantinople in the aftermath of Arab conquest. She brings to life its monuments and palaces, its court ceremonies and rituals, the role of eunuchs (the "third sex"), bride shows, and the influence of warring monks and patriarchs. Based on new research and written for a general audience, Women in Purple reshapes our understanding of an empire that lasted a thousand years and splashes fresh light on the relationship of women to power. Genre : History Formats : EPUB, MOBI Quality : 5 For A Thousand Years An Extraordinary Empire Made Possible Europe’s Transition To The Modern World: Byzantium. An Audacious And Resilient But Now Little Known Society, It Combined Orthodox Christianity With Paganism, Classical Greek Learning With Roman Power, To Produce A Great And Creative Civilization Which For Centuries Held In Check The Armies Of Islam. Judith Herrin’s Concise And Compelling Book Replaces The Standard Chronological Approach Of Most Histories Of Byzantium. Instead, Each Short Chapter Is Focused On A Theme, Such As A Building (the Great Church Of Hagia Sophia), A Clash Over Religion (iconoclasm), Sex And Power (the Role Of Eunuchs), An Outstanding Byzantine Individual (the Historian Anna Komnene), A Symbol Of Civilization (the Fork), A Battle For Territory (the Crusades). In This Way She Makes Accessible And Understandable The Grand Sweeps Of Byzantine History, From The Founding Of Its Magnificent Capital Constantinople (modern Istanbul) In 330, To Its Fall To The Ottoman Turks In 1453. Byzantium was one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever seen. Judith Herrin tells its extraordinary story afresh, exploring aspects familiar and unfamiliar, from the glorious church of Hagia Sophia to the secret of Greek Fire, from iconoclasm to eunuchs, from the historian Anna Komnene to the humble fork