Any good books on byzantium?

[The Wizard]

John Julius Norwich is good. He has a very nice style of writing; it's involving, enrapturing, carrying you along the long history of Byzantium.

When good things befall the empire, you feel good, you find yourself encouraging them, hoping that they will keep it up. When bad tidings come to the Byzantines, the reading becomes painful as you lament the wrong choices, weak rulers, foul intrigue and the vigor of the empire's enemies.

Especially the last book, Byzantium: The Decline and Fall is painful to read in between Manuel I Comnenus and the Fall, with only a few bright points such as the rule of Manuel II Palaeologus or marshal Boucicault helping the Byzantines fight Beyazid. But when the Byzantines finally realize that there is no way out, that there is nothing left to fight over and that their destiny has come, the reading once again becomes enjoyable. Reading about the Fall as described by Norwich captures you, as you read about the amazing bravery, chivalry and honor displayed by the different characters playing in this story so akin to a tragedy.

I find Norwich's trilogy gives a very good impression of Byzantine politics, culture and ideas, and he is excellent in describing the how and why of the history of Byzantium. Besides that, he is accurate, and his excellent writing makes the books great to read. The only thing missing is a more elaborate explanation of military matters. Even when he tells the tale of Manuel I's great blunder, Myriokephalion, which is unusually elaborate, it is not a very accurate account of the tactical tidings of the battle.



~Wiz