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Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood : The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A. D. to the First Crusade
an item in the Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture Series
Hardcover
Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood : The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A. D. to the First Crusade
an item in the Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture Series
Hardcover
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- All Available Copies
- Overview
- About the Author
- Awards
- Professional Reviews
- Reader Reviews
- Table Of Contents
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Overview
A long overdue and thrillingly paced narrative of one of the most dramatic periods in Medieval history, Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood provides an engaging chronicle of the various imperial upheavals, from the conquests of Basil to the collapse of Constantinople, concluding with the First Crusade.
Hardcover
English
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Jul. 10th, 2017
9780190253226
6.10 x 9.29 x 1.60 inches
0190253223
1.65 lbs
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Professional Reviews
"...very useful and readable book ... Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above." --R. T. Ingoglia, CHOICE
"A stylish and fast-paced narrative that weaves politics, society, and individual characters together into a fascinating depiction of a lively, dynamic, and culturally diverse civilization at its height. Firmly rooted in the contemporary sources and with a well-tuned appreciation of current scholarly debates, Kaldellis' account is set to become the standard 'go-to' political narrative of the medieval eastern Roman or Byzantine empire in its heyday." --John F. Haldon, Princeton University
"A learned and critical reassessment of the standard narrative, which is at the same time an engaging and lively account of an exciting period in the history of Byzantium." --Paul Magdalino, University of St. Andrews
"Anthony Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is a major achievement. By setting aside the pre-conceptions of much of the secondary literature, and returning to the sources, he is able to reconstruct the dynamics of imperial power and politics across the crucial years between the imperial expansion of the late tenth century and the First Crusade. This book will be required reading for students and scholars not only of Byzantium, but also of the Medieval West." --Peter Sarris, University of Cambridge
"In this lucid and well-researched history, Kaldellis, a classics scholar, examines the rapid expansion and subsequent contraction of Byzantium in the 10th and 11th centuries. This work serves impressively as both a general introduction to the political, economic, and military history of the period and a narratively engaging and clear interpretation of the causes and effects of the empire's rise and fall. The book nicely balances explication and commentary; Kaldellis includes details that bring his history to life-such as the facial hair patterns of a Byzantine enemy...The work is thus both educational and enjoyable, almost a canonical model of how to write history for both lay and professional readers. This is a welcome introduction to Byzantine history, which is little known in the West relative to earlier Greek or Roman periods and deserves wider understanding and discussion." --Publisher's Weekly
"A stylish and fast-paced narrative that weaves politics, society, and individual characters together into a fascinating depiction of a lively, dynamic, and culturally diverse civilization at its height. Firmly rooted in the contemporary sources and with a well-tuned appreciation of current scholarly debates, Kaldellis' account is set to become the standard 'go-to' political narrative of the medieval eastern Roman or Byzantine empire in its heyday." --John F. Haldon, Princeton University
"A learned and critical reassessment of the standard narrative, which is at the same time an engaging and lively account of an exciting period in the history of Byzantium." --Paul Magdalino, University of St. Andrews
"Anthony Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is a major achievement. By setting aside the pre-conceptions of much of the secondary literature, and returning to the sources, he is able to reconstruct the dynamics of imperial power and politics across the crucial years between the imperial expansion of the late tenth century and the First Crusade. This book will be required reading for students and scholars not only of Byzantium, but also of the Medieval West." --Peter Sarris, University of Cambridge
"In this lucid and well-researched history, Kaldellis, a classics scholar, examines the rapid expansion and subsequent contraction of Byzantium in the 10th and 11th centuries. This work serves impressively as both a general introduction to the political, economic, and military history of the period and a narratively engaging and clear interpretation of the causes and effects of the empire's rise and fall. The book nicely balances explication and commentary; Kaldellis includes details that bring his history to life-such as the facial hair patterns of a Byzantine enemy...The work is thus both educational and enjoyable, almost a canonical model of how to write history for both lay and professional readers. This is a welcome introduction to Byzantine history, which is little known in the West relative to earlier Greek or Roman periods and deserves wider understanding and discussion." --Publisher's Weekly
Table Of Contents
| Maps | p. xiii |
| Genealogies | p. xxi |
| Preface | p. xxvii |
| Acknowledgments | p. xxxiii |
| A Note on Transliteration | p. xxxv |
| Introduction: The Byzantine Empire in the Tenth Century | p. 1 |
| Romanía | p. 1 |
| Imperial governance | p. 4 |
| The army and war | p. 9 |
| "Landed aristocracy"? "Anatolian magnates"? | p. 13 |
| Conquest and Consolidation | |
| "Avengers of Rome": The First Phase of Conquest in the East (955-963) | p. 21 |
| The cast of the conquest: The final years of Konstantinos VII (d. 959) | p. 21 |
| Turning the tide in the southeast | p. 24 |
| Southern Italy | p. 29 |
| A smooth succession: Romanos II | p. 32 |
| The conquest of Crete | p. 34 |
| The conquest of Cilicia (phase I) | p. 38 |
| The rise of Phokas | p. 40 |
| "The White Death of the Saracens": Nikephoros II Phokas (963-969) | p. 43 |
| The new regime | p. 43 |
| Failure in Sicily | p. 45 |
| The conquest of Cilicia (phase II) and Cyprus | p. 46 |
| The annexation of Taron | p. 50 |
| Declining popularity | p. 51 |
| Tension with Bulgaria | p. 54 |
| Tension in Italy with the German empire | p. 57 |
| Military victory, political failure: The final years | p. 61 |
| "A Mind Full of Cares, Brave in Danger": Ioannes I Tzimiskes (969-976) | p. 65 |
| The new regime | p. 65 |
| The defeat of the Rus' and Bulgaria | p. 68 |
| Eastern incursions: Toward a new balance of power | p. 74 |
| An otherwise obscure reign | p. 79 |
| "From Spectator to Contestant": Basil II (976-1025), Part I | p. 81 |
| The new regime | p. 81 |
| The first rebellion of Bardas Skleros | p. 83 |
| The foreign policy of Lakapenos and Phokas, 979-985 | p. 87 |
| The fall of Lakapenos and the rebellion of Phokas and Skleros | p. 94 |
| "Guarding the Children of New Rome": Basil II (976-1025), Part II | p. 103 |
| From status quo to peace in the east, 990-1001 | p. 103 |
| The war against Bulgaria, 991-1003 | p. 112 |
| The emperor and the "aristocracy" | p. 115 |
| "No One Ever Saw My Spear at Rest": Basil II (976-1025), Part III | p. 120 |
| The missing decade and conquest of Bulgaria, 1004-1018 | p. 120 |
| Monitoring Aleppo, 1000-1025 | p. 127 |
| The war with Abkhazia-Kartli and the last rebellion, 1021-1022 | p. 131 |
| The apogee of Byzantine Italy | p. 134 |
| The end of an era | p. 138 |
| General Considerations: The Age of Conquest | p. 142 |
| New Enemies and the Return of Politics | |
| "Intrigues of the Women's Quarters": From Macedonians to Paphlagonians | p. 155 |
| Konstantinos VIII (1025-1028) | p. 155 |
| Romanos III Argyros (1028-1034): The same insecurity | p. 158 |
| The debacle at Aleppo and the capture of Edessa | p. 160 |
| Diplomacy and dynastic instability | p. 163 |
| Michael IV (1034-1041): Family rule | p. 165 |
| Frontier integrity | p. 168 |
| The conquest, and loss, of Sicily | p. 171 |
| The Bulgarian revolt | p. 173 |
| The dramatic fall of Michael V (1041-1042) | p. 175 |
| "No Less Laws than Arms": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part I | p. 179 |
| Enter the Normans | p. 181 |
| 1043: Trial by fire | p. 184 |
| Domestic initiatives (phase I) | p. 187 |
| The annexation of Ani | p. 191 |
| The Pecheneg invasions and the Revolt of Tornikios | p. 192 |
| "Squaring the Circle": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part II | p. 196 |
| The Seljuk invasions and the Pecheneg wars | p. 196 |
| Domestic initiatives (phase II) | p. 201 |
| Italy on the brink and the Schism of 1054 | p. 203 |
| Coping with new challenges | p. 208 |
| "With Sword Drawn": It All Comes to a Head, 1055-1059 | p. 214 |
| Theodora (1055-1056) | p. 214 |
| Michael VI (1056-1057) | p. 216 |
| Isaakios I Komnenos (1057-1059): Fiscal reforms and the fall of Keroularios | p. 219 |
| Barbarians of the east and west | p. 222 |
| General Considerations: the Return of Multipolarity | p. 224 |
| Collapse | |
| "The Agony of a Virulent Poison": The Road to Mantzikert, 1059-1071 | p. 231 |
| Konstantinos X Doukas (1059-1067): Domestic mispriorities | p. 231 |
| Frayed frontiers: Seljuks and Oghuz | p. 233 |
| The end of Byzantine Italy | p. 236 |
| Eudokia and the succession: Romanos IV Diogenes (1068-1071) | p. 238 |
| Chasing Turks | p. 241 |
| Mantzikert | p. 246 |
| Civil war | p. 248 |
| "Squeezed by the Pangs of Death": The Empire on the Verge, 1071-1081 | p. 252 |
| Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078): The new regime | p. 252 |
| The state of the provinces | p. 254 |
| A Norman statelet in Asia Minor | p. 256 |
| Breakdown | p. 261 |
| Nikephoros III Botaneiates (1078-1081) | p. 266 |
| General Considerations: Imperial Collapse | p. 271 |
| Epilogue: A Byzantine History of the First Crusade | p. 280 |
| Crusading in broader perspective | p. 282 |
| The making of a surrogate Byzantine army | p. 287 |
| Restoring the Roman east | p. 295 |
| Guide to the Ten Most Important Narrative Sources | p. 303 |
| Notes | p. 305 |
| Glossary | p. 349 |
| Bibliography | p. 351 |
| Index of Persons and Places | p. 377 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
| Find at your local library from our friends at WorldCat | Find Libraries |
Overview
A long overdue and thrillingly paced narrative of one of the most dramatic periods in Medieval history, Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood provides an engaging chronicle of the various imperial upheavals, from the conquests of Basil to the collapse of Constantinople, concluding with the First Crusade.
Product Details
Hardcover
English
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Jul. 10th, 2017
9780190253226
6.10 x 9.29 x 1.60 inches
0190253223
1.65 lbs
Professional Reviews
"...very useful and readable book ... Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above." --R. T. Ingoglia, CHOICE
"A stylish and fast-paced narrative that weaves politics, society, and individual characters together into a fascinating depiction of a lively, dynamic, and culturally diverse civilization at its height. Firmly rooted in the contemporary sources and with a well-tuned appreciation of current scholarly debates, Kaldellis' account is set to become the standard 'go-to' political narrative of the medieval eastern Roman or Byzantine empire in its heyday." --John F. Haldon, Princeton University
"A learned and critical reassessment of the standard narrative, which is at the same time an engaging and lively account of an exciting period in the history of Byzantium." --Paul Magdalino, University of St. Andrews
"Anthony Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is a major achievement. By setting aside the pre-conceptions of much of the secondary literature, and returning to the sources, he is able to reconstruct the dynamics of imperial power and politics across the crucial years between the imperial expansion of the late tenth century and the First Crusade. This book will be required reading for students and scholars not only of Byzantium, but also of the Medieval West." --Peter Sarris, University of Cambridge
"In this lucid and well-researched history, Kaldellis, a classics scholar, examines the rapid expansion and subsequent contraction of Byzantium in the 10th and 11th centuries. This work serves impressively as both a general introduction to the political, economic, and military history of the period and a narratively engaging and clear interpretation of the causes and effects of the empire's rise and fall. The book nicely balances explication and commentary; Kaldellis includes details that bring his history to life-such as the facial hair patterns of a Byzantine enemy...The work is thus both educational and enjoyable, almost a canonical model of how to write history for both lay and professional readers. This is a welcome introduction to Byzantine history, which is little known in the West relative to earlier Greek or Roman periods and deserves wider understanding and discussion." --Publisher's Weekly
"A stylish and fast-paced narrative that weaves politics, society, and individual characters together into a fascinating depiction of a lively, dynamic, and culturally diverse civilization at its height. Firmly rooted in the contemporary sources and with a well-tuned appreciation of current scholarly debates, Kaldellis' account is set to become the standard 'go-to' political narrative of the medieval eastern Roman or Byzantine empire in its heyday." --John F. Haldon, Princeton University
"A learned and critical reassessment of the standard narrative, which is at the same time an engaging and lively account of an exciting period in the history of Byzantium." --Paul Magdalino, University of St. Andrews
"Anthony Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is a major achievement. By setting aside the pre-conceptions of much of the secondary literature, and returning to the sources, he is able to reconstruct the dynamics of imperial power and politics across the crucial years between the imperial expansion of the late tenth century and the First Crusade. This book will be required reading for students and scholars not only of Byzantium, but also of the Medieval West." --Peter Sarris, University of Cambridge
"In this lucid and well-researched history, Kaldellis, a classics scholar, examines the rapid expansion and subsequent contraction of Byzantium in the 10th and 11th centuries. This work serves impressively as both a general introduction to the political, economic, and military history of the period and a narratively engaging and clear interpretation of the causes and effects of the empire's rise and fall. The book nicely balances explication and commentary; Kaldellis includes details that bring his history to life-such as the facial hair patterns of a Byzantine enemy...The work is thus both educational and enjoyable, almost a canonical model of how to write history for both lay and professional readers. This is a welcome introduction to Byzantine history, which is little known in the West relative to earlier Greek or Roman periods and deserves wider understanding and discussion." --Publisher's Weekly
Table Of Contents
| Maps | p. xiii |
| Genealogies | p. xxi |
| Preface | p. xxvii |
| Acknowledgments | p. xxxiii |
| A Note on Transliteration | p. xxxv |
| Introduction: The Byzantine Empire in the Tenth Century | p. 1 |
| Romanía | p. 1 |
| Imperial governance | p. 4 |
| The army and war | p. 9 |
| "Landed aristocracy"? "Anatolian magnates"? | p. 13 |
| Conquest and Consolidation | |
| "Avengers of Rome": The First Phase of Conquest in the East (955-963) | p. 21 |
| The cast of the conquest: The final years of Konstantinos VII (d. 959) | p. 21 |
| Turning the tide in the southeast | p. 24 |
| Southern Italy | p. 29 |
| A smooth succession: Romanos II | p. 32 |
| The conquest of Crete | p. 34 |
| The conquest of Cilicia (phase I) | p. 38 |
| The rise of Phokas | p. 40 |
| "The White Death of the Saracens": Nikephoros II Phokas (963-969) | p. 43 |
| The new regime | p. 43 |
| Failure in Sicily | p. 45 |
| The conquest of Cilicia (phase II) and Cyprus | p. 46 |
| The annexation of Taron | p. 50 |
| Declining popularity | p. 51 |
| Tension with Bulgaria | p. 54 |
| Tension in Italy with the German empire | p. 57 |
| Military victory, political failure: The final years | p. 61 |
| "A Mind Full of Cares, Brave in Danger": Ioannes I Tzimiskes (969-976) | p. 65 |
| The new regime | p. 65 |
| The defeat of the Rus' and Bulgaria | p. 68 |
| Eastern incursions: Toward a new balance of power | p. 74 |
| An otherwise obscure reign | p. 79 |
| "From Spectator to Contestant": Basil II (976-1025), Part I | p. 81 |
| The new regime | p. 81 |
| The first rebellion of Bardas Skleros | p. 83 |
| The foreign policy of Lakapenos and Phokas, 979-985 | p. 87 |
| The fall of Lakapenos and the rebellion of Phokas and Skleros | p. 94 |
| "Guarding the Children of New Rome": Basil II (976-1025), Part II | p. 103 |
| From status quo to peace in the east, 990-1001 | p. 103 |
| The war against Bulgaria, 991-1003 | p. 112 |
| The emperor and the "aristocracy" | p. 115 |
| "No One Ever Saw My Spear at Rest": Basil II (976-1025), Part III | p. 120 |
| The missing decade and conquest of Bulgaria, 1004-1018 | p. 120 |
| Monitoring Aleppo, 1000-1025 | p. 127 |
| The war with Abkhazia-Kartli and the last rebellion, 1021-1022 | p. 131 |
| The apogee of Byzantine Italy | p. 134 |
| The end of an era | p. 138 |
| General Considerations: The Age of Conquest | p. 142 |
| New Enemies and the Return of Politics | |
| "Intrigues of the Women's Quarters": From Macedonians to Paphlagonians | p. 155 |
| Konstantinos VIII (1025-1028) | p. 155 |
| Romanos III Argyros (1028-1034): The same insecurity | p. 158 |
| The debacle at Aleppo and the capture of Edessa | p. 160 |
| Diplomacy and dynastic instability | p. 163 |
| Michael IV (1034-1041): Family rule | p. 165 |
| Frontier integrity | p. 168 |
| The conquest, and loss, of Sicily | p. 171 |
| The Bulgarian revolt | p. 173 |
| The dramatic fall of Michael V (1041-1042) | p. 175 |
| "No Less Laws than Arms": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part I | p. 179 |
| Enter the Normans | p. 181 |
| 1043: Trial by fire | p. 184 |
| Domestic initiatives (phase I) | p. 187 |
| The annexation of Ani | p. 191 |
| The Pecheneg invasions and the Revolt of Tornikios | p. 192 |
| "Squaring the Circle": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part II | p. 196 |
| The Seljuk invasions and the Pecheneg wars | p. 196 |
| Domestic initiatives (phase II) | p. 201 |
| Italy on the brink and the Schism of 1054 | p. 203 |
| Coping with new challenges | p. 208 |
| "With Sword Drawn": It All Comes to a Head, 1055-1059 | p. 214 |
| Theodora (1055-1056) | p. 214 |
| Michael VI (1056-1057) | p. 216 |
| Isaakios I Komnenos (1057-1059): Fiscal reforms and the fall of Keroularios | p. 219 |
| Barbarians of the east and west | p. 222 |
| General Considerations: the Return of Multipolarity | p. 224 |
| Collapse | |
| "The Agony of a Virulent Poison": The Road to Mantzikert, 1059-1071 | p. 231 |
| Konstantinos X Doukas (1059-1067): Domestic mispriorities | p. 231 |
| Frayed frontiers: Seljuks and Oghuz | p. 233 |
| The end of Byzantine Italy | p. 236 |
| Eudokia and the succession: Romanos IV Diogenes (1068-1071) | p. 238 |
| Chasing Turks | p. 241 |
| Mantzikert | p. 246 |
| Civil war | p. 248 |
| "Squeezed by the Pangs of Death": The Empire on the Verge, 1071-1081 | p. 252 |
| Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078): The new regime | p. 252 |
| The state of the provinces | p. 254 |
| A Norman statelet in Asia Minor | p. 256 |
| Breakdown | p. 261 |
| Nikephoros III Botaneiates (1078-1081) | p. 266 |
| General Considerations: Imperial Collapse | p. 271 |
| Epilogue: A Byzantine History of the First Crusade | p. 280 |
| Crusading in broader perspective | p. 282 |
| The making of a surrogate Byzantine army | p. 287 |
| Restoring the Roman east | p. 295 |
| Guide to the Ten Most Important Narrative Sources | p. 303 |
| Notes | p. 305 |
| Glossary | p. 349 |
| Bibliography | p. 351 |
| Index of Persons and Places | p. 377 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
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