“The Byzantines, the subjects of the Eastern Roman Empire, were great survivors. They outlasted their cousins in the west by a thousand years, withstanding the great waves of barbarian invasions and even managing to flourish amidst the chaos. Less than a century after the last western emperor was deposed in 476, the Eastern Romans under Justinian reconquered Italy and North Africa, and seemed on their way to restoring the entire Mediterranean to Roman rule.
Yet much of this early good fortune was illusory. More calamities were in store: plague, new waves of invaders, and economic collapse wiped away much of their gains and undermined the foundations of their rule. Amidst this fresh crop of disasters, one challenge above all else threatened to bring down the empire: the rise of Islam.”
This Episode was written by Ben Duval
Ben is a ten-year veteran of the US Marine Corps and Marine Reserve who writes on military history, the history of trade, and the intersection of the two, with a special focus on Byzantium and the Middle Ages. He is the author of “Midway Through the Plunge”, a book about 13 years in the mid-1300s that saw Byzantine power irreversibly collapse. He recently published a critical edition of F.L. Taylor’s classic study, “The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529”, and his book “Saladin the Strategist”, on the generalship of that famous sultan, is due out later this year. You can find more of his writing on byzantinemporia.com and bazaarofwar.com. Ben can be found on Twitter @byzantinemporia
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