The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 07

The unfortunate phrase “Fall of the Western Empire” has given a false importance to the affair of 476: it is generally thought that the date marks a great era of the world. But...

The Russian war was the great event of the reign of Joannes Zimisces. The military fame of the Byzantine emperor, who was unquestionably the ablest general of his time, the grea...

It is well known that the name of “Frank” is not to be found in the long list of German tribes preserved to us in the _Germania_ of Tacitus.[b] Little or nothing is heard of the...

In the exercise of supreme power, the first act of Justinian was to divide it with the woman whom he loved, the famous Theodora, whose strange elevation cannot be applauded as t...

[The chief source of our information concerning the personality of Charles the Great, is the biography by Eginhard or Einhard, who was intimately associated with the king and hi...

With the accession of Leo the Isaurian to the throne of Constantinople a new era opens in the history of the Eastern Empire. The progress of society had been deliberately oppose...

Although by the Treaty of Verdun the empire remained in some measure united and the emperor had a certain pre-eminence over the king, he was certainly not endowed with supreme p...

During the last years of Justinian, his infirm mind was devoted to heavenly contemplation, and he neglected the business of the lower world. His subjects were impatient of the l...

The empire of the Ostrogoths, though established on principles of a just administration by the wisdom of the great Theodoric, soon began to suffer as complete a national demoral...

The four invading nations, whose history has been already related, left no enduring memorial of their presence in Italy. The Visigoth, the Hun, the Vandal, the Ostrogoth, failed...

For the epoch of Henry II we have preserved to us the work of Bishop Thietmar[b] & of Merseburg, which, starting from local and personal points of view and showing the writer’s...

The emperor Manuel was at Brusa[89] when he heard of his father’s death. He was generally esteemed, being neither destitute of talent nor personal courage, while his disposition...

The loss of Constantinople in 1204 had restored a momentary vigour to the Greeks. From their palaces, the princes and nobles were driven into the field; and the fragments of the...

“Everyone who reads the history of Heraclius,” says Bury,[b] “is met by the problems: how did the great hero of the last Persian War spend the first ten years of his reign; and...

Here we shall add only a very brief résumé of the subject, naming the more important authors. For the later period of the undivided Roman Empire and the earlier Byzantine epoch...

Though an effective check had been given to the progress of the Saracens’ arms, and they themselves had been deprived of that chief support of fanatic valour, the belief in thei...

In the summer of 936 the leading men of the secular and clerical ranks assembled at Aachen to elect a king. Times had changed decidedly since the year 619, when Henry I received...

Arcadius was succeeded by his son Theodosius, who at the time of his father’s death was a mere child. The Roman world was deeply interested in the education of its master. A reg...

After the festival of Easter, the crusaders shared the captured riches; the fourth part of the spoil was set aside for him who should be chosen emperor, and the rest was divided...

The Emperor Theodosius I died in Mediolanum on the 17th of January, 395, after a long illness. A few months before this he had defeated at Frigidus, in the pass of the Julian Al...

Having followed the fortunes of the Later Roman Empire in the East to the final collapse, we return now to the ancient seat of the Roman Empire, where we are to witness a proces...

Charlemagne’s successor, Louis le Débonnaire,[139] did not restore vanished prestige by any of his own. We may praise his goodness, his virtue, the purity of his morals, the eff...

A national assembly, 631. Conrad II increases his power, 633. Conrad in Italy and Germany, 635. The accession of Henry III, 638. Henry’s efforts for peace, 639. The papacy subor...

The haughty spirit of Verina was still incapable of submission or repose. She provoked the enmity of a favourite general, embraced his cause as soon as he was disgraced, created...

The period upon which we are now entering presents peculiar difficulties for the historian. The body politic under consideration is in some respects unique. Historians are not e...

AGATHIAS, AMMIANUS, AUGUSTAN HISTORY, J. B. BURY, HENRY FYNES CLINTON, GEORGIUS CEDRENUS, ANNA COMNENA, DION CASSIUS, MICHAEL DUCAS, EINHARD (EGINHARD), EUTROPIUS, GEORGE FINLAY...

Prof. Adolf Erman, University of Berlin. Prof. Joseph Halévy, College of France. Prof. Thomas K. Cheyne, Oxford University. Prof. Andrew C. McLaughlin, University of Michigan. P...

The rise of Theodoric, 380. The Goths move upon Italy, 383. Theodoric the Great, 385. Theodoric and the Church, 389. The fate of Boethius and Symmachus, 391. The troubles of Ama...

Leo (III) the Isaurian, 201. The siege of Constantinople, 202. Revolt against Leo, 205. The Iconoclasts, 207. Iconoclasm after Leo, 209. The reign of Constantine (V) Copronymus,...

Early history of the Lombards, 426. Their wanderings from the Elbe to the Danube, 427. The Lombards in the region of the Danube, 429. Wars with the Gepids, 431. Alboin annihilat...

The Russian war, 237. War with the Saracens, 241. The apex of glory, 242. Basil II and his successors, 243. Separation of Greek and Latin churches, 250. The Comneni, 251. Romanu...

The coronation of Otto I, 608. The overthrow of the Stem duchies, 609. The tenth-century renaissance, 610. The strengthening of the marks, 613. Victory over the Magyars and Wend...

His biography, by a contemporary, 520. The Italian War, 523. The Saxon War, 524. The pass of Roncesvalles, 525. Third visit to Italy, 526. Bavarian War with Tassilo, 526. Wars i...

The reign of Ludwig the German, 575. War with the Slavonic tribes, 576. Ludwig turns against Charles the Bald, 577. The end of Lothair, 578. Ludwig and Charles divide Lothair’s...

Theodore (I) Lascaris and Joannes Vatatzes, 304. Theodore (II) Lascaris and Joannes (IV) Lascaris, 305. Michael (VIII) Palæologus, 305. Michael Palæologus crowned emperor, 307....

The election of an emperor, 283. Baldwin crowned, 284. Division of the territory, 285. The pope acknowledged, 286. Fate of the royal fugitives, 287. Baldwin quarrels with Bonifa...

Byzantium rids Rome of the Goths, 106. Finlay’s estimate of Belisarius, 109. The Goths renew the war, 110. Belisarius in Rome, 111. Gibbon’s estimate of Belisarius and his times...

[A further list of works on the Later Roman Empire in the West will be found in the _General Bibliographies of Rome, of Italy, and of Germany_, Vols. VI, IX, and XIV, respective...

Reign of Tiberius, 140. The Emperor Maurice, 142. The Persian War, 143. The Avars, 147. State of the Roman armies, 150. Rebellion against Maurice, 151. Phocas emperor, 153. Hera...

The factions of the Circus, 69. Avarice and profession of Justinian, 74. The building of St. Sophia, 79. Other buildings of Justinian, 81. Fortifications, 82. Suppression of the...

The provinces under Heraclius, 173. Barriers against the Northern barbarians, 176. Religious activities of Heraclius, 177. Wars with the Mohammedans, 179. The reign of Constans...

Manuel II, 331. Reign of Joannes VII, 336. Brief union of the Greek and Roman churches, 337. Reign of Constantine XIII, 338. War with Muhammed, 340. Church dissensions, 341. Pre...

The Saracens repelled, 498. The affairs of Rome, 499. The pope calls to Charles, 500. Carloman and Pepin the Short, 502. Pepin sole ruler, 504. Secularisation, 506. The anointin...

First conflicts with Rome, 460. Franks in the Roman army, 462. Early kings and the Salic Laws, 463. The reign of Clovis, 466. Clovis turns Christian, 469. Successors of Clovis t...

Louis le Débonnaire, or Pious, 557. Humiliation of Louis, 560. Louis returns to power, 561. Last years of Louis, 563. Quarrels of his successors, 565. Charles the Bald and Ludwi...

A comparison of the two empires, 25. Greatness of Constantinople, 28. The East and the West, 30. Alaric’s revolt, 30. Eutropius the Eunuch, 33. Tribigild the Ostrogoth; the fall...