Byzantine Empire: A History From Beginning to End

I enjoyed the book very much, although at times I found myself somewhat confused with the time periods and names of Emperors, without doing a Wikipedia search and tons of notesIt does get just a tad bogged down at times with the turnover of emperors, but that begins to make sense, and I found it was essential, just tediousI would imagine many have debated when the Roman Empire actually concluded, as it seems somewhat up to debateI have been slowly plugging away at Edward Gibbons, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, hoping that might help a little, but it will be months or longer before that comes aboutThank you, this was a worthwhile read

A concise, but remarkably thorough history of the Byzantine empire from it's creation as an extension of the Roman empire in 330 to it's demise in 1453. Well written.I learned a few interesting facts from this book.1) The name Byzantine empire was a historical name given by historians in the sixteenth century. During the entirety of the empire's existence (330 - 1453) people and rulers within it simply referred to it as the Eastern Roman Empire and the people called themselves Romans.2) The Eastern Roman empire, i.e. Byzantine empire, lasted far longer than the Western Roman empire (27 BC - 485 AD).3) Byzantium could have lasted longer were it not for several incompetent emperors throughout it's history but especially during the last 4 centuries or so. There were also very competent emperors at various points, who somewhat miraculously saved the empire several times from invaders and/or from bankruptcy.4) Throughout it's history there were many emperors with the same or similar names (e.g. Constantine, Justinian) but they used those names without numbers after (e.g. Constantine II, Constantine IV). The number designations were added by historians centuries later to make it easier to refer to the emperors.5) Around 610 or so, the empire's military was restructured and replaced Latin as the official language with Greek and over the coming centuries, the empire's culture was shifted from Latin to Greek.Being something of a history buff I enjoyed this so I will definitely read more Hourly History books.

A good introduction to the subject. Helps in explaining the grandeur of the Empire, the dangers it faced and focuses on some of its political intrigues. For a much more detailed view I highly recommend Robin Pierson's podcast The history of Byzantium.

Many consider the Hourly History books the best buy on Amazon. The books can be obtained for free – two books this week – that are easy to read, can be finished in an hour, and give readers information that they should know.This book about the Byzantine Empire in the east tells that the western Roman Empire did not end in 476 as many claim. Roman power moved from the west to the east, from Rome to Constantinople, which continued to exist from 284 CE until 1461. We read about the questionable conversion of Constantine to Christianity, other leaders, religious controversies, cultural developments, the many intrigues, wars, and political gambles yielding successes and failures, which turned Byzantium into a major power for over a thousand years.

This is a short, enjoyable, introductory history of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) from "beginning to end". It is very readable and covers all the main points of Byzantine culture and history--the endless wars of succession, the advanced culture , the religious schisms, the great artwork etc.from the modern perspective it is focused too much on the wars and not enough on the art and culture. We also are told nothing about the peoples of the empire--since some of the ethnic issues exist to this day in that region. A little more on the impact of Byzantine culture on western history, particularly on Russia, Yugoslavia, Serbia etc would have been helpful.

I enjoyed reading the e-book Byzantine Empire: A History From Beginning to End. This e-book provided a lot of interesting facts such as the beginning of the Byzantine Empire was 284 and not 330 CE. I cannot believe that Augustus Diocletian believed that having a co-Augustus (Maximian, in the West), and Caesars as junior emperors would provide more stability for the Empire. Constantine used the cross as a symbol to win his empire, but did not become a Christian until he was on his death bed. Byzantine Empire had outstanding emperors and numerous poor ones, but it lasted over 1000 years until it fell to the Ottomans. This book is a good introduction to the Byzantine Empire and has piqued my interest to read more about this Empire.

This book was a good introduction to those who are interested in learning more about the Byzantine Empire. It wasn't my favorite Hourly History book out of all I have read so far but I liked it for sure and it really was fascinated. All the emperors and their names made my eyes cross a little, though. It could get a little bit confusing unless you're really focused on the book.The book covers the rise of the Byzantine Empire, wars, the house of Macedon and the final decline among others so there were lots of new things for me to learn, which I thought was great. The one thing that stood out to me were how the Byzantine Empire basically just kept coming back for more even when they seemed to be on the brink of destruction. Can't help but admire that in a way.Overall, Byzantine Empire: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History was a candid and quick read, spotlighting the Byzantines. They certainly were a fascinating bunch and I'd just love to see more books set during those times, whether it's ficion or nonficion. So recommendations are always much appreciated.

Quite confusing all the chopping and changing of emperors etc. Nasty lot plotting and undermining each other, even murder. Then I think, has much changed in the modern world.

Very informative and concise

Good for history

Very interesting.

Interesting and informative