By 1400, the once-mighty Byzantine Empire stood on the verge of destruction. Most of its territories had been lost to the Ottoman Turks, and Constantinople was under close blockade. Against all odds, Byzantium lingered on for another fifty years until 1453, when the Ottomans dramatically toppled the capital’s walls. During this bleak and uncertain time, ordinary Byzantines faced difficult decisions to protect their livelihoods and families against the death throes of their homeland. In this evocative and moving book, Jonathan Harris explores individual stories of diplomatic maneuverings, covert defiance, and sheer luck against a backdrop of major historical currents and offers a new perspective on the real reasons behind the fall of this extraordinarily fascinating empire.
Jonathan Harrisis professor of the history of Byzantium at Royal Holloway, University of London.
'Harris interrogates the evidence sensitively … showing how the realities of power in the Eastern Mediterranean rendered simple notions of patriotism and heroism irrelevant. … What Harris's lucid narrative demonstrates is that there was no clear East-West, Muslim-Christian split.' -Times Literary Supplement
“Harris offers plenty of serious scholarship, and a useful amount of background.”—John Hinton,Catholic Herald
Lucid; extremely well written with an excellent array of quotes and spread of information. —Michael Angold,Reviews In History
Harris is fully in command of this Islamic conquest and records a saga seething with treachery and avarice with rich political overtones and giant cannonades. Christendom is at flashpoint in this scholarly journey into a barbaric age. —Colin Gardner,Oxford Times
“A remarkable book, which offers numerous fresh insights and weaves a gripping and deeply moving story that constantly startles us with its newness,lĂL
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