Product Description

This classic account shows how the fall of Constantinople in May 1453, after a siege of several weeks, came as a bitter shock to Western Christendom. The city’s plight had been neglected, and negligible help was sent in this crisis. To the Turks, victory not only brought a new imperial capital, but guaranteed that their empire would last. To the Greeks, the conquest meant the end of the civilisation of Byzantium, and led to the exodus of scholars stimulating the tremendous expansion of Greek studies in the European Renaissance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5531 in Books
• Published on: 1990-09-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 270 pages

Review
‘Once again Sir Steven Runciman demonstrates his mastery of historical narrative … an excellent tale, full of suspense and pathos … He tells the story and, as always, tells it very elegantly.’ History

'Runciman [is] eminently accessible and readable.' Evangelicals Now

Customer Reviews

End of the Roman Empire in the East
A well written account of a key landmark in modern civilisation - the end of the Byzantine empire. In 1453 the Turks finally extinguished the Byzantine empire (barring Trebizond, which followed soon after) created by the emperor Constantine in around 330AD in his new capital of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). The Byzantines always thought of themselves as Romans, despite being essentially Greek,as their empire was effectively that of the Romans, displaced to the East before the fall of Rome in about 450AD. By the end in 1453, Byzantium was little more than a city state. A fascinating story. Byzantium survived for over a thousand years and perpetuated art and learning through many centuries in which the West was effectively run by warlike tribes.

Terrific
An excellent read! The first few chapters go into a lot of detail about the years preceeding the final seige - the rise of the Ottomans and the decline of the Byzantines, and the last chapters talk about its aftermath and legacy. However, the middle chapters read like a fantastic adventure story. The author really makes it all come to life. I was lucky enough to read his accounts of the seige and description of the walls from the remains of the actual city walls in Istanbul and being able to look out and see where the events took place was a fantastic experience.

Highly recommended.

Excellent account of the last days of the Byzantine era
This excellent book, written by one of the most fluent historians of Byzantium, is definitely worth it, not only for those interested in Byzantine history, but for anyone that can appreciate the value of such a well-written historic work. Presented with amazing detail, it gives us an accurate and fullfilling account of the last days of the "City of the cities", Constantinople, whose culture, wealth and glory during the Byzantium days, and up to the 29th May 1453, have been unique, not only in Greek history, but in the history of mankind.