The Greatest City of the Medieval World

Located on the narrow Bosporus Strait that separates Europe from Asia, the ancient Greek city of Byzantion was renamed in 330 CE as Constantinopolis, becoming capital of the Roman empire, Emperor Constantine “the Great” modestly naming his new capital after himself. Sacked by Crusaders in 1204, and decisively conquered by Ottomans in 1453, today it is the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Within a few centuries of its renaming, Constantinople became the richest, most populous, and most strongly fortified city in the Western world. Over time it became a target for successive attack by Goths, Avars, Persians, Arabs, Bulgars, Kyivan Rus’, Crusaders, and ultimately Turks (not to mention numerous Byzantine rebels, some successful, many failing). The city endured protracted sieges, devastating plagues, and savage civic unrest, but thanks to its superb location, it always managed to bounce back. Among the many architectural wonders adorning the city was Hagia Sophia, the immense domed church of The Holy Wisdom, constructed under emperor Justinian I between 532 and 537 CE.

Originally published in 2009, this book is the standard academic introduction in English to the Byzantine era of this historic city. This extensively revised second edition includes recent archaeological discoveries during extensive excavations for the Istanbul Metro system, and additional material on minorities and marginalized groups in the urban population.

The volume is organized in 12 thematic chapters:

1. City of Wonders
2. Founding Fathers
3. The God-Guarded City
4. Palaces and Power
5. Churches and Monasteries
6. 'Two Thirds of the Wealth of this World'
7. Democracy
8. Outsiders
9. The Latin Interlude
10. Indian Summer
11. The Ruin of Byzantine Constantinople
12. Byzantine Constantinople today

The author writes:

“Of the seventy or so emperors who reigned in Constantinople between 330 and 1204, fewer than half died in their beds at a ripe old age…Emperors were frequently overthrown by those closest to them. Michael II (820-9) reached the throne by murdering his old comrade-in-arms, Leo V (813-20) who was stabbed to death while praying in church . . . . John I Tzimiskes (969-76) became emperor by sneaking into the bedroom of his uncle, Nikephoros II Phokas (963-9) with a gang of followers who then hacked Nikephoros to pieces with their swords.” (p. 65)

Throughout the text there are four clearly drawn maps, and numerous monochrome illustrations A dozen “text boxes” provide translations of well-chosen original source documents. Appendices include a list of emperors, and a useful timeline of events, extending from the foundation of Byzantion in the 8th century BCE to the 21st century archaeological discoveries in the city.

This edition - in its more affordable paperback binding - would be a valuable supplementary reading for an undergraduate survey course, alongside any of the excellent recent short histories of the Byzantine empire. It will be read with enjoyment by readers who have any interest in the thousand-year history of this Greek-speaking, Orthodox Christian, Roman empire.

Jonathan Harris is professor of the History of Byzantium at Royal Holloway College, University of London. His research focuses on relations between Byzantium and the West, especially during the Crusades and the Italian Renaissance, and the Greek diaspora after 1453. He is the author of Introduction to Byzantium, 602–1453 (2020) and The End of Byzantium (2010).

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Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews include The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, Archaic Greece, Amazons: The History Behind the Legend, The Byzantine World, Classical Controversies, Reassessing the Peloponnesian War, War and Masculinity in Roman and Medieval Culture, Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy, The Wars of the Roses: A Medieval Civil War, The Emperor and the Elephant, Tiberius, The Roman Empire and World History, Leadership in the Ancient World: Concepts, Models, Theories, A History of the Greek World from 479 to 323 B.C., Commanders and Command in the Roman Republic and Early Empire, Love, War and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed, Nikephoros II Phokas (912-969): The White Death of the Saracens, 1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople, Naval Warfare under the Byzantine Empire: From Justinian I to the Fourth Crusade, and Carthage, A New History.

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Note: Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium is also available in paperback & e-editions.

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