Chapter II: Part XI: The History of the Later Roman Empire

BASED CHIEFLY UPON THE FOLLOWING AUTHORITIES

AGATHIAS, AMMIANUS, AUGUSTAN HISTORY, J. B. BURY, HENRY FYNES
CLINTON, GEORGIUS CEDRENUS, ANNA COMNENA, DION CASSIUS,
MICHAEL DUCAS, EINHARD (EGINHARD), EUTROPIUS, GEORGE
FINLAY, HEINRICH GELZER, EDWARD GIBBON,
FRIEDRICH WILHELM BENJAMIN VON
GIESEBRECHT,
FERDINAND GREGOROVIUS, G. F. HERTZBERG, THOMAS HODGKIN, JORDANES
(JORNANDES), JOANNES MALALAS, PROCOPIUS, L. VON RANKE,
STRABO, TACITUS, VELLEIUS, GEORG WEBER,
JOANNES ZONARAS, ZOSIMUS

TOGETHER WITH

A SURVEY OF THE HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES

BY

JAMES T. SHOTWELL

WITH ADDITIONAL CITATIONS FROM

SIGURD ABEL, JOHANN CHRISTOPH ADELUNG, AGOBARD, ANASTASIUS, ANNALES
FULDENSES, ANNALES METTENSES, BARONIUS, FRIEDRICH BLUHME, HENRY
BRADLEY, HERMANN BROSIEN, JAMES BRYCE, CODEX CAROLINUS,
CASSIODORUS, CHRONICLE OF MOISSIAC, ROBERT COMYN,
CORIPPUS, C. DU F. DU CANGE, S. A. DUNHAM,
JEAN VICTOR DURUY, ERCHANBERTUS,
EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANEIA,
ERNST WILHELM FÖRSTEMANN, FREDEGARIUS SCHOLASTICUS, E. A. FREEMAN,
GABRIEL H. GAILLARD, GEORGIUS MONACHUS, HEINRICH GERDES, AUGUST
FRIEDRICH GFÖRER, GREGORY OF TOURS, JACOB GRIMM, ALBERT
GUELDENPENNING, HENRY HALLAM, JOSEPH VON
HAMMER-PURGSTALL, JEAN BARTHÉLEMY
HAURÉAU, KARL JOSEPH VON HEFELE,
ISIDORUS HISPALENSIS,
HENRY H. HOWORTH,
JOHN OF EPHESUS, JULIAN, LAMBERT VON HERSFELD (_or_ ASCHAFFENBURG),
ERNEST LAVISSE AND ALFRED RAMBAUD, CHARLES LECOINTE, LEO DIACONUS,
CHARLTON T. LEWIS, MARIE PAULINE DE LÉZARDIÈRE, LIBANIUS,
JULIUS LIPPERT, MALCHUS PHILADELPHUS, WILHELM
MARTENS, HENRI MARTIN, WOLFGANG MENZEL,
J. F. MICHAUD, MONK OF ST. GAUL, DAVID
MÜLLER, FRIEDRICH MÜLLER,
NICEPHORUS PATRIARCHA, NICETAS ACOMINATUS, OELSNER, GEORGIUS PACHYMERES,
R. PALLMANN, PANEGYRICI VETERES, PAULUS DIACONUS, WALTER C. PERRY,
PETRUS PATRIARCHUS, GEORGIUS PHRANZES, PROSPER AQUITANICUS,
PTOLEMY, HERMANN VON REICHENAU, E. ROBERT ROESLER,
SALVIANUS OF MARSEILLES, F. J. SAULCY, K. SCHENK,
F. C. SCHLOSSER, LUDWIG SCHMIDT,
J. Y. SHEPPARD,
C. SOLLIUS APOLLINARIS SIDONIUS, JAMES SIME, M. E. THALHEIMER,
THEOPHANES, THEOPHYLACTUS SIMOCATTA, THIETMAR OF MERSEBURG,
GEOFFREY DE VILLE-HARDOUIN, WALAFRIED STRABUS, WIPO,
JOHANN G. A. WIRTH, J. K. ZEUS

CONTENTS

VOLUME VII

PAGE

BOOK I. THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE EAST

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. A SURVEY OF THE HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
By James T. Shotwell, Ph.D. xiii

HISTORY IN OUTLINE OF THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE EAST 1

CHAPTER I

THE REIGN OF ARCADIUS (395-408 A.D.) 25

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
of Eutropius, 35. St. John Chrysostom, 39.

CHAPTER II

REIGN OF THEODOSIUS THE YOUNGER TO THE ELEVATION OF JUSTINIAN
(408-527 A.D.) 42

The Huns, 45. Ammianus Marcellinus describes the Huns, 47.
Attila, king of the Huns, 48. The diplomacy of Attila, 54.
Attempt to assassinate Attila, 58. Successors of Theodosius, 60.

CHAPTER III

JUSTINIAN AND THEODORA (525-548 A.D.) 66

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
schools, 85. Extinction of the Roman consulship, 87. The
Vandalic War, 87. Belisarius, 89. Belisarius enters Carthage,
92. Triumph and meekness of Belisarius, 96. Solomon’s wars with
the Moors, 98. Military tactics under Justinian, 100. Decadence
of the soldiery, 103.

CHAPTER IV

THE LATER YEARS OF JUSTINIAN’S REIGN (535-565 A.D.) 106

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,
113. Barbaric inroads, 114. Slavic incursions, 116. Turks and
Avars, 119. Relations of the Roman Empire with Persia, 121. The
revolt in Africa, 124. Invasion of the Cotrigur Huns, 127. End
of Belisarius, 129. Death of Justinian, 130. Justinian as a
legislator, 131. Bury’s estimate of Justinian, 136.

CHAPTER V

REIGN OF JUSTIN II TO HERACLIUS (565-629 A.D.) 137

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.
Heraclius emperor, 155. Heraclius plans to remove the capital
to Carthage, 158. The awakening of Heraclius, 159. Triumph
of Heraclius, 162. The siege of Constantinople, 164. Third
expedition of Heraclius, 165. Battle of Nineveh, 166. The end
of Chosroes, 167.

CHAPTER VI

HERACLIUS AND HIS SUCCESSORS (610-717 A.D.) 170

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
II, 182. Religious feuds, 183. The growing danger from the
Saracens, 184. Reign of Constantine IV, 186. Saracen wars and
siege of Constantinople, 187. Justinian II, 189. The government
of Leontius, 192. Justinian recovers the throne, 193. Anarchy,
194.

CHAPTER VII

LEO THE ISAURIAN TO JOANNES ZIMISCES (717-969 A.D.) 197

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, 210.
Government of Copronymus; the Saracen wars, 211. Wars with
Bulgaria, 212. Council of 754, 214. Leo IV and Constantine VI,
215. The empress Irene, 216. Irene and iconoclasm, 217. End
of Byzantine authority at Rome, 219. Nicephorus and Michael
I, 220. Leo the Armenian, 221. The Amorian dynasty (820-867
A.D.): Michael II, 222. Theophilus, 222. Theodora and Michael
the Drunkard, 223. The Basilian or Macedonian dynasty (867-1057
A.D.): Basil, 225. Leo (VI) the Philosopher, 228. Constantine
VII Porphyrogenitus, 228. Romanus Lecapenus, 229. Romanus II,
230. Nicephorus Phocas, 231. The wars of Nicephorus, 231.

CHAPTER VIII

GLORY AND DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE (969-1204 A.D.) 235

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. Romanus in
the field, 253. Captivity of the emperor, 255. The sons of
Constantine XI and Nicephorus III, 257. Anna Comnena’s history,
259. Troubles of Alexius, 259. The Norman invasion, 260.
Joannes (II) Comnenus (Calo-Joannes), 263. Manuel I, 264. The
adventures of Andronicus, 266. Alexius II, 269. Andronicus I
emperor, 270. Gibbon’s review of the emperors, 271. Isaac (II)
Angelus, 273. Intervention of the crusaders, 273. The capture
of Constantinople, 275. Second capture, and sack of the city,
278.

CHAPTER IX

THE LATIN EMPIRE (1204-1261 A.D.) 282

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 Boniface, 288.
Other conquests, 290. The Bulgarian War, 291. Defeat of the
Latins, 292. The fate of Baldwin, 295. Henry of Hainault, 296.
Pierre de Courtenai and Robert of Namur, 298. Jean de Brienne,
299. Baldwin II, 300. The crown of thorns, 300. Progress of the
Greeks, 301. Constantinople recovered by the Greeks, 302.

CHAPTER X

THE RESTORATION OF THE GREEK EMPIRE (1204-1391 A.D.) 304

Theodore (I) Lascaris and Joannes Vatatzes, 304. Theodore
(II) Lascaris and Joannes (IV) Lascaris, 305. Michael (VIII)
Palæologus, 305. Michael Palæologus crowned emperor, 307.
Return and rule of the Greek emperor, 308. The provinces of the
empire, 311. Andronicus II, 317. The Catalan Grand Company,
320. The duchy of Athens, 322. Walter de Brienne and Cephisus,
322. Andronicus II to the restoration of the Palæologi,
323. The crusade of the fourteenth century, 329. The empire
tributary to the Turks, 330.

CHAPTER XI

MANUEL II TO THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (1391-1453 A.D.) 331

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. Preparations
for defence, 342. The siege begins, 344. The final assault,
349. The sack of Constantinople, 352. End of the Comneni and
Palæologi, 356.

BRIEF REFERENCE-LIST OF AUTHORITIES BY CHAPTERS 359

BOOK II. THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE WEST