Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood
The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade
Published on 10. October 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
440 pages
978-0-19-005320-8 (ISBN)
Description
In the second half of the tenth century, Byzantium embarked on a series of spectacular conquests: first in the southeast against the Arabs, then in Bulgaria, and finally in the Georgian and Armenian lands. By the early eleventh century, the empire was the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. It was also expanding economically, demographically, and, in time, intellectually as well. Yet this imperial project came to a crashing collapse fifty years later, when political disunity, fiscal mismanagement, and defeat at the hands of the Seljuks in the east and the Normans in the west brought an end to Byzantine hegemony. By 1081, not only was its dominance of southern Italy, the Balkans, Caucasus, and northern Mesopotamia over but Byzantium's very existence was threatened.
How did this dramatic transformation happen? Based on a close examination of the relevant sources, this history-the first of its kind in over a century-offers a new reconstruction of the key events and crucial reigns as well as a different model for understanding imperial politics and wars, both civil and foreign. In addition to providing a badly needed narrative of this critical period of Byzantine history, Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood offers new interpretations of key topics relevant to the medieval era. The narrative unfolds in three parts: the first covers the years 955-1025, a period of imperial conquest and consolidation of authority under the great emperor Basil "the Bulgar-Slayer." The second (1025-1059) examines the dispersal of centralized authority in Constantinople as well as the emergence of new foreign enemies (Pechenegs, Seljuks, and Normans). The last section chronicles the spectacular collapse of the empire during the second half of the eleventh century, concluding with a look at the First Crusade and its consequences for Byzantine relations with the powers of Western Europe. This briskly paced and thoroughly investigated narrative vividly brings to life one of the most exciting and transformative eras of medieval history.
How did this dramatic transformation happen? Based on a close examination of the relevant sources, this history-the first of its kind in over a century-offers a new reconstruction of the key events and crucial reigns as well as a different model for understanding imperial politics and wars, both civil and foreign. In addition to providing a badly needed narrative of this critical period of Byzantine history, Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood offers new interpretations of key topics relevant to the medieval era. The narrative unfolds in three parts: the first covers the years 955-1025, a period of imperial conquest and consolidation of authority under the great emperor Basil "the Bulgar-Slayer." The second (1025-1059) examines the dispersal of centralized authority in Constantinople as well as the emergence of new foreign enemies (Pechenegs, Seljuks, and Normans). The last section chronicles the spectacular collapse of the empire during the second half of the eleventh century, concluding with a look at the First Crusade and its consequences for Byzantine relations with the powers of Western Europe. This briskly paced and thoroughly investigated narrative vividly brings to life one of the most exciting and transformative eras of medieval history.
Reviews / Votes
...very useful and readable book ... Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * R. T. Ingoglia, CHOICE * A stylish and fast-paced narrative that weaves politics, society, and individual characters together into a fascinating depiction of a lively, dynamic, and culturally diverse civilization at its height. Firmly rooted in the contemporary sources and with a well-tuned appreciation of current scholarly debates, Kaldellis' account is set to become the standard 'go-to' political narrative of the medieval eastern Roman or Byzantine empire in its heyday. * John F. Haldon, Princeton University * A learned and critical reassessment of the standard narrative, which is at the same time an engaging and lively account of an exciting period in the history of Byzantium. * Paul Magdalino, University of St. Andrews * Anthony Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is a major achievement. By setting aside the pre-conceptions of much of the secondary literature, and returning to the sources, he is able to reconstruct the dynamics of imperial power and politics across the crucial years between the imperial expansion of the late tenth century and the First Crusade. This book will be required reading for students and scholars not only of Byzantium, but also of the Medieval West. * Peter Sarris, University of Cambridge * In this lucid and well-researched history, Kaldellis, a classics scholar, examines the rapid expansion and subsequent contraction of Byzantium in the 10th and 11th centuries. This work serves impressively as both a general introduction to the political, economic, and military history of the period and a narratively engaging and clear interpretation of the causes and effects of the empire's rise and fall. The book nicely balances explication and commentary; Kaldellis includes details that bring his history to life-such as the facial hair patterns of a Byzantine enemy...The work is thus both educational and enjoyable, almost a canonical model of how to write history for both lay and professional readers. This is a welcome introduction to Byzantine history, which is little known in the West relative to earlier Greek or Roman periods and deserves wider understanding and discussion. * Publisher's Weekly *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
738 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-005320-8 (9780190053208)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Anthony Kaldellis
Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood
The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade
Book
09/2017
Oxford University Press Inc
€59.00
Available immediately
Person
Anthony Kaldellis is Professor of Greek and Latin at The Ohio State University. Author of The Christian Parthenon: Classicism and Pilgrimage in Byzantine Athens (CUP 2009) and Hellenism in Byzantium: The Transformations of Greek Identity and the Reception of the Classical Tradition (CUP, 2007), among numerous others (including two in progress OUP).
Content
Table of Contents
Preface
Maps
Genealogies
Introduction: The Byzantine Empire in the Tenth Century
Romania
Imperial governance
The army and war
Landed aristocracy
Anatolian magnates
Part I: CONQUEST AND CONSOLIDATION
"Avengers of Rome": The First Phase of Conquest in the East (955-963)
The cast of the conquest: The final years of Konstantinos VII (d. 959)
Turning the tide in the southeast
Southern Italy
A smooth succession: Romanos II
The conquest of Crete
The conquest of Cilicia (phase I)
The rise of Phokas
"The White Death of the Saracens": Nikephoros II Phokas (963-969)
The new regime
Failure in Sicily
The conquest of Cilicia (phase II) and Cyprus
The annexation of Taron
Declining popularity
Tension with Bulgaria
Tension in Italy with the German empire
Military victory, political failure: the final years
"A Mind Full of Cares, Brave in Danger": Ioannes I Tzimiskes (969-976)
The new regime
The defeat of the Rus' and Bulgaria
Eastern incursions: toward a new balance of power
An otherwise obscure reign
"From Spectator to Contestant": Basil II (976-1025), Part I
The new regime
The first rebellion of Bardas Skleros
The foreign policy of Lakapenos and Phokas, 979-985
The fall of Lakapenos and the rebellion of Phokas and Skleros
"Guarding the Children of New Rome": Basil II (976-1025), Part II
From status quo to peace in the east, 990-1001
The war against Bulgaria, 991-1003
The emperor and the "aristocracy"
"No One Ever Saw My Spear at Rest": Basil II (976-1025), Part III
The missing decade and conquest of Bulgaria, 1004-1018
Monitoring Aleppo, 1000-1025
The war with Abkhazia-Kartli and the last rebellion, 1021-1022
The apogee of Byzantine Italy
The end of an era
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: THE AGE OF CONQUEST
PART II: NEW ENEMIES AND THE RETURN OF POLITICS
"Intrigues of the Women's Quarters": From Macedonians to Paphlagonians
Konstantinos VIII (1025-1028)
Romanos III Argyros (1028-1034): The same insecurity
The debacle at Aleppo and the capture of Edessa
Diplomacy and dynastic instability
Michael IV (1034-1041): Family rule
Frontier integrity
The conquest, and loss, of Sicily
The Bulgarian revolt
The dramatic fall of Michael V (1041-1042)
"No Less Laws than Arms": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part I
Enter the Normans
1043: Trial by fire
Domestic initiatives (phase I)
The annexation of Ani
Enter the Pechenegs - the revolt of Tornikios
"Squaring the Circle": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part II
Enter the Seljuks - the Pecheneg wars
Domestic initiatives (phase II)
Italy on the brink and the Schism of 1054
Coping with new challenges
"With Sword Drawn": It All Comes to a Head, 1055-1059
Theodora (1055-1056)
Michael VI (1056-1057)
Isaakios I Komnenos (1057-1059): Fiscal reforms and the fall of Keroularios
Barbarians of the east and west
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: THE RETURN OF MULTI-POLARITY
PART III: COLLAPSE
"The Agony of a Virulent Poison": The Road to Mantzikert, 1059-1071
Konstantinos X Doukas (1059-1067): Domestic mispriorities
Frayed frontiers: Seljuks and Oghuz
The end of Byzantine Italy
Eudokia and the succession: Romanos IV Diogenes (1068-1071)
Chasing Turks
Mantzikert
Civil war
"Squeezed by the Pangs of Death": The Empire on the Verge, 1071-1081
Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078): The new regime
The state of the provinces
A Norman statelet in Asia Minor
Breakdown
Nikephoros III Botaneiates (1078-1081)
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: IMPERIAL COLLAPSE
EPILOGUE
A Byzantine History of the First Crusade
Crusading in broader perspective
The making of a surrogate Byzantine army
Restoring the Roman east
Guide to the ten most important narrative sources
Glossary
Bibliography
Index of Persons and Places
Restoring the Roman east
Preface
Maps
Genealogies
Introduction: The Byzantine Empire in the Tenth Century
Romania
Imperial governance
The army and war
Landed aristocracy
Anatolian magnates
Part I: CONQUEST AND CONSOLIDATION
"Avengers of Rome": The First Phase of Conquest in the East (955-963)
The cast of the conquest: The final years of Konstantinos VII (d. 959)
Turning the tide in the southeast
Southern Italy
A smooth succession: Romanos II
The conquest of Crete
The conquest of Cilicia (phase I)
The rise of Phokas
"The White Death of the Saracens": Nikephoros II Phokas (963-969)
The new regime
Failure in Sicily
The conquest of Cilicia (phase II) and Cyprus
The annexation of Taron
Declining popularity
Tension with Bulgaria
Tension in Italy with the German empire
Military victory, political failure: the final years
"A Mind Full of Cares, Brave in Danger": Ioannes I Tzimiskes (969-976)
The new regime
The defeat of the Rus' and Bulgaria
Eastern incursions: toward a new balance of power
An otherwise obscure reign
"From Spectator to Contestant": Basil II (976-1025), Part I
The new regime
The first rebellion of Bardas Skleros
The foreign policy of Lakapenos and Phokas, 979-985
The fall of Lakapenos and the rebellion of Phokas and Skleros
"Guarding the Children of New Rome": Basil II (976-1025), Part II
From status quo to peace in the east, 990-1001
The war against Bulgaria, 991-1003
The emperor and the "aristocracy"
"No One Ever Saw My Spear at Rest": Basil II (976-1025), Part III
The missing decade and conquest of Bulgaria, 1004-1018
Monitoring Aleppo, 1000-1025
The war with Abkhazia-Kartli and the last rebellion, 1021-1022
The apogee of Byzantine Italy
The end of an era
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: THE AGE OF CONQUEST
PART II: NEW ENEMIES AND THE RETURN OF POLITICS
"Intrigues of the Women's Quarters": From Macedonians to Paphlagonians
Konstantinos VIII (1025-1028)
Romanos III Argyros (1028-1034): The same insecurity
The debacle at Aleppo and the capture of Edessa
Diplomacy and dynastic instability
Michael IV (1034-1041): Family rule
Frontier integrity
The conquest, and loss, of Sicily
The Bulgarian revolt
The dramatic fall of Michael V (1041-1042)
"No Less Laws than Arms": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part I
Enter the Normans
1043: Trial by fire
Domestic initiatives (phase I)
The annexation of Ani
Enter the Pechenegs - the revolt of Tornikios
"Squaring the Circle": Konstantinos IX Monomachos (1042-1055), Part II
Enter the Seljuks - the Pecheneg wars
Domestic initiatives (phase II)
Italy on the brink and the Schism of 1054
Coping with new challenges
"With Sword Drawn": It All Comes to a Head, 1055-1059
Theodora (1055-1056)
Michael VI (1056-1057)
Isaakios I Komnenos (1057-1059): Fiscal reforms and the fall of Keroularios
Barbarians of the east and west
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: THE RETURN OF MULTI-POLARITY
PART III: COLLAPSE
"The Agony of a Virulent Poison": The Road to Mantzikert, 1059-1071
Konstantinos X Doukas (1059-1067): Domestic mispriorities
Frayed frontiers: Seljuks and Oghuz
The end of Byzantine Italy
Eudokia and the succession: Romanos IV Diogenes (1068-1071)
Chasing Turks
Mantzikert
Civil war
"Squeezed by the Pangs of Death": The Empire on the Verge, 1071-1081
Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078): The new regime
The state of the provinces
A Norman statelet in Asia Minor
Breakdown
Nikephoros III Botaneiates (1078-1081)
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: IMPERIAL COLLAPSE
EPILOGUE
A Byzantine History of the First Crusade
Crusading in broader perspective
The making of a surrogate Byzantine army
Restoring the Roman east
Guide to the ten most important narrative sources
Glossary
Bibliography
Index of Persons and Places
Restoring the Roman east