George Akropolites: The History
Introduction, translation and commentary
Published on 19. April 2007
463 pages
978-0-19-156871-8 (ISBN)
Description
This is the first English translation and study of George Akropolites' History, the main Greek source for the history of Byzantium between 1204 and 1261. Akropolites relates what happened to Byzantium after the Latin conquest of its capital, Constantinople, by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. He narrates the fragmentation of the Byzantine world, describing how the newly established 'empire' in Anatolia prevailed over its foreign and Byzantine enemies to recapture the capital in 1261. Akropolites was an eyewitness to most of the events he relates and a man close to the emperors he served, and his account has therefore influenced modern perceptions of this period. It has been an essential source for all those studying the eastern Mediterranean in the thirteenth century. However, until now historians have made use of his History without knowing anything about its author. Ruth Macrides remedies this deficiency by providing a detailed guide to Akropolites' work and an analysis of its composition, which places it in the context of medieval Greek historical writing.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
04/2007
Oxford University Press
€287.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Ruth Macrides is Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman, and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham.
Content
- Introduction
- The thirteenth century in historical writing
- The man and his work
- Promotions and titles
- Chronology of Akropolites' life
- The History
- Akropolites and later writers
- Other writings
- Studies
- Translation and Commentary
