Author : Catherine Holmes
Release : 2005-11-24
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 508/5 ( reviews)
Book Synopsis Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976-1025) by : Catherine Holmes
Download or read book Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976-1025) written by Catherine Holmes. This book was released on 2005-11-24. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book-length study in English of the Byzantine emperor Basil II. Basil II, later known as 'Bulgar-slayer', is famous for his military conquests and his brutal intimidation of domestic foes. Catherine Holmes considers the problems Basil faced in governing a large, multi-ethnic empire, which stretched from southern Italy to Mesopotamia. Her close focus on the surviving historical narratives, above all the Synopsis Historion of John Skylitzes, reveals a Byzantium governed as much by persuasion as coercion. This book will appeal to those interested in Byzantium before the Crusades, the governance of pre-modern empires, and the methodology of writing early medieval political history.