Historian, Lars Brownworth, shines a light on a great empire, which was somehow relegated to a footnote in most of our history books. After the Western Roman Empire fell, European societies decayed into petty fiefdoms. Culturally, it was akin to turning the clock back by at least 500 years. But in the eastern half of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire ascended into glory. There, literacy rates soared, old established trade networks continued to function, great monuments were constructed and the arts flourished. Most importantly, the fortified capital of Constantinople kept barbarians, Islamic forces and Christian marauders in check for more than 1,000 years. As Brownworthís title states, much of this history has indeed been ìLost to the West.îìRome wasnít built in a day,î nor are historians in total agreement as to exactly when the western portion of the Roman Empire fell. However, most pinpoint A.D. 476, the year in which ìa barbarian general named Odoacerî smashed into Italy, seizing power from the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus. But things werenít going smoothly for at least 200 years before that date. Brownworth begins his historical account of the Byzantine Empire with Emperor Diocletian. In A.D. 285, he realized the Roman Empire was too large for any one ruler to govern properly. The empire was always divided culturally and linguistically, with Greek being spoken in the eastern half and Latin dominating in the west. Dividing the empire along those lines, Diocletian promoted Maximian, ìhis old drinking buddy,î to the rank of senior emperor to rule the western section. Read how this arrangement went amuck. Twenty-seven years later, when Constantine the Great took his vast army into Rome, he had no intention of governing a divided empire. Before the battle, he knelt in the dust looking for a sign from the gods. As the legend goes, there superimposed on the sun was a cross, ìbearing the inscription IN HOC SIGNO VINCES ñ- conquer by this sign.î As Brownworth points out, Constantineís army was largely composed of Christian warriors, so having them abandon their pagan banners went off without a hitch. And from that point forward, the Roman Empire and Christianity were politically joined at the hip. Constantine set to work turning Rome into a Christian center. Two of his many projects included a ìmassive basilicaî featuring a 40-foot statue of himself and a palace on Lateran Hill for the pope to use as a church. But after his efforts, Constantine realized Rome was still a decaying city, subject to attacks from surrounding Germanic tribes. Setting out to the east, Constantine credits divine intervention for leading him to Byzantiumís hills. There, ìunfettered by a pagan past,î he would build a new capital, ìNova Roma-New Rome.î In reality, the Hellenistic region was the birthplace of pagan mythology; however, the territory had a major geographic advantage over Rome. Surrounded on three sides by the sea, it only needed the addition of fortified walls to create an impenetrable fortress. In a mere seven years, Constantine built a capital complete with all the luxuries once only found in Rome: a hippodrome, public baths, a Senate House and palaces, decorated by columns and statuary gathered from all corners of the empire. While the populace called themselves ìRomans,î they named the new city Constantinople, ìin honor of the emperor.î The most impressive feature found in the new capital was the ìtremendous social mobilityî afforded to its inhabitants. Tradesmen, artists and educators flocked to the city, along with a vast number of poor people looking to improve their lot in life. Both males and females were educated, learning to read and write in Latin and Greek. Furthermore, future rulers of the Byzantine Empire would come from all social classes and both genders. Brownworth said, ìAs Western Europe slipped into the Dark Ages,î Roman and Greek classical literature and philosophies were forgotten in all but two places. In Ireland, a handful of monks gathered and copied the old texts. While in Constantinople, classic works continued to be studied, debated and preserved, just as in the preceding centuries. And why not? The term ìByzantine Empireî is only an invention of Western historians. From A.D.323, until its fall in 1453, the inhabitants of Constantinople considered themselves to be citizens of the Roman Empire. While this history often resembles a novel, itís easy to get bogged down with names and dates. Instead, focus on the issues that still impact our world today. I found events that occurred in the reign of Justinian I ( 527-565) to be significant. Since we canít seem to live without military leaders, it makes sense to have the best. Learn why Belisarius is credited with being one of the greatest generals in history. He defeated the Persians, captured the wealth of the Vandals and Goths ìand returned both Africa and Italy to imperial control.î Back at home, Justinian used that wealth to build hospitals and reconstruct the Hagia Sophia into a magnificent basilica. Covered with gold, marble and glorious mosaics, the interior dome spans over 4 acres. Today, converted into a mosque, it still dominates the skyline of Istanbul. Justinian also invented ìRoman Law,î the foundation of a legal system still used in Europe today. But as the empire reached its pinnacle of glory, a new enemy appeared, rats infected with the plague. While we think of the ìBlack Deathî as a 13th century disease, it most likely started decimating civilizations shortly after the advent of agriculture. When it reached Constantinople in 541, it ìraged unchecked for four months.î At its peak, it killed ì10,000 people per day.î Although infected, Justinian somehow managed to survive. During his illness, his wife, Theodora, took control of the empire. Read how she, Irene, Zoe and other women managed to rule in the empire. Notice that power and ruthlessness go hand-in-hand, regardless of gender. From beginning to end, this history is fraught with wars based on religious ideologies. As pagan religions began to fade, monotheistic religions gained the upper hand. Beginning in the seventh century, Christians and Muslims fought for ideological control. When Islamic armies spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, reaching into Iberia, it was Byzantine armies who stopped their progress into the rest of Europe. So too were battles fought between religious sects. Early Christians battled over the questions of Christís divinity/humanity. Later, the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches were locked in a constant power struggle about whether religious services should be said in Latin, Greek or a local dialect. Shortly after Mohammedís death, war broke out between Shiites and Sunnis, over who was his rightful successor. That battle continues today. And the chapter entitled ìThe Brilliant Sunsetî should help you understand the reasoning behind the Bosnian War (1992). Brownworth saves his most scathing comments for the Fourth Crusade, led by Enrico Dandolo, a Venetian general who sacked Constantinople in 1204. ìByzantium, the mighty Christian bulwark that had sheltered Western Europe from the rising tide of Islam for so many centuries, had been shattered beyond repair Ö .î Although the empire lasted another 249 years, it now lay ripe for the plucking. The Ottoman Turks were happy to oblige. ìLost to the Westî isnít a complete history of the Byzantine Empire. Brownworth said, ìItís intended to whet the appetiteî of readers who wish to learn more. Sadly, in spite of its relevance to current events, the history of this great empire has been ignored. Remedy that – read ìLost to the West.î
