The History of the Byzantine Empire: From the Founding of Byzantium to the Fall of Constantinople

The History of the Byzantine Empire begins with the founding of the city of Byzantium and traces the empire's founding, growth, decline, and eventual fall, presenting a sweeping history spanning nearly two thousand years. How was Byzantium founded as a city, and how did it become Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire? How did the Goths invade the empire? Why did they eventually turn their attention to Europe? How did the Western Roman Empire fall? How did the Nika riots begin and unfold? How did Justinian I expand the Byzantine Empire, and what was his relationship with Belisarius? How did the Persian Empire fall? How did the Slavs threaten the Byzantine Empire? How did the Arab Empire rise? What sparked the Iconoclast movement that swept across the Byzantine Empire? What caused the Crusades? Why did the Byzantine Empire decline? Why did the Crusaders destroy Constantinople? How was the Byzantine Empire restored, and how did the Ottoman Empire ultimately bring it to an end? This book answers all these questions.