Byzantium: Greatness and Decline

Introduction xi
BOOK ONE. EVOLUTION OF BYZANTINE
HISTORY
I. The Shaping of the Eastern Empire 5
1. The Empire from the Foundation of Constantinople
to the Beginning of the Sixth Century • The Reign of
Justinian (518-565) • 2. Reorganization of the Empire
of the East The Changes of the Seventh Century (610-
717) • The Isaurian Dynasty (717-867)
II. From Climax to Fall (867-1453) 13
1. The Macedonian Dynasty (867-1081) 2. Resurgence
of the Empire under the Comneni (1081-1204) • 3. The
Empire under the Palaeologi (1261-1453)
BOOK TWO. ELEMENTS OF POWER
I. Government 27
1. Origins and Nature of Imperial Power • 2. External
Forms of Imperial Autocracy 3. The Extent of Imperial
Power • 4. The Limits of Imperial Power • 5. The Life of
an Emperor • 6. The Strength of the Imperial System
II. The Army and the Defence of the Monarchy 40
1. Composition of the Army. Recruitment • Mercenaries
2. The Qualities of the Byzantine Army and Its Place in
Society • 3. The Defects of the Military Organization •
The Generals • 4. Frontier Forces and Defence • Frontier
Warfare 5. The Navy

Asia - Dislocation of the Empire in the Thirteenth Century
• The Ruin of the Empire under the Palaeologi
VIII. Byzantium and the West 211
1. Religious Reasons The Political Rift between Byzantium
and Rome • The Religious Breach • 2. Political Factors
• 3. Commercial Factors • The Fourth Crusade and
Its Consequences • 4. Byzantium and the West in the
Period of the Palaeologi
BOOK FOUR. BYZANTIUM\'S CONTRIBUTION
TO THE WORLD
I. Byzantine Civilization 227
1. The Classical Tradition • The Stamp of Christianity •
Contact with the East • 2. Trends of Thought • History •
Theology • Trends in Philosophy • Rhetoric and Eloquence
• Variety in Byzantine Thought • Characteristics
of Byzantine Literature • 3. Development of Byzantine
Art • 4. Byzantine Life
II. The Spread of Orthodoxy and the Formation of
the Slavic World 261
1. Byzantium and the Slavic World • Byzantium and Bulgaria
- Byzantium and Russia • Byzantium and Serbia •
Byzantium and Rumania • 2. Byzantium and the Asiatic
East
III. The Spread of Byzantine Civilization in the West 276
1. Causes of Byzantine Influence • 2. Byzantium and
Western Art • 3. Byzantium\'s Intellectual Influence on
the West
Conclusion. Byzantium\'s Heritage 289
1. Byzantium and the Turks • Byzantium and Hellenism
• 2. Byzantium and Russia • 3. Byzantium and Balkan
Ambitions
Bibliographical Note 301
Index 358