Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976-1025) |
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| Author:
| Holmes, Catherine |
| Series title: | Oxford Studies in Byzantium Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-1-280-75543-9 |
| Publication Date: | Jan 2006 |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press
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| Book Format: | Ebook |
| List Price: | USD $217.11 |
Book Description:
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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 Historian of John Skylitzes, reveals a Byzantium governed...
More DescriptionThis 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 Historian 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.