The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453

Donald M. Nicol

Cambridge University Press, Oct 14, 1993 - History - 463 pages

The Byzantine Empire, fragmented and enfeebled by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, never again recovered its former extent, power and influence. Its greatest revival came when the Byzantines in exile reclaimed their capital city of Constantinople in 1261 and this book narrates the history of this restored empire from 1261 to its conquest by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. First published in 1972, the book has been completely revised, amended, and in part rewritten, with its source references and bibliography updated to take account of scholarly research on this last period of Byzantine history carried out over the past twenty years.

Contents

• The Byzantine Empire after the Fourth Crusade I: 1
• The Empire in exile and its restoration: 19
• the reign: 39
• The battle of wits between east and west: 58
• The Byzantine dilemma in the thirteenth century: 72
• the reign: 91
• Symptoms and causes of decline: 107
• The failure to find a cure: 122
• The nature of the enemy: 141
• the age of civil: 149
• The reign of Andronikos III 132841: 167
• The second civil war 13417: 185
• The reign of John VI Cantacuzene 134754: 209
• the last: 251
• the first crisis 13911402: 296
• The last reprieve 140225 3 8: 319
• The Ottoman revival and the reign of John VIII: 339
• the fall: 369
• The last outposts of Byzantium: 394
• Glossary: 413
• Index: 450

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453
• Author: Donald M. Nicol
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1993
• ISBN: 0521439914, 9780521439916
• Length: 463 pages
• Subjects: History / Ancient / General; History / Asia / General; History / General; History / Middle East / General