At the death of emperor Manuel I Comnenus in 1180, the Byzantine Empire appeared to be a solidly constructed state; in 1204, barely a quarter century later, Constantinople fell to the forces of the Fourth Crusade. Brand analyzes the internal and external pressures which beset Byzantium: the tyranny of Andronicus I comnenus, the incapable Angeli emperors, the pressure of Turks and Bulgarians, and especially the onslaught of the vigorous West. Attacks and threats from Normans, Frederick Barbarossa, and his son Henry VI, and ...
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At the death of emperor Manuel I Comnenus in 1180, the Byzantine Empire appeared to be a solidly constructed state; in 1204, barely a quarter century later, Constantinople fell to the forces of the Fourth Crusade. Brand analyzes the internal and external pressures which beset Byzantium: the tyranny of Andronicus I comnenus, the incapable Angeli emperors, the pressure of Turks and Bulgarians, and especially the onslaught of the vigorous West. Attacks and threats from Normans, Frederick Barbarossa, and his son Henry VI, and eventually the Fourth Crusaders were reinforced by commercial pressure from Venice, Genoa and Pisa.
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Seller's Description:
Textual maps. Some rubbing & corner bumps to binding. VG., dustwrapper. 24x15cm, x, 394 pp. Contents: The State and the people: inherited problems--The legacy of Manuel Commnenus--The last Comneni: Alexius II and Andronicus I--The reign of Isaac II--Toward disaster: Alexius III--The Norman threat: 1185--Frederick Barbarossa's crusade--The tributary state: Henry VI and Byzantium--Toward commerical monopoly: the Venetians--Venice's rivals: Genoa and Pisa--The last hope: allaince with the papacy--The failure of Byzantine foreign policy: the fourth crusade at Constantinople--Appendic I: Chronology of Isaac Angelus' early years--Appendix II: the date of Prince Alexius' arrival in the West--Genealogies Partial Stemma of the Comneni--Partial Stemma of the Angeli.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Very Good-dust jacket. 0674089758. Dustjacket has rubbing to bottom front corner of spine with colour loss and pinhole tear. DJ back panel is lightly browned. Light browning to textblock.; 406 pages; From 1081 to 1180--under the three Comneni emperors, Alexius I, John II, and Manuel I-the Byzantine Empire had been a power of major importance, wielding arms and influence in the Holy Land and the Italian penisula. This volume is an examination of the turbulent twenty-four years in which Constantinople, once splendid and celebrated, gradually disintegrated under its last rulers, who had inherited all the problems of an aging social system and possessed few of the talents needed to resolve them. The confrontations between Byzantium and the Western powers became increasingly important and form the major theme of Mr. Brand's study.
