(as of Aug 07, 2025 05:22:35 UTC – Details)
IT WAS AN AGE OF GLORY…
…BUT ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD.
‘A riveting account of Justinian’s reign that challenges traditional consensus’ Kirkus Reviews
The sixth-century AD witnessed a remarkable turn-around in the Roman Empire’s fortunes. Justinian’s general, Belisarius, recovered North Africa and Italy from the barbarians. An impressive new law code was inaugurated that would endure to this day. Astonishing building projects, like the iconic Hagia Sophia, rivalled the great monuments of Old Rome.
But rather than restoring Rome’s greatness did Justinian in fact pave the way for its collapse less than a century after his death? Drawing on the contemporary sources, especially those of the chronicler Procopius, Nick Holmes reveals a darker side to Justinian – a ruthless opportunist, whose costly conquests and misguided priorities drained the empire’s wealth and critically weakened its army.
This is the fourth volume in Nick Holmes’ series on the Fall of the Roman Empire. The first three books trace the empire’s story from the ‘crisis of the third century’, through its reinvention by Constantine as a Christian state, and then onto the fall of its western half. A fifth volume will tell of its rapid demise in the seventh century AD, when the first Islamic Caliphate became the new superpower of western Eurasia.
Praise for Nick Holmes’ Books
‘A talent for storytelling’ Kirkus Reviews
‘Clear, succinct and compelling’ AudioFile Magazine
‘Perhaps the best historical story-teller alive’ Amazon Reviewer
From the Publisher
Publisher : Puttenham Press Ltd
Publication date : 25 Nov. 2024
Language : English
Print length : 440 pages
ISBN-10 : 1739786564
ISBN-13 : 978-1739786564
Item weight : 426 g
Dimensions : 12.85 x 2.79 x 19.84 cm
Book 4 of 4 : The Fall of the Roman Empire
Best Sellers Rank: 128,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) 1,436 in European Historical Biographies
Customer reviews: 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 137 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
