standup comics jim alchol - The Guide to the Byzantine Empire for General Readers

The Early Life of Theodora

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on June 15, 2010 at 3:01 pm no comments

In the 6th Century, the Empress Theodora, was the most powerful and influential woman in the Byzantine Empire. She ruled the empire jointly with her husband Justinian and took an active part in state affairs. But for all her power, she was not born into the privileged class. In fact she came from the lowest rungs of society as an actress and courtesan. Read on to find out how her early years shaped her life.
(more…)

Justinian and the Gothic War (part 2)

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on June 1, 2010 at 2:18 pm no comments

Christ Ravenna Mosaic by Wikipedia

Despite the puny amount of troops he had under his command, Belisarius achieved great success in the Gothic war due to his resourcefulness. He captured Sicily and invaded Italy from there, taking Naples and Rome. Now as if the fates were testing his brilliance, more obstacles arose to hinder his conquest of Italy. What were these obstacles and what happened to Belisarius? Read on to find out.
(more…)

Justinian and the Gothic war (part 1)

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on May 17, 2010 at 6:06 pm no comments

Coin of Theodahad by World Imaging

Justinian’s successful conquest of North Africa did much to enhance his prestige and confidence. As his ambitions grew, he turned his attention to the Gothic kingdom of Italy. The recent dynastic struggles presented him with an opportunity to reabsorb Italy into his growing empire. All he lacked was a pretext to do so. But soon an opportunity presented itself to Justinian, allowing him to wage his Gothic war. To find out more, read on.
(more…)

The North African Invasion of Justinian

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on May 2, 2010 at 11:09 pm no comments

Gaiseric sacking Rome in 455 by Mathiasrex

Under King Gaiseric, the Vandals had a fearsome reputation as pirates and undisputed masters of the Western Mediterranean. Even when Justinian ascended the throne in 527, the Byzantines still feared the Vandals. Fresh in their minds were the sack of Rome in 455 and the failed Byzantine invasion in 468, over 50 years ago. But despite the objections of his officials, Justinian still pressed ahead with his invasion of North Africa. How did this highly risky venture turn out? What did Justinian do to ensure its success?
(more…)

The Persian War and the Perpetual Peace

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on April 25, 2010 at 3:56 pm no comments

Asia 500AD by Thomas Lessman

The age of Justinian was famous for its military expeditions and the partial recovery of the western imperial territories. But before the recovery could begin, Justinian had to disengage the empire from an ongoing war with Persia. How did he do it and what price was he willing to pay?
(more…)

The legislative achievements of Justinian the Great

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on April 13, 2010 at 5:45 pm 3 comments

Digest or Pandects by Wikipedia

Law governed the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire. But by the time of Justinian, there was much difficulty in the administration of justice. Despite several attempts to tackle the issues, the solutions were short-lived and ended up compounding the mess. This however did not trouble Justinian. He set out on an ambitious reform of the Roman laws that would prove to be one of his enduring legacies.
(more…)

How Justinian the Great almost lost his throne

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on April 6, 2010 at 5:32 pm one comment

Constantinople Imperial District by Cplakidas

Justinian the Great was an energetic and ambitious ruler. He worked hard for what he believed to be the good of his empire. He also ensured that his people were entertained and readily dispensed financial aid to the poor and needy. But despite his efforts, he failed to win the hearts of his people. Instead, in his efforts at reform, he made many powerful enemies and nearly lost his throne in the process.
(more…)

How Justinian I rose to power

Filed under Justinian the Great by The Vizier on March 30, 2010 at 4:26 pm 2 comments

Image Credit: Phil13

Justinian’s rise to power from his lowly birth to emperor was not immediately apparent. Blessed with intelligence, energy and ambition, it was highly likely that Justinian would become a significant figure. But like all the great men of history, it was the element of luck or fate that set Justinian on the path to greatness. Without it, Justinian could have been successful, but not great.
(more…)

Medieval Total War Review

Filed under Game Reviews by The Vizier on March 22, 2010 at 11:49 pm no comments

Commander of the Army by The Vizier

Ah, Medieval Total War (MTW). The game brings back many fond memories for me. Although I discovered the Byzantine Empire in Age of Empires 2, it was MTW that solidified my love for them. Developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Activision, MTW is a turn-based strategy game with real-time tactics.

The Creative Assembly is a British video game developer established by Tim Ansell in 1987. But in March 2005, it became a European subsidiary of Sega. Some of their other products include Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, Empire: Total War and the latest Napoleon: Total War. All the earlier games have won many industry awards.

Personally, I enjoy moving the chess like pieces across the map and watching my empire grow bit by bit in MTW. Yet, the game is not perfect. There are a few historical inaccuracies here and there. But the other features make up for this minor flaw.
(more…)

The first wallpaper of Neo Byzantium

Filed under Misc by The Vizier on March 7, 2010 at 7:22 pm no comments

Image Credit: Haefen Hassinger

At last, Neo Byzantium has its first Byzantine Empire themed wallpaper; Basil II. The credit for this wallpaper goes to my talented friend and collaborator, Haefen Hassinger. She took the idea I had and breathed life into it in a way that exceeded my expectations. I believe a short explanation of how the wallpaper came to be will add more meaning to it.
(more…)

« Older Entries

The Guide to the Byzantine Empire for General Readers

Categories