Los Triunfos de San Rafael

After surviving the fall of the Roman Empire of Western Europe in the 5th century, the Byzantine Empire flourished as one of the most powerful economic, cultural and military forces in Europe for a thousand years. In this brief introduction, Peter Sarris introduces the reader to the unique fusion of Roman political culture, Greek intellectual tradition, and Christian faith that took place in the imperial capital of Byzantium under Emperor Constantine and his heirs. Using examples of Byzantine architecture, art and literature, Sarris shows how its legacy was reworked and reinvented in the following centuries in the face of external challenges and threats. Through the impact of warfare with the Persian and Islamic worlds in the east, Sarris explores the creativity of Byzantine statecraft and strategy, as well as the empire's repeated (but ultimately unsuccessful) attempts to enlist the help of Christian powers in Western Europe to ensure its survival.