Al-Mas’udi on the Byzantines
Known as the “Herodotus of the Arabs,” Abu Al-husayn ‘ali Ibn Al-husayn Al-mas’udi (d. 957) was a prominent historian and traveler from the tenth century. Continue reading
Known as the “Herodotus of the Arabs,” Abu Al-husayn ‘ali Ibn Al-husayn Al-mas’udi (d. 957) was a prominent historian and traveler from the tenth century. Continue reading
The Muslim Conquest have received some quite valuable recent historical inquiry, yet the strategy of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, who reigned from 610 to 641, has recived much less. Continue reading
This account of the siege and fall of Constantinople was written by Hermodoros Michael Kritovoulos, who was a civil servant working for Mehmed II. Continue reading
George Sphrantzes was a courtier in the Byzantine empire, serving as an important diplomat and ambassador for several emperors. Continue reading
The diary of Nicolo Barbaro is perhaps the most detailed and accurate eyewitness account of the siege and fall of Constantinople. Continue reading
Byzantines, Avars and the Introduction of the Trebuchet Stephen McCotter The Queen’s University of Belfast (2003) While there has been much debate over when the traction trebuchet appeared in the west and the extent to which it replaced late-antique torsion … Continue reading
The Battle of Kosovo: Early Reports of Victory and Defeat Thomas A. Emmert Kosovo: Legacy of a Medieval Battle In popular interpretation it was defeat at the Battle of Kosovo which brought about the disintegration of the medieval Serbian empire. … Continue reading
If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me… Continue reading
The following are two accounts of the invasion of Cyprus by Richard I in 1191. The Seljuk Turk under Saladin had recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 and Cyprus’ geographical position placed her on the route of the Crusaders from Western Europe … Continue reading
One of the most important figures in the history of fourteenth century Byzantium was John Cantacuzenus, a military commander under Andronicus III, who then rebelled against the regency government of Anna of Savoy, and himself emperor from 1347 to 1354. … Continue reading