Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium [Hardcover]

Walter E. Kaegi (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521814596 | ISBN-13: 978-0521814591 | Publication Date: April 21, 2003

This book evaluates the life and empire of the pivotal yet controversial Byzantine emperor Heraclius (ad. 610-641), a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. His stormy war-torn reign is critical for understanding the background to fundamental changes in the Balkans and the Middle East, including the emergence of Islam. Heraclius' skills enabled him to capture and recapture important territory, including Jerusalem, Syria and Egypt. Yet, they proved to be of little value when he confronted early Islamic conquests.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a good, solid work on a much studied, and much misunderstood, period in Byzantine history, and should find its way immediately onto graduate reading lists." Military History

"This study constitutes an excellent source for students and specialists interested in Byzantine and later Roman history. Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium will also enhance readers' knowledge of the Muslim-Arabic expansion into Middle Eastern territory." History

"...Prof. Kaegi's work breaks considerable new ground by refuting many old, generally superficial views of Heraclius, while putting his considerable achievements firmly into the political, social, cultural, and military frame-work of his times." New York Military Affairs Symposium Review

"A meticulous narrative." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Kaegi's expertise in the analysis of military campaigns shines through on numerous occasions, well supported by good maps, plans and photographs." The Medieval Review

"...a bold endeavor...it will require a heroic scholarly effort to produce a better account." American Historical Review

"Kaegi has certainly achieved his goal of superseding Andrewas Strato's narrative of the reign." - Speculum Mark Whittow, St. Peter's College, Oxford

"This subtly argued monograph will contribute importantly to the discussion of late Carolingian politics" - Speculum Hans Hummer, Wayne State University

Book Description

This book evaluates the life and empire of the pivotal yet controversial and poorly understood Buzantine emperor Heraclius (AD 610 641), a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. His stormy and war-torn reign is critical for understanding the background to fundamental changes in the Balkans and the Middle East, including the emergence of Islam, at the end of antiquity. He respectievely captured and recaptured important swathes of territory, including Jerusalem and Syria and Egypt. This is the first English-language synthesis of diverse primary sources in the light of recent historical scholarship.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 372 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521814596
• ISBN-13: 978-0521814591
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,274,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heraclius - Hero of Byzantium, March 12, 2004

By 

Lawrence Tritle (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium (Hardcover)

Heraclius saved the Byzantine Empire from sure destruction at the hands of the Persians, only to be confronted by the onslaught of Islam in the early seventh century. Piecing together Heraclius' life and remarkable achivement from fragmentary sources is no easy task, but Walter Kaegi has succeeded in creating an account of Heraclius that will long remain the oft cited standard. Critics will find details to quibble about, but what book is beyond criticism? In fact, Kaegi demonstrates the art of the careful and critical historian, sifting through pieces of evidence to arrive at well balanced judgments. His extraordinary handling of the Greek sources is matched by that applied to the Arabic (how many western historians can say that?), and his knowledge of the Armenian and Syraic sources is no less inferior. Moreover, Kaegi is among the few historians who has ever set foot in the area of Syria and Palestine where the critical battles between Byzantines and Persians/Arabs occurred, not to mention Iraq. Kaegi takes the reader through all this and shows just what can be known in a sure handed way, so that even the novice reader can learn of the heroic Heraclius and the great events of his day.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb work, August 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium (Hardcover)

This work depicts the trials of a man placed at the helm of one of the most tumultuous times in history, and is a must read for anyone interested in the Middle East. Most fascinating is Kaegi's depiction of the rise of Islam, which greatly diminished the massive Byzantine Empire and changed the history of the world. Kaegi not only examines why the Byzantines lost to the invaders, but also tries to understand Heraclius' role as an effective military leader. Kaegi makes the history come alive to the reader, but does not overstep the bounds of reality by creating fiction. All of his claims are cited and well-reasoned.
Besides being the first major comprehensive biography of Heraclius in the English language and being a compelling read, this is a work to be emulated. Walter Kaegi examines myriad Arabic and Greek primary sources, while also providing a thorough examination of secondary sources and arguments from academia. He does not stop there. His research into libraries throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East is then coupled with his on the ground research in both North Africa and the Near East. Walter Kaegi actually visited the sites about which he writes, and knows well the geography.
I strongly recommend this work for both experts and non-experts alike.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource - if one has a little patience, July 9, 2008

By 

Haruspex vivorum - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium (Paperback)

Readers with a special interest in seventh-century Byzantium will find that Kaegi has saved them much work. By extracting and synthesizing the best from the assortment of contemporary and later works on this period, the author has provided a comprehensive as well as deeply probing historical analysis. Even better, his frequent footnotes and ample bibliography point the reader to a variety of primary and secondary sources. Kaegi's work is therefore a springboard toward understanding this complex, tumultuous, and ultimately tragic era in Byzantine history.

Of course, as the title promises, the narrative centers on Herakleios, but his life is itself a study in Byzantine political and military history. Kaegi paints for the reader a thorough portrait of this remarkable emperor and the incessant struggles that plagued his reign.

All that said, I do have to agree with those reviewers who criticize Kaegi's writing style. Frankly, one has to be genuinely interested in the subject matter in order to get through this book. Kaegi's sentence structure is often clumsy, and his division of paragraphs sometimes appears to defy logic. Particularly curious - especially for a historian - is his frequent omission of the pluperfect where this tense would seem to be required. Also, as one reader has remarked, Kaegi's speculations sometimes become annoyingly lengthy and even repetitive. One needs a fair amount of patience to read through some of the chapters.

However, none of the shortcomings in Kaegi's writing should discourage devotees of Byzantine history taking up this well-researched work.