How did Byzantium reconquer Rome?
In 527, Justinian became Roman emperor after the death of his uncle. His reign marked the great return of the empire to the West, with the reconquest of Africa, Italy, and part of Spain by Belisarius. Let's revisit this grand epic and its heroes, an exceptional adventure set against the backdrop of the clash between Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
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Thanks to Thomas from @LaPlumeetlEpée who did the research for this video.
His playlist on the reign of Justinian: • Empire Byzantin
Bibliography:
• Cesaretti, P. Theodora, Empress of Byzantium. Payot, 2003.
• Destephen, S. The Late Roman Empire 235-641. Armand Colin, 2021.
• Durliat, J. From Antiquity to the Middle Ages: The West from 313 to 800. Ellipses, 2002.
• Harper, K., and Rossignol, B. How the Roman Empire Collapsed: Climate, Disease, and the Fall of Rome. La Découverte, 2019.
• Herrin, J. Ravenna: Capital of the Empire, Crucible of Europe. Past
Perfect, 2023.
• Hugoniot, C. Rome in Africa, from the fall of Carthage to the beginnings of the Arab conquest. Flammarion, 2000.
• Joye, S. Barbarian Europe 476-714. Armand Colin, 2019.
• Keller, R., and Sarti, L. Plunder, Tribute, Captives, Predation, and Societies from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Éditions de la Sorbonne, 2018.
• Maraval, P. Justinian: The Dream of a Universal Christian Empire. Tallandier, 2016.
• Maraval, P. Emperor Justinian. Biblis, 2019.
• Marry, L., and Sot, M. Impious and Pagans between Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Picard, 2002.
• Morrisson, C. The Byzantine World, the Eastern Roman Empire 330-641. Nouvelle Clio, 2021.
• Trochet, J-R. The Romans after Rome: Societies, Territory, Identities, 5th-15th Centuries. Armand Colin, 2022.
Primary Sources:
• Procopius. Secret History. Les Belles Lettres, 1990.
• Procopius. The War Against the Vandals. Les Belles Lettres, 2019.
• Procopius. The Wars Against the Persians. Les Belles Lettres, 2022.
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The music in this video comes from this playlist: • The Lofi Byzantine Empire - Ancient Music ...
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The illustrations come from the collections of these museums:
• The Walters Art Museum (online: https://art.thewalters.org/)
• Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art (online: https://5058.sydneyplus.com/argus/fin...)
• British Museum (online: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection)
• Palace of Versailles (online: https://collections.chateauversailles...)
• Getty Museum (online: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/)
• Art Institute of Chicago (online: https://www.artic.edu/collection)
• Rijksmuseum (online: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksst...)
• Paris Musées (online: https://www.parismuseescollections.pa...)
• Chester Beatty (online: https://chesterbeatty.ie/collections/)
Other images are from these sources:
• Wikimedia Commons (online: https://commons.wikimedia.org/)
• MidJourney (online: https://www.midjourney.com/
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00:00 - A New, Ambitious Emperor
03:19 - The Nika Rebellion
05:57 - The Reconquest of Africa
09:09 - The Reconquest of Italy
12:32 - A Time of Disillusionment
15:16 - Conclusion