by Juho Wilskman. Hardback (6.5×9.5 inches). 265 pages. 2026.
This first volume — of ultimately three volumes — covers Byzantium from 1204 to 1261, or, from when the Latin Catholic-European crusaders captured Constantinople until the year the Romans (as the Byzantines liked to call themselves) recaptured the city. The earlier volumes in the series were written by a different author.
If it is heavy on politics and internecine relations and light on tactical battle descriptions, a lot is due to the sources. You can certainly start plotting a campaign. Plenty of opponents: Byzantines, Crusaders, Nicaeans, Turks, Thessalonikans, Mongols, Bulgars, and Epirosans for a start. You’ll have to fudge the numbers per type of troops a bit — medieval sources tend to exaggerate — but the effort is there to rationalize them closer to reality. Great start, that.
The battles are a bit generic, but their ramifications echo through the text. Your head might spin a bit at all the different emperors, pretenders, contenders, and also-rans who battled for this kingdom or that kingdom and ultimately tried to grab the throne.
The book contains 26 black and white photos, 15 black and white illustrations, and seven black and white maps.
This book is a converted PhD thesis, which tends to make me shudder, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the academia aspects of the text mostly, but not entirely, exorcised from the prose. Some Pen & Sword editor was on the ball and didn’t drop it. Nice introduction to medieval Byzantine politics and events.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
