Georg Ostrogorsky, Byzantinische Geschichte, München 2019
Georg Ostrogorsky was a Yugoslavian (born Russian) historian and Chair of Byzantinology at the University of Belgrade between 1933 and 1973. During his studies, his teachers had included Karl Jaspers, Alfred Weber, Ludwig Curtius and Percy Ernst Schramm. His book about Byzantine history was published first in 1940 and after that was translated into many languages (more than 10) which demonstrates its prestige. It counts as a standard work of Byzantine history. The text saw three editions at the German publisher’s C.H. Beck and two editions in English.
The composition of the chapters itself provides an overview over the structure and the topics of the book. It takes into account the history of the Byzantine period under chronological as well as thematic aspects: I) The early Byzantine State: Its development and characteristics (324-610) / II) The struggle for existence and the revival of the Byzantine State (610-711) / III) The age of the iconoclast crisis (711-843) / IV) The golden age of the Byzantine Empire (843-1025) / V) Government by the civil aristocracy of the capital (1025-1081) / VI) The rule of the military aristocracy (1081-1204) / VII) Latin rule and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire (1204-1282) / VIII) The decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire (1282-1453). [1]
The structure demonstrates that the author organizes the historical content into eight thematical complexes that are based on the chronological order and characterized by dominating circumstances. For example, the argument of the first chapter about early Byzantine developments is that in the first place Christianity was the transforming element that could lead to more and more new political structures. In this way each chapter is able to resemble kind of an epochal part in the Byzantine period. The time scaling in this respect guarantees a solid, verifiable orientation. The addition of several maps (mainly in the middle of the book) locates these developments and gives evidence about their geographical relevance.
The first chapter’s argument that points out the meaning of Christianity for Byzantine developments is as well of high relevance for the book’s main argument. The (formation of the) Byzantine state is presented as a gradually emerging outcome of the influences of the Roman Empire, the Greek culture and the church. On the one hand, the Byzantine state is thus pictured as a transformer of the Roman Empire throughout the Middle Ages and during a multitude of different wars and conflicts. On the other hand, the Byzantine state resembles something completely new, especially due to its own political and economic structures, ruling institutions and public organizations.
On the whole, the book takes into account a significant amount of inner and outer developments of Byzantine history. The inner developments involve mainly economic and social conditions as well as polity, law and administration. The constant threats of conflicts on the many borders and the important role of the military characterize the outer developments. Based on these elements, the author illustrates how a new kind of medieval state emerges out of the antique traditions. Ostrogorsky describes the processes at times very detailed and specifically – an example is the huge relevance of various Christological issues for Byzantine politics.
The clear division into different time periods, chapters and sub-chapters makes it easy to read this book in sections or choose special topics of interest. The overall structure and explanations, combined with detailed descriptions make the trains of thought very concrete and comprehensible. Although some aspects of today’s greater interest, like the Islamic context, may rather stay in the background, it is nevertheless a very useful book for retracing big lines and overall developments as well as certain central issues of the Byzantine era.
As a standard work, it is especially good for an introduction of the fundamental developments of the Byzantine Empire, but also of its role in a wider historical context. The book seems useful for both, readers with special interests in Byzantine history or time periods, as well as for readers who would like to gain an impression of the role that Byzantium plays in history. The fact that the author himself comes from an Eastern shaped background might contribute a lot to the fact that his book provides farsighted and substantial information.
[1] The English titles of the chapters are drawn from an English translation of Ostrogorsky’s work by Hussey (1957).