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s the Roman Empire slipped into decline during the late third and early fourth centuries A.D., barbarian hordes stormed across Europe, devastating all in their path and plunging it into what has been called the Dark Ages. But if the light of classical civilization and learning flickered precariously in the West, it yet shone brightly in the East, in a place possessing the most magical of names—Byzantium.

The Byzantine Empire was one of the most brilliant civilizations ever to endure, flourishing without interruption for eleven hundred years. Direct heir to the Roman Empire, Byzantium preserved Roman law and state organization, as well as Hellenic culture and literature. It was also the first Christian empire. Her capital, Constantinople, owing to its strategic position on the Bosphorus where Europe and Asia converge, became a major crossroad for trade and, subsequently, the richest port in the world—her wealth beyond imagining.

While researching my first book, The Valiant Heart, I became fascinated with the Viking trade routes to the East. The Defiant Heart (my second book) blossomed to life in my heart right then, and I knew my characters would, unquestionably, one day sail for Byzantium.

My enthusiasm grew. I envisioned the book to be a contrast of cultures, sweeping from the shores of rustic Ireland to the bustling Danish slave market of Hedeby, down the mighty of waters of the Dnieper river through hazardous lands, and on to the Black Sea and the glittering capital of Byzantium—Constantinople. There, my hero and heroine would walk in marbled halls and dine on plates of gold with little silver forks. Adorned in silks and jewels, they would stroll amidst imperial gardens where ibis and peacocks roamed, and where silver fountains were filled with almonds and flowed with wine—an exotic, opulent world. Ah, yes, this was a grand scheme and an adventure worth the journey; one I would savor right alongside my characters, every word of the way.

On completion of The Valiant Heart, I launched headlong into The Defiant Heart. Impassioned with the scope of the project, I shared my excitement with others. Nods and smiles accompanied my mention of Ireland, Denmark and Russia. But, when I announced Byzantium to be the high point of my destinations, all too often, my words met with blank stares.

"Byz—what?" a few asked outright. Very few, actually, for more typically, my listener would quietly go still, very still, except for their eyes which would begin to roam, if not cross or glaze over altogether. As this phenomenon recurred time and again, I realized with sadness that a vast number of people have little or no knowledge of this great civilization or of our indebtedness to her.

But, even for those acquainted with the Byzantine Empire, there are some notably confusing aspects to its culture. For one, Byzantium claimed to be the continuation of the Roman Empire, yet its capital was located at the eastern most part of Europe, and its people spoke Greek. On the other hand, while the citizens considered themselves Rhomaioi (Romans) and fervently embraced their Classical heritage, the city was founded from the very beginning as an Orthodox Christian capital (this following one of the most severe eras of Christian persecution under the Romans). And consider, while the faith of its people was profound, steeped in religious mysticism and ritual, Byzantines were known for sinister plots, mutilations, and more than a few royal eye gouging.  Were these people so pious after all?

Truly the Byzantine world, as it evolved, was a complex one—labyrinthine, some would say—but certainly worth effort to unravel its mysteries, appreciate its grandeur and understand the importance of its place in history to mankind.

In 324 A.D., on becoming sole emperor of the Roman empire, Constantine the Great made two significant decisions that were to have far reaching consequences. He legalized Christianity and moved his capital from Rome. For the site of his new capital, he chose a modest city named Byzantium, founded a thousand years prior as a Greek colony by a man named Byzas.  The site offered strategic advantages. Situated on a triangular promontory, it over-looked the Sea of Marmara to the south, a strand of the Bosphorus to the east where Europe met Asia and the

Golden Horn to the northeast, a protected harbor five miles long which opened onto the Black Sea. Not only highly defensible and favorable as a commercial crossroad, the site also allowed the emperor ready access to his armies in the cast and west.

At a frenzied pace, the city was laid out and Roman provinces were emptied of their treasures to fill Nova Roma (New Rome). While Roman style baths, forums, aqueducts and a hippodrome were raised, grand churches were erected and filled with relics. Constantine, who had undergone conversion (though he didn't receive Baptism till on his deathbed), intended his city to be a Christian one. Following forty days and forty nights of celebrations. Nova Roma, or Constantinople as it was soon called, was dedicated May I1, 330 A.D.

Artisans, merchants and adventurers flocked to the imperial city from all parts of the world. At the same time, Constantinople was not without her enemies, coveting her wealth and power. Over the next century, the entire city was fortified with thirteen miles of high, thick walls and watchtowers (triple walls on her landward side), making her an impregnable fortress.

The Byzantine political system, its government and laws, evolved over the centuries but continued without a break until the fifteenth century. Beginning with Constantine, the emperors were seen as having received their power directly from God (an Eastern concept). They lived amid opulent splendor and arrayed themselves in extravagant attire. As head of both state and church—the two being inseparable—it was the emperor who appointed the Patriarch to his office in the Orthodox Church.

 

If one Byzantine emperor is remembered above the others, it is Justinian I (527-565 A.D.) for his codification of Roman law which, in time, became the model for legal and political thought for most Western nations; for his architectural achievements following the Nika Riots of 532 A.D. which left half the city burned and which he rebuilt from ashes (his masterpiece being the immense and magnificent Hagia Sophia, for which he proclaimed, "Solomon, I have outdone thee!"); and for his unforgettable wife, Theodora the bear keeper's daughter.

It was not until the seventh century, during the reign of Herachus, that Greek became the official language of the empire replacing Latin which was still spoken at court, in government and the army. Greek had long been the language of the populace, which was predominantly of Greek extraction, and that of the Church, used in its liturgy and theology.

By the early tenth century, Constantinople boasted a population of roughly a million people. In The Defiant Heart my characters meet the emperor, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, as a child of ten—one possessing a bright and inquisitive mind. As a man, this scholar-emperor went on to compile treatises on a multitude of subjects including detailed information on government, history, geography and court ceremonials of the day. These he left to posterity in two important works, De Administrando Imperio and The Book of Ceremonies (from which this author gratefully gleaned vital information for her book!).

Tenth century Byzantium provided a cornucopia of detail to draw on. How could I resist including the 'Throne of Solomon', an elaborate mechanical throne that could be elevated from floor to ceiling with golden lions roaring and jeweled birds singing in gilded trees? And how could I overlook those small, two-tined forks (in use in the fourth century but not introduced to Europe until much later when a Byzantine princess brought some with her on the occasion of her wedding to the doge of Venice)?

Throne of Solomon

 

But what of stories of intrigues and mutilations? Plot and counterplot are not uncommon to any age, anywhere, though the Byzantines seemed masters of elaborate duplicities. Punishment by mutilation, though repulsive, was deemed a merciful act—a second chance for one to redeem their soul—for death was final.

Byzantium endured until the fifteenth century when it fell to the Ottoman Turks. As Seward and Mountgarret state in Byzantium, a Journey and a Guide, "It was the end of a realm which had renewed itself time and again, which had preserved Europe from Eastern (Persian and Arab) invasion for a millennium, at whose capital art, literature and the luxury of the Caesars had continued for a thousand years after the fall of old Rome."

On the morning of May 29, 1453, Constantine XI, the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire, fought and died heroically with his men atop the Romanus Gate.

On that day, the light of the (Byzantine) East went out forever.

 

 

Anita Gordon is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Heart trilogy.  The first novel of the trilogy—The Valiant Heart (1991), a tenth century medieval—garnered numerous awards and recognitions including Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart Award. The sequel—The Defiant Heart(1993), a sweeping, epic style work—was on the bestsellers lists. The Captive Heart (1995) completed the trilogy. Writing under the pseudonym Kathleen Kirkwood, Anita has penned two Late-Victorian, paranormal romances:  A Slip In Time (1998), set in the Scottish Highlands in 1893, and Shades Of The Past(1999), a haunted tale set in England's west Midlands in 1882. Anita's next book, a 12th century medieval entitled His Fair Lady (2001), captured the Golden Quill Award for Best Historical Romance. Anita is currently working on a ghostly tale set in Civil War Maryland but when it's completed she will, once again, return to her medieval roots with a tale set in 13th century Wales.

Visit Anita at www.anitagordon.com.

 

 

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