Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars By Lars Brownworth

review Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars

This 15,500 word micro book is the third in Lars Brownworth's Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians series.On a late summer day in 944, a great procession entered through the Golden Gate of Constantinople and wound its way down the Via Triumphalis. There was no conquering hero or popular emperor in the lead. At it's head was the holiest relic in Christendom, a shroud of Christ miraculously printed with His image. This was the high point of Romanus Lecapenus’ reign, the culmination of than twenty years of careful diplomacy and stewardship. The poor son of an unschooled father had restored the Roman Empire to much of its eastern glory. And yet, the great emperor was not there to enjoy his moment. He lay on his sickbed in the palace, tormented by his sins and seeing ominous signs of judgment all around him. Finally he rose and called for an attendant. Even if it caused his destruction, the Macedonian line would be returned to the throne.Lars Brownworth created the genre defining 12 Byzantine Rulers podcast, which prompted the New York Times to liken him to some of history's great popularizers. He is author of the book Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization, which is available in bookstores and online. He speaks at various conferences and is currently working on a podcast that brings to life the reign of the Normans. Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars

I have no particular interest in this period or location, but the book looked interesting when it came up on the free list. I finally got around to reading it today. (I stuck them in my History collection and then realized today I hadn't looked to see what was in there for a while.)After starting with Alexander and Zoe and realizing that the book was very readable, I went on to read Leo the Wise and Romanus Lecapenus by the same author. I was very impressed to find the areas that overlapped were handled very well without resorting to any kind of copy and paste. (Which is than I'm doing, actually I freely confess that my reviews of all three books are very, very similar.)I have seen a couple of typos but I honestly don't remember at this point where they are; the only one that really stuck out was a reference to the steaks were higher. They aren't frequent enough to be annoying or distracting; I didn't highlight any of them, which is what I do when errors are a) frequent, b) egregious, or c) both.All in all, fascinating books long enough to make you feel like you read something, short enough not to leave you yawning. They give a satisfying glimpse of the subject to the casual reader without overwhelming with details or boring with dry data. I liked the illustrations, as well, although unfortunately on an e ink Kindle, they just aren't all that impressive. Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars It saddens me that the last written review here is from 2017, than 5yrs old. That we can read detailed information about the lives, battles, and reigns of people who lived than 11 centuries ago?? Amazing! It is early Christianity reclaiming land and people from the Islamic Caliphate long before the Crusades. These three books should be listed as a series (but are not) of Leo the Wise, his son Alexander III, then the 'Great Pretender' Romanus Lepacenus, a renowned military leader who took the throne in place of Constantine VI who was 7yrs old and the kingdom could not be ruled by his mother, supposedly. All three books are short in pages but long in interesting history of a part of the world still fighting to this day! A surprise in book 3 (Romanus's) were relics of Christ in the possession of this kingdom including (but not limited to) perhaps what we know of today as the Shroud of Turin! There are photos excerpted from ancient murals throughout. Unfortunately there are no maps but enough of the city names and geographical descriptions remain in modern times to recognize the general vicinity. The detailed research and writing of Lars Brownworth is fascinating! I now have all his available ebooks in my library and highly recommend these three to get started with! 👉 👑👑👑 👈 Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars Desconocía la historia de Romanus Lecapenus, pero fue uno de los emperadores más importantes del Imperio Bizantino. Tiene un papel fundamental en el siglo X y está relacionado con episodios muy importantes (como la recuperación del Mandilion de Edessa).Un desconocido de origen armenio que llega a la purpura imperial. Lastima que la historia bizantina sea tan desconocida. Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars Very enjoyable. Quite short but packed with facts and information while being a lively and interesting read. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history. Top Job! Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars The throne of the New Rome Constantinople was no safer a seat than its predecessor in Rome itself. A surprising number of emperors were killed or forced to abdicate by their successors. Also surprising is how many emperors came from humble origins, usually working their way up through the military. Romanus (~870 948) followed that track. His father was an Armenian peasant known for being unbearable company, but who was in the right place at the right time to rescue an emperor who was trying to flee from a military defeat. The grateful emperor took the whole family back to Constantinople with him and from there Romanus found his way into the navy. He was very competent and very good natured and eventually wound up as the admiral in charge. The death of the reigning emperor who left a young child as his heir provided an opportunity and Romanus gracefully took it. Unlike many who had seized the throne at other times, he did not harm the rightful heir. Instead he married him to his daughter and, eventually, was succeeded by him after his own sons proved unworthy. Romanus ruled over and helped create a time of rising strength and prosperity for the empire. He found and promoted competent people and dealt ably with a world full of threats to his empire. Brownworth, who wrote one of the first books I read on Eastern Rome, Lost to the West, is in fine form here. He has become a very good writer and tells his story well. The book is illustrated with photos and old artwork. I was sorry to see it end. If you are interested in history, especially of the pre Crusades eastern Mediterranean, this should be a book for you. Romanus Lecapenus: The Great Pretender (Byzantium: The Rise of the Macedonians Book 3) eBook : Brownworth, Lars