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Penguin Classics Fourteen Byzantine Rulers

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This is a primary source, and thus I am reviewing the edition, not the historian. That is material best left to academic journals, and even a cursory survey would far exceed the length of the review. It would also be rather useless on Amazon. A brief introduction will be given to start this off, followed by a few comments on the edition itself and some recommendations for further reading.

Michael Psellos was a Byzantine courtier who wrote sometime at the end of the eleventh century, a rather difficult time for Byzantium after enjoying a relatively stable century of expansion and consolidation. As a highly-placed official, Psellos was intimitaly involved in palace politics. If you are interested in reading an account of the inner dealings and factionalism inside the Byzantine court in the era before the crusades, then Michael Psellos is the account to read. The very fact that he was involved up to his neck in the political wranglings just makes this account even more fun to read. However, if you are looking for an account that details what was going on involving the Byzantine Empire and its neighbours during Psellos' era, then this is not the book to read. The perspective is almost wholly limited to Constantinople, and it is extremely unclear from Psellos' account alone just what was going on beyond the walls of the imperial capital. If that is what you are interested in, read John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811-1057: Translation and Notes, who also covers most of Psellos' period and can provide a different take on events. You can read some other works of Psellos in translation as well. Anthony Kaldellis has translated a number of his personal works concerning his family in 'Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters: The Byzantine Family of Michael Psellos'. I'd insert a link but Amazon seemingly cannot find it, although a quick search will reveal it. You can also read a book of his on magic in 'Michael Psellus on the Operation of Daemons'.

As for the edition, the translation is easily readable. The notes are basic, but sufficient for anyone unfamiliar with Byzantine civilization to have little trouble getting through this rather easy and very entertaining read. There is a nice glossary that helps to explain some of the offices that will be encountered in the book. There are four appendices. Two are genealogical tables of the Houses of Macedon and Komnenos. Both are relevant, but would it have been terribly difficult to include a genealogy of the House of Doukas, who play a critical role towards the end of the book? There is a decent essay on George Maniakes as well, and a very little note (still called an appendix, however) on Greek fire. The latter is pretty basic and mediocre and is little more than a paragraph, but these are nice little additions to the book. This is a good read, an important source for Byzantine history, and a solid edition.

I was first hooked on Byzantine history after picking up a copy of John Julius Norwich's abridged History of Byzantium. This led to an abiding interest in the second half of the Roman Empire.

Psellus' turn of phrase and genuine storytelling ability make this book a pleasure to read. I only regret I cannot read it in its original Greek, for I think it would be even better. Despite the bias against his female compatriots (only to be expected in that era) Psellus remains fresh, authoritative, winning, and as balanced as can be expected. I love the Penguin editions of classic works- I rarely buy anything else- and my copy of the Chronographia is already dog-eared and underlined.

In short, I truly recomment this edition for any serious or leisurely student of Byzantium. Psellus gives us a window into a sorely misunderstood time and age- as well as being able to tell a ripping good story when the mood takes him.

I always like to read the original texts that historians tend to paraphrase.

This is definitely not one of those antique histories written by a forgotten author. Instead, Psellos writes across a range of topics: psychology of leadership, geography, Orthodox Christianity, statecraft, and let's not forget philosophy. This historical work is a tribute to the power of the Medieval empire of the Greeks, the high extent of its culture, and its heritage.

I completely recommend Michael Psellus to anyone who wants to understand a bit more about the Byzantines and this very harsh period of time in their history. Psellus is fun to read, his commentaries are often humorous, and he seems genuinely interested in preserving this period of time as more of a memoir that tries to place together the good and the bad aspects of life. Before his commentary on Constantine IX, he notes that the position of historian, just as the position of emperor, is a very complex one -- you can try your hardest to do it as accurately as possible, but, in the end, one realizes that most people are complex and cannot be quantified in words or even pages, particularly via using the words of other subjective humans. The reviewer at the bottom concerns himself with Western pipedreams; Psellus' (or Psellos') account is a memoir from events that happened in his life, it is *not* a play-by-play logbook.

I am not an expert on Byzantine history, but I'm not ignorant of it either. For such a one as myself, this book offers an enjoyable insight into what life was like at that time, in that place, and I must say that it was one of the most dynamic and interesting societies ever to exist. As for the author himself, his style was wholly unlike the stuffy, dull writings to be found among his Western contemporaries. It's informative, to the point, and even (gasp) mildly humorous at times. Buy it.

Michael Psellus was a historian and member of the Byzantine court for over a quarter of a century. From his position he was able to comprehend the gradual economic and physical collapse of his country. In Fourteen Byzantine Rulers he illustrates the intrigues and mismanagment of the Byzantine empire commited by its emporers, courtiers and soldiers with a sense of urgency often cloaked in wry wit. Fourteen Byzantine Rulers is not the stuff of leisure reading. The cast of characters is constantly changing and made only more difficult to comprehend by the congruent nature of Psellus' writing. While some of his accounts of conspiracy and intrigue are pretty juicy, the reader must have some knowledge of Byzantine history to truly appreciate them. While his accounts of the reigns of the Byzantine emporers between 976 and 1078 is colorful and insightful, they are often less than objective. His favorites are very easy to pick out, as he tries to rationalize their misdeeds by presenting a watered-down version of the facts. Add to this his various biases and the stifling amount of personal asides he includes in his work and the result is a sometimes useful, sometimes disposable account of the beginning of the end of the Byzantine Empire.