22 - Byzantine Empire by Charles William Chadwick Oman

Fifty years ago, the term Byzantine‚ was often synonymous with corruption and decay, and the rich history of the East-Roman Empire was dismissed by many historians as dreary and monotonous. Edward Gibbon famously labeled the successors of Justinian and Heraclius as a succession of vicious weaklings, leaving little room for dissent. However, two pivotal works have since illuminated the true nature of the Byzantines for the English reader Finlays monumental tome from 1856 and Mr. Burys modern volumes from 1889. Today, the Byzantine Empire stands vindicated, recognized for its significant role in repelling the Saracen threat and preserving the light of knowledge throughout the Dark Ages. As the echoes of God is great and Mohammed is his prophet resonated in the dome where thirty generations of patriarchs once celebrated, the curtain fell on the longest saga of Empire that Christendom has ever witnessed. Finis.