The Revolutions, Insurrections, and Conspiracies of Europe (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1843 Excerpt: ... 399 CHAPTER XI. Brief Survey of the Greek Empire. In concluding the account of the revolutions which had the principal share in producing the feudal and papal society of the middle ages, it will be necessary for us to take a very brief view of the Eastern empire, and its political relations with the Saracens and with Christendom. The Greeks hated the Latin church, not simply on account of the differences of creed, but also because the political power of the papacy was based on a usurpation of the rights of the emperors. The Latins returned the hate of the Greeks with interest; they refused to aid them when Constantinople was besieged by the Saracens under the brilliant rule of the Ommiade khaliphs, and they gave no heed to the intimations sent them of the dangers to which Europe would be exposed from the growing power of the Turks. In the reign of Charlemagne an attempt was made to unite the Eastern and Western empires by a marriage between that monarch and the empress Irene. Before any arrangements could be made, Irene was deposed by her creature Nicephorus, and forced to bury her ambition in a convent. The profligacy and incapacity of Nicephorus reduced the Byzantine empire to the lowest state of wretchedness and weakness; the death of IIar6n-er-Rashid alone saved it from being annexed to the khaliphate of Bagdad. At length Nicephorus was surrounded and cut off," with the greater part of his army, in a campaign against the Bulgarians. For nearly a century the Eastern empire was distracted by religious controversies respecting the worship of images, and at the same time engaged in a desultory war with the Saracens, which produced no decisive result to either party. It was not until Nicephorus Phocas was raised to the throne that the court of Constantinople...