Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Chancellor Palpatine
Er, I was talking of the last few years - mainly from the time of Justin going forward to the first crusade.
29 posted on 05/28/2003 7:55:55 AM PDT by Frumious Bandersnatch
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies ]


To: Frumious Bandersnatch
Justinian spent amazing amounts of money in the late 6th century trying to bring Italy, Spain and North Africa back into the Empire, while pacifying the border with Persia in the East. And this was all while he was building a splendid capital, including the huge Hagia Sophia, which stands today.

What he couldn't foresee in all his adventures was the beginning of Islam several decades after his death, which came on like a supernova, and which no one was prepared to contain. I'm not sure that it could have been withstood past the fallback lines in Asia Minor due to terrain, logistical and communications issues, but I'd like to think that Syria, Lebanon, Israel and egypt could have held longer and wound up differently (those were predominantly ethnically Greek with some local mixing at that point in time). Anyway, considering how long the line held in Asia Minor, they didn't do that badly.

35 posted on 05/28/2003 8:10:28 AM PDT by Chancellor Palpatine
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson