★The authors’ research spans the Middle East, Europe, and global relations, infusing the works with invaluable international perspectives and the depth of comparative history.
★Going far beyond war and politics, the series delves into the rise and fall of empires, interactions among civilizations, social transformations, and cultural integration, offering profound historical insights to help understand the structure of today's world.
★The unique interactive narrative vividly unravels grand historical themes, guiding readers to explore like detectives, filled with the joy of thinking and discovery.

This series includes 5 titles:
Byzantine with Questions
European History with Questions
The Crusades with Questions
The History of World War I with Questions
The History of World War II with Questions

As the heir to the great legacy of Rome, Byzantium was an empire caught between the East and the West. Throughout its centuries of existence, it continuously pursued this heritage but never succeeded in fulfilling its aspirations. What caused its transformation from the Eastern Rome distant from the West into Byzantium? How did the name “Byzantium” come into being?

Why did the great Constantine feel the need to move away from the traditional capital of Rome and establish a new capital in the East? What impact did the ongoing sectarian struggles from the 4th century until its collapse have on Byzantium? What changes occurred in the socio-cultural life and legal mechanisms of Byzantium as it gradually became Hellenized? How did the relationship with the Turks, with whom Byzantium had the most frequent political, military, and social interactions throughout its history, evolve?

What were the consequences of the Islamic conquests that began in the East for Byzantium? What did Byzantium mean to those who launched the Crusades? How was the path to the disaster of 1204 paved? In its final period, spent under the shadow of its former glory, what efforts did Byzantium make to survive, and what were the outcomes of these efforts?

In addition to the questions above, this book provides answers to many other questions you may have about the history of the Byzantine Empire.

Arden Usta

Born in Istanbul in 1975, Arden Usta completed his primary education at Üsküdar Balarbaşı Primary School and his secondary education at Üsküdar Republic High School. In 1992, he enrolled in the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, graduating at the top of his class in 1996. That same year, he began his master’s degree in medieval history at the MSGSÜ Institute of Social Sciences. In 1997, he was appointed as a research assistant in the medieval history department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. He completed his master’s degree with a thesis titled “The Establishment Period of the Samanid Dynasty.” In January 2000, he began his doctoral studies at the same institute and completed his doctorate in 2003 with a thesis titled “Political and Cultural History of the Samanid Dynasty (943–1005).” He became an associate professor in 2008 and a full professor in 2014. Arden Usta continues to teach at the same university.

Fluent in English and Arabic, Usta is married and the father of two children.

Preface / 7
Transformation / 11
(From the Shift of the Imperial Center Eastward to the Reign of Heraclius)
Struggle for Change and Survival / 72
(From Heraclius to the Arrival of the Seljuks)
Brothers from the West / 178
(From the Rise of the Seljuks to the Crusader Capture of Constantinople)
The Empire in Name Only / 239
(From the Liberation of Constantinople from the Crusaders to the Fall of Byzantium)
List of Byzantine Emperors / 296
Bibliography / 301
Maps / 311
Photographs / 321