Imperial Tragedy: From Constantine's Empire to the Destruction of Roman Italy AD 363-568

For centuries, Rome was one of the world's largest imperial powers, its influence spread across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle-East, its military force successfully fighting off attacks by the Parthians, Germans, Persians and Goths. Then came the definitive split, the Vandal sack of Rome, and the crumbling of the West from Empire into kingdoms first nominally under Imperial rule and then, one by one, beyond it. Imperial Tragedy tells the story of Rome's gradual collapse. Full of palace intrigue, religious conflicts and military history, as well as details of the shifts in social, religious and political structures, Imperial Tragedy contests the idea that Rome fell due to external invasions. Instead, it focuses on how the choices and conditions of those living within the empire led to its fall. For it was not a single catastrophic moment that broke the Empire but a creeping process; by the time people understood that Rome had fallen, the west of the Empire had long since broken the Imperial yoke.

Review: A fascinating account showing just what it was like to be a Roman emperor - the endless court politics, the shock of outside events, the need to bring in reforms, and, above all, the constant struggle to stay alive and keep your place on the throne. -- Jerry Toner, Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge
A tour de force history of the inner workings of the late Roman Empire. Kulikowski tells a vivid, compelling story of the humans who fought to control the machinery of the empire until the entire system could no longer hold. -- Kyle Harper, author * The Fate of Rome *
Kulikowski pairs his comprehensive understanding of late Roman politics with an uncanny eye for spatial and material details as he reconstructs an empire in a downward spiral of self-destruction. Roman emperors and barbarian kings, pagan aristocrats and Christian bishops, loyal soldiers and self-serving condottieri are woven into the brilliantly dramatized story of The Tragedy of Empire. -- Noel Lenski, author * Constantine and the Cities *
Michael Kulikowski tells the story of the Roman Empire from the fourth to the sixth century. He writes boldly and fluently about imperial politics, incorporating the latest scholarship yet avoiding getting bogged down in academic controversies. Highly recommended as an introduction to the political history of this period. -- Hugh Elton, author * The Roman Empire in Late Antiquity *
Praise for Imperial Triumph 'This is a wonderfully broad sweep of Roman history ... fascinating -- Mary Beard
A genuinely bracing and innovative history of Rome for a general audience. * TLS *
This was an era of great change, and Mr. Kulikowski is an excellent and insightful guide to the process -- Adrian Goldsworthy * Wall Street Journal *
Kulikowski's lively and engaging account brings clarity to the murky world of the late Roman Empire. It lets us understand the endless in-fighting between imperial hopefuls, the profound reforms of Diocletian, and the social transformation that expressed itself in Christianity. It explains the many forces which led to the western empire's disintegration and expertly guides us through a post-Roman world which was eventually to give rise to modern Europe. -- Jerry Toner
Kulikowski pairs his comprehensive understanding of late Roman politics with an uncanny eye for spatial and material details as he reconstructs an empire in a downward spiral of self-destruction. Roman emperors and barbarian kings, pagan aristocrats and Christian bishops, loyal soldiers and self-serving condottieri are woven into the brilliantly dramatized story of Imperial Tragedy. -- Noel Lenski, author * Constantine and the Cities *
Insightful, coherent and articulate. * BBC History Magazine *
Demonstrates impressive mastery of a vast and complex field -- Australian Book Review
A breezy and animated, yet authorative look at this remarkable time ... sure to be of interest to anybody with a taste in character-driven history. * Military History Review *