The Tragedy of Empire

“As Kulikowski presents it, the end of the Roman Empire in the West was mean and dirty—and thoroughly Roman… In a brilliant tour d’horizon of the West from Ireland to the Black Sea, he measures the effect of the fall of Rome on the world beyond Rome.”—Peter Brown, New York Review of Books

“Kulikowski’s tale is complex, and frequently bloody, with dynastic intrigue, Persian wars, assassinations, usurpations, religious disputes, barbarian incursions, and repeated civil wars… A very valuable overview and analysis of the knotty question of why the empire ‘fell’ in the west, while it survived in the east.”—A. A. Nofi, StrategyPage

“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 of 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 of Constantine and the Cities

“Kulikowski’s lively and engaging account brings clarity to the murky world of the late Roman Empire. It lets us understand the endless infighting 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, author of Infamy: The Crimes of Ancient Rome

“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 of The Roman Empire in Late Antiquity