Roman Emperor Zeno: The Perils of Power Politics in Fifth-Century Constantinople

Peter Crawford examines the life and career of the fifth-century Roman emperor Zeno and the various problems he faced before and during his seventeen-year rule. Despite its length, his reign has hitherto been somewhat overlooked as being just a part of that gap between the Theodosian and Justinianic dynasties of the Eastern Roman Empire which is comparatively poorly furnished with historical sources.

Reputedly brought in as a counterbalance to the generals who had dominated Constantinopolita...