Aspar and the Struggle for the Eastern Roman Empire, AD 421-71

that struck the eastern Roman empire in the mid-fifth century and his extended struggle to control the succession to Leo I.Bleeker builds on earlier studies in three ways. First, previous work has largely concentrated on the role of "barbarian" generals in the western Roman empire, while much less attention has been paid to similar figures (such as Aspar) in the east. Secondly, while important recent work has explored the prevalence of "child-emperors" in the late-fourth and early-fifth centuries, this book suggests a further evolution of the imperial role in the mid-fifth century. Finally, while previous studies of this period have focused on Aspar's late career role in the succession struggles, a full study allows us to see how and why his relations with other key figures within and outside the eastern Roman government changed over the course of his lengthy career. [Publisher's Text]

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