Lars Brownworth Quote

On that last Monday of the empire’s history, the mood changed. There was no rest for the weary, of course, and work continued, but for the first time in weeks, the inhabitants of the city began to make their way to the Hagia Sophia. There, for the first and last time in Byzantine history, the divisions that had split the church for centuries were forgotten, Greek priests stood shoulder to shoulder with Latin ones, and a truly ecumenical service began. While the population gathered in the great church, Constantine gave a final speech—a funeral oration, as Edward Gibbon put it—for the Roman Empire. Reminding his assembled troops of their glorious history, he proudly charged them to acquit themselves with dignity and honor: Animals may run from animals, but you are men, and worthy heirs of the great heroes of Ancient Greece and Rome.* Turning to the Italians who were fighting in defense of Constantinople, the emperor thanked them for their service, assuring them that they were now brothers, united by a common bond. After shaking hands with each of the commanders, he dismissed them to their posts and joined the rest of the population in the Hagia Sophia.

Lars Brownworth

On that last Monday of the empire’s history, the mood changed. There was no rest for the weary, of course, and work continued, but for the first time in weeks, the inhabitants of the city began to make their way to the Hagia Sophia. There, for the first and last time in Byzantine history, the divisions that had split the church for centuries were forgotten, Greek priests stood shoulder to shoulder with Latin ones, and a truly ecumenical service began. While the population gathered in the great church, Constantine gave a final speech—a funeral oration, as Edward Gibbon put it—for the Roman Empire. Reminding his assembled troops of their glorious history, he proudly charged them to acquit themselves with dignity and honor: Animals may run from animals, but you are men, and worthy heirs of the great heroes of Ancient Greece and Rome.* Turning to the Italians who were fighting in defense of Constantinople, the emperor thanked them for their service, assuring them that they were now brothers, united by a common bond. After shaking hands with each of the commanders, he dismissed them to their posts and joined the rest of the population in the Hagia Sophia.

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About Lars Brownworth

Lars Mehrling Brownworth (born c. 1975) is an author and United States history, political science and humanities teacher at The Stony Brook School in Stony Brook on Long Island, New York, who created the top 50 podcast, 12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of the Byzantine Empire. This podcast was created on a whim by Lars and his brother, Anders Brownworth. He received his undergraduate degree from Houghton University and a masters from University of Dallas.
On August 15, 2007, Brownworth announced that he had resigned from teaching to work on a book with Crown Publishing titled Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization, which was published on September 15, 2009. On January 3, 2014, Brownworth released his second book, The Normans: From Raiders to Kings. His third book, titled The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings, was published in December 2014. A fourth book, In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades, was released on April 10, 2017. His most recent book, The Caesars Volume 1: Julius Caesar - Roman Colossus, was released on January 11, 2021. It is half of a planned two-volume set which will trace the history of the murderous Julio-Claudian Dynasty. All of his previous books reached the New York Times Best Seller Lists. He made his television debut in the Netflix series Rise of Empires: Ottomans, released in 2020.
He has been interviewed by The New York Times and NPR's "Here and Now", has written for The Wall Street Journal and resides in Stony Brook, New York, with his wife, the former Catherine Tipmore. He used to serve as the chair of the history department at Washington Christian Academy in Olney, Maryland.