ADVERTISEMENT THIS work is an attempt to fill up a vacancy in English literature. It may, perhaps, form a useful supplementary volume to the work of Gibbon, until something more worthy to be placed beside the writings of the great historian shall replace it. The author has found it impossible to follow rigidly any fixed system in the orthography of Greek names. Our best authorities do not agree in their mode of writing them. Had a fixed rule been generally adopted, it would have been conformed to in this work. The names of the emperors of Trebizond are always written in their Greek form, as a convenient mode of distinguishing them from the Byzantine sovereigns. Other names are given in their English, Latin, or semi-Greek form, as accident may appear to render most suitable. A desire to avoid both confusion and singularity, has made etymology yield to sound in one case, and given sound a preference over etymology in another. ATHENS, June 1851. CONTENTS § 1. Observations on the early population, 2. Depopulation under the Roman government. Causes of the introduction 3. Sclavonians in the Peloponnesus, 4. Sclavonian names in the geographical nomenclature of Greece, 5. Colonies of Asiatic race settled by the Byzantine emperors in Thrace and § 1. Political condition of the Byzantine empire, 2. Social condition of the Greeks in the twelfth century, 3. Stationary condition of the agricultural population throughout Europe 4. Condition of the Normans when they conquered the Byzantine possessions 5. Normans invade the Byzantine empire. Their ravages in Greece, 2. Quarrels with the Byzantine emperors during the first and second Cru- sades. Conquest of Cyprus by Richard I. of England during the § 1. Election of the first Latin emperor of Constantinople by the Crusaders 2. Establishment of the feudal system in Greece, 4. Henry of Flanders. Ecclesiastical arrangements. |