Scan barcode
A review by librarianonparade
Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar by Tom Holland
5.0
We are so used to thinking of the Roman Empire in those very terms, as an empire with an emperor at its head, that it is easy to forget that it wasn't always so. Rome was a republic once, and those republican virtues were greatly cherished and defended. Indeed, Julius Caesar was murdered for even daring to presume to raise himself above his fellow citizens. And yet scant years after his death, this king-hating republic was to all intents and purposes dead, although few would acknowledge this then or later, and its death throes were prolonged.
And this all thanks to Caesar's heir and successor, Augustus, the founder of the 'House of Caesar' of the title, more appropriately the House of Augustus. For it was Augustus who stabilised the empire after the years of civil war in the wake of Caesar's death, Augustus who bit by bit chipped away at the independence of the Senate, of the traditional rights and privileges of the elite, who took on titles, eminences and positions, who established the Pax Romana and brought peace and prosperity to the city of Rome, who walked a fine line between soothing the Senate and pandering to the plebs - and it must be said, set the precedent for dynastic manoeuvrings and occasional assassinations. All of his successors - Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero followed consciously in his footsteps, and each killed off a little bit more of the republican heritage of Rome - not to mention their own relatives.
This is vivid, juicy and murderous history, and Tom Holland tells it with real dash and flair - although it would take a historian of some real skill (and not in a good way) to make this boring! This is not boring history, and this is not a boring read. I could hardly put it down. It's very much narrative history, told with a certain wry detached tone that suits the glamour and excesses of these personalities. He makes the tangled politics of the time seem simple and draws intriguing parallels with our own time - the concept of placating the masses with bread and circuses has hardly faded, after all. He takes some artistic liberties as a result of the storytelling process and it isn't overly-burdened with extensive sources and notes - I would imagine genuine historians of the periods and academicians would gnash their teeth somewhat reading this. But as a lively and fast-paced introduction to a truly breathtaking period in history, this can't be beat.
And this all thanks to Caesar's heir and successor, Augustus, the founder of the 'House of Caesar' of the title, more appropriately the House of Augustus. For it was Augustus who stabilised the empire after the years of civil war in the wake of Caesar's death, Augustus who bit by bit chipped away at the independence of the Senate, of the traditional rights and privileges of the elite, who took on titles, eminences and positions, who established the Pax Romana and brought peace and prosperity to the city of Rome, who walked a fine line between soothing the Senate and pandering to the plebs - and it must be said, set the precedent for dynastic manoeuvrings and occasional assassinations. All of his successors - Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero followed consciously in his footsteps, and each killed off a little bit more of the republican heritage of Rome - not to mention their own relatives.
This is vivid, juicy and murderous history, and Tom Holland tells it with real dash and flair - although it would take a historian of some real skill (and not in a good way) to make this boring! This is not boring history, and this is not a boring read. I could hardly put it down. It's very much narrative history, told with a certain wry detached tone that suits the glamour and excesses of these personalities. He makes the tangled politics of the time seem simple and draws intriguing parallels with our own time - the concept of placating the masses with bread and circuses has hardly faded, after all. He takes some artistic liberties as a result of the storytelling process and it isn't overly-burdened with extensive sources and notes - I would imagine genuine historians of the periods and academicians would gnash their teeth somewhat reading this. But as a lively and fast-paced introduction to a truly breathtaking period in history, this can't be beat.