This is not a success story but one of transition and ultimate fall. It is detailed, hugely researched, full of action, peronality, and a vivid narrative of political struggle for imperial power as Roman Emperor. It is especially impresive on the role of women, the tangled personal lives, of the elite family competition. And all against the backdrop of transition and decline. But struggle and competition take the Roman Empire and its agents, military and civil, to action on a global scale, to extreme northern Europe, Europe, the Balkaons, Near and Middle East, South and East Asia, Africa and even fringes of (later) America. And all to defend or extend imperial interest. But defence against declne is always presnent and a consant plea is for 'Something to be done' to keep the show on the road. The actual history is set out in brief with the time lines, original Original Time Lines (OTL). Here is the changing and struggling Empire with Western and Eastern Empires and emperors and popes, and Catholic and Orthordox churches, and with theology, philosophy and culture emerging from a Classical world . The list of emperors and empresses runs from AD 496-950 - from mid-empire to imperial evening and fall. AUTHOR: Dr Timothy Venning obtained his PhD from King's College, London, published as Cromwellian Foreign Policy (1995). He is a specialist in the history and biography of the 17th century and Cromwell and the English (British) Civil Wars. He has special interest in the history of Parliament and has worked on the Robert Boyle Papers and the History of Parliament Projects for the University of London, the History of Parliament Trust and on biographies of leading figures in Parliamentary history. He has contributed to the New Dictionary of National Biography on leading Civil Wars figures including Secretary John Thurloe and Cromwell's Ambassadors and Council members. Timothy Venning is an established author of academic and general interest histories with many publications for leading publishers including Pen and Sword and Amberley. The present book follows his Cromwell's Failed State and the Monarchy (Pen and Sword). 16 b/w illustrations