History of the Times

Nicetas Choniates was a Byzantine statesman, historian, and theologian who lived from approximately 1155 to 1217. He is renowned for his historical chronicle, the History of the Times. This extensive work documents the Byzantine Empire's struggles during the Third and Fourth Crusades, particularly the devastating sack of Constantinople in 1204 by Western Crusaders.1

Choniates' chronicle begins with the reign of Emperor John Comnenus (1118–1143) and concludes with the establishment of the first Latin Empire in Constantinople under Baldwin I (1204–1205). Despite his fervent Byzantine nationalism, his account is considered objective and provides crucial insights into this tumultuous period of Byzantine history. He also compiled an anthology of 12th-century theological writings, establishing him as a significant medieval Greek historiographer.1