The eighteen chapters of this book explore the complex history of exchange between Byzantium and the Latin West over a period of more than three hundred years, with a focus on the political, ecclesiastical and cultural spheres.
Besides outlining the history of competition and collaboration between two empires in medieval Europe, a range of regional approaches, stretching from England to the Crusader kingdoms, offer insights into the many aspects of Byzantine-Latin contact and exchange. Further sections explore patterns of mutual perception, linguistic and material dimensions of the contacts, as well as the role played by various groups of "cultural brokers" such as ambassadors, merchants, monks and Jewish communities.