"Imperial Power, Political Elites and Provincial Culture in Byzantine Court Poetry (10-11 centuries). Literary Expressions of an Evolving Relationship", Princeton University, Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, October 21, 2015 (original) (raw)
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Medieval Worlds, 2021
Chrysobulls issued »in common« to the inhabitants of cities, together with a large number of other surviving sources, shed light on the interplay in the Byzantine Empire during the long thirteenth century between, on the one hand, growing claims to civic autonomy advanced by communes and, on the other, efforts by imperial authority to control its territory. This chapter examines the emergence of a new kind of empire – based on commerce and trade – under the Palaiologoi. It analyses the changing circumstances of urban centres in the western provinces, and assesses the degree of fiscal, legal and political emancipation that these centres achieved. It discusses the creation of leagues and other types of alliances that successfully bound cities and towns together into regional associations. It also considers the mechanisms behind revolts and other forms of armed and unarmed protest that occurred against the central regime. Particular attention is paid to the region of northern Greece (Thrace and Macedonia) dominated by the city of Thessalonike, for which the evidence is most plentiful.
The Peculiarities of the Byzantine Provincial Administration in the Balkans under the Komnenoi
Зборник радова Византолошког института 60/2 (2023) / Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta 60/2 (2023), 2023
The text presents the results of the research on the Byzantine provincial organization in the parts of the Balkans that the Empire directly controlled during the Komnenian era. The non-uniform historical and political evolution of some regions of the Balkan Peninsula called for different methods to be employed by the Constantinopolitan court when organizing the local provincial administration, leading to a differentiation among the Balkan themes. Another factor that contributed to the differentiation process was that not all provinces were of equal importance to the Empire, which is why strategically important districts and their local elites received certain privileges, mostly of a fiscal and financial nature. The role and significance of some themes grew over time, while others gradually lost their strategic relevance. That was reflected in Constantinople’s changing approach to organizing the provincial administration in the Balkans. This contribution focuses on when, how, and why some Balkan districts received privileges or had them rescinded in the Komnenian era.
CL 380-HY 300: History of the Byzantine Empire, Syllabus 2017
It is an introductory course in the history of the Byzantine Empire (330 – 1453). It will be divided into two parts. The first part consists of 15 lectures and 6 group discussions. We will follow the main events and the milestones of the Byzantine history structured chronologically, and will discuss the specific topics such as Byzantine political organization, international relations, society, economy, and culture. We will start with an overview of the main types of primary sources that scholars use studying Byzantium. Students will explore the different areas of the Byzantine history by reading a selection of the narrative sources, by examination of Byzantine coins, seals, manuscripts and art objects (available on-line). We will immerse ourselves in the legends and realities of the social, political, and cultural life of the majestic capital of the Byzantine empire, the city of Constantinople. Together with the Byzantine historians Eusebius of Caesarea, Procopius, Leo the Deacon, Michael Psellos, and Anna Komnene, we will have a chance to peep in the couloirs and chambers of the Imperial Palace, to eavesdrop on the flattering and defamatory stories about emperors and empresses, generals and bureaucrats, and to learn about intrigues, ambitions, love and hatred of the Byzantine beau monde. We will try to understand why (according to Averil Cameron) Byzantium is virtually " absent " from the public and even academic memory of the Western World, and will discuss the modern examples of the use (and abuse) of the Byzantine aesthetics (see the " Byzantine " collections from Dolce & Gabbana (2013), Valentino (2013), and Chanel). The second part of the course consists of students' presentations. Each student is invited to prepare a talk on the one of the " unorthodox " subjects that often are left behind in the standard expositions on the history of Byzantium (such as Byzantine magic, the Byzantine garden culture, cuisine and fashion, the Byzantine sense of humor and emotions, the Byzantine ideas about death, dreams, beauty, holiness, gender, women, and eroticism; please, find the list of the topics and the suggested bibliography at the end of this syllabus). Students will learn and practice the basic academic skills of preparing and delivering the oral presentations, and giving feedback on their colleagues' talks. This approach will make the fascinating and mysterious civilization of Byzantium more tangible and, in fact, unforgettable. The required primary and secondary literature will be available on the Blackboard, through the UA library E-Resources, and freely on the Internet. The course will require the occasional visits to the library, but the students will not have to purchase their own books or materials. The primary sources will be provided in English translation. Student learning outcomes: 1. Broadly recount the history of the Byzantine empire in the context of world civilization 2. Be able to discuss current issues and debates in Byzantine studies 3. Understand how various types of primary sources and methods of historical inquiry contribute to Byzantine studies.
Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies 2.3, 2019
This paper presents part of the Project entitled Mobility of people and families in Byzantium's northeastern frontier. A contribution to the prosopography of the military and political administration in the Armeniakoi area (7th-11th c.). The ongoing research on Pontos brings together, for the first time, all the evidence on the administration and especially the prosopography of the region. The collected material provides useful information on the careers and mobility of individuals and families alike. The presented brief case studies contribute to the better understanding of the administrative and social history of the Pontos in Byzantine times.
The Byzantine world contained many important cities throughout its empire. Although it was not 'urban' in the sense of the word today, its cities played a far more fundamental role than those of its European neighbors. This book, through a collection of twenty-four chapters, discusses aspects of, and different approaches to, Byzantine urbanism from the early to late Byzantine periods. It provides both a chronological and thematic perspective to the study of Byzantine cities, bringing together literary, documentary, and archival sources with archaeological results, material culture, art, and architecture, resulting in a rich synthesis of the variety of regional and sub-regional transformations of Byzantine urban landscapes. Organised into four sections, this book covers: Theory and Historiography, Geography and Economy, Architecture and the Built Environment, and Daily Life and Material Culture. It includes more specialised accounts that address the centripetal role of Constantinople and its broader influence across the empire. Such new perspectives help to challenge the historiographical balance between 'margins and metropolis,' and also to include geographical areas often regarded as peripheral, like the coastal urban centers of the Byzantine Mediterranean as well as cities on islands, such as Crete, Cyprus, and Sicily which have more recently yielded well-excavated and stratigraphically sound urban sites. The Routledge Handbook of the Byzantine City provides both an overview and detailed study of the Byzantine city to specialist scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike and, therefore, will appeal to all those interested in Byzantine urbanism and society, as well as those studying medieval society in general.