Imperial Visions of Late Byzantium: Manuel II Palaiologos and Rhetoric in Purple

345 Pages·2020·2.403 MB·English

by  Florin Leonte

Imperial Visions of Late Byzantium
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Edinburgh Byzantine Studies
Innovative approaches to the medieval Eastern Roman empire and its neighbours
Edinburgh Byzantine Studies promotes new, theory-driven approaches to
the empire commonly called Byzantium. The series looks at the literary,
historical, material and visual remains of this long-living political order
and its neighbours, often from a multi-disciplinary and/or cross-cultural
vantage point. Its innovative readings highlight the connectivity of
Byzantine culture as well as of Byzantine Studies.
Series Editors
Niels Gaul, University of Edinburgh
the late Ruth Macrides, University of Birmingham
Alexander Riehle, Harvard University
Yannis Stouraitis, University of Edinburgh
Books available in the series
Imperial Visions of Late Byzantium: Manuel II Palaiologos and Rhetoric in Purple
Florin Leonte
Books forthcoming
The Earthly Order: Social Stratifi cation in Late Byzantium
Christos Malatras
The Monotheisation of Pontic-Caspian Eurasia: Eighth to Thirteenth Centuries
Alex Mesibov Feldman
Visit the Edinburgh Byzantine Studies website at edinburghuniversitypress.com/
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Imperial Visions of
Late Byzantium
Manuel II Palaiologos and
Rhetoric in Purple
Florin Leonte
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© Florin Leonte, 2020
Edinburgh University Press Ltd
The Tun – Holyrood Road, 12(2f) Jackson’s Entry, Edinburgh EH8 8PJ
Typeset in 10.5/13 Goudy Old Style by
IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd, and
printed and bound in Great Britain.
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4744 4103 2 (hardback)
ISBN 978 1 4744 4105 6 (webready PDF)
ISBN 978 1 4744 4106 3 (epub)
The right of Florin Leonte to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and the Copyright and Related Rights
Regulations 2003 (SI No. 2498).
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Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
Manuel II Palaiologos: A Short Biography and an Overview of
the Historical Context 1
Aims of the Present Study 5
Structure 7
Sources 8
Theoretical Framework 9
Previous Scholarship 11
Part I Dissent and Consent
1 Voices of Dissent: Preaching and Negotiating Authority 19
Organisation of the Ecclesiastics’ Group 21
Major Political and Social Themes in the Ecclesiastics’
Writings 31
Conclusion 54
2 Voices of Consent: Imperial Rhetoricians, Theatra and Patronage 58
Theatra and Imperial Involvement 59
Profi le and Organisation of the Rhetoricians 64
Connections among the Members of the Literary Court 68
The Rhetorical Landscape in the Late Palaiologan Period 75
Main Themes in the Rhetoricians’ Writings 79
Conclusion 100
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vi IMPERIAL VISIONS OF LATE BYZANTIUM
Part II Other Voices, Other Approaches: Manuel II’s Political Writings
Introduction to Part II 105
Further Methodological Considerations 105
An Overview of the Emperor’s Rhetorical œuvre 108
The Emperor’s Political Texts 111
3 The Deliberative Voice: The Dialogue with the Empress-Mother
on Marriage 113
Contents and Structure 115
Genre 116
Constructing Dialogic Authority 117
Conclusion 123
4 The Didactic Voice: The Foundations of an Imperial Education 124
Context of Production 126
Contents and Structure 128
Genre 135
Authorial Voice 149
Conclusion 159
5 The Didactic Voice: The Orations (Seven Ethico-Political Orations) 161
The Dramatic Setting 163
The Contents of the Orations 165
Major Themes in the Orations 165
The Orations: Summary and Form 172
Between Teaching and Preaching: Constructing the Genre of
the Orations 183
Authorial Voice: Teaching the Son and Admonishing the Emperor 189
Conclusion 196
6 The Narrative Voice: The Funeral Oration on His Brother Theodore,
Despot of Morea 199
Contexts of Production 200
The Rhetorical Template and the Compositional Structure of
the Funeral Oration 203
The Narrator and the Narrative 209
Authorial Voice 233
Conclusion 234
7 Towards a Renewed Vision of Imperial Authority 237
Society and Social ‘Classes’ 240
Enemies and Allies 241
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CONTENTS vii
Markers of Byzantine Identity 244
Renewal of Imperial Ideology in Manuel’s Texts 246
Manuel II’s Imperial Vision and Style of Government 264
Conclusions 270
Appendices
Appendix 1 Members of Manuel II’s Literary Circle 281
Appendix 2 The Contents and Structure of Manuel II’s
Foundations 284
Appendix 3 Translation of Gemistos Plethon’s Preface to
Manuel II’s Funeral Oration 288
Appendix 4 Network of Ecclesiastics and Rhetoricians during
Manuel II’s Reign 290
Bibliography
Manuscripts Consulted 293
Primary Sources 293
Secondary Literature 300
Index 323
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Acknowledgements
It is my pleasant duty to acknowledge the support I have received from others
in completing this volume.
I am much indebted to Niels Gaul, who provided help and inspiration
from the earliest stages of the project and through the publication process of
this volume. I am grateful to a number of other people from whom I received
great help at various moments: Margaret Mullett, Erich Trapp, Ida Toth,
Charalambos Dendrinos, Stephanos Efthymiadis, Dimiter Angelov, Markéta
Kulhánková, Alexander Riehle and the late Ruth Macrides.
I am also thankful to the institutions which offered me the possibility
of working on this book: the Department of Medieval Studies at Central
European University, the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection,
the Department of the Classics at Harvard University, the Institute for
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Vienna and the
Department of Classical Philology at Palacký University of Olomouc.
Finally, I am grateful to my family, David and Madalina, for their support
and patience. This book is dedicated to them.
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Abbreviations
BF Byzantinische Forschungen
BMGS Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies
BNJ Byzantinisch-Neugriechische Jahrbücher
BZ Byzantinische Zeitschrift
Dialogue Manuel Palaiologos, Dialogue with the Empress-Mother on
Marriage, ed. and trans. A. Angelou (Vienna: Verlag der
Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1991)
DOP Dumbarton Oaks Papers
ΕΕΒΣ Ἐπετηρὶς Ἑταιρείας Βυζαντινῶν Σπουδῶν
EO Echos d’Orient
Foundations Manuel Palaiologos, Foundations of an Imperial Education,
PG 156, 313–84
Funeral Oration M anuel Palaiologos, Funeral Oration on His Brother
Theodore, Despot of Morea, ed. and trans.
J. Chrysostomides (Thessalonike: Association for
Byzantine Research, 1985)
GRBS Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies
JÖB Jahrbuch der Österrreichischen Byzantinistik
JÖBG Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinischen Gesellschaft
MM F. Miklosich and W. Müller (eds), Acta et Diplomata Graeca
Medii Aevii Sacra et Profana, 6 vols (Vienna: Carolus
Gerold, 1860–90)
OCP Orientalia Christiana Periodica
ODB The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, 3 vols, ed.
A. Kazhdan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991)
Orations Manuel Palaiologos, Seven Ethico-Political Orations,
PG 156, 385–562
PG J. P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series
Graeca, 161 vols (Paris, 1857–66)
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