George Akropolites: The History (Oxford Studies in Byzantium)

463 Pages·2007·2.52 MB·English

by  Ruth Macrides

OXFORD STUDIES IN BYZANTIUM
Editorial Board
JAMESHOWARD-JOHNSTON ELIZABETHJEFFREYS
PAULMAGDALINO HENRYMAGUIRE
CYRILMANGO MARLIAMANGO
IHORSEVCENKO JONATHANSHEPARD
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OXFORD STUDIES IN BYZANTIUM
Oxford StudiesinByzantiumconsists ofscholarly monographs andeditions
on the history, literature, thought, and material culture of the Byzantine
world.
BasilIIandtheGovernanceofEmpire(976–1025)
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HolyFoolsinByzantiumandBeyond
SergeyA.Ivanov
AByzantineEncyclopaediaofHorseMedicine
TheSources,Compilation,andTransmissionoftheHippiatrica
AnneMcCabe
George Akropolites
The History
Introduction, translation and commentary
RUTH MACRIDES
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To my mother
and to the memory of my father,
the generation of 1922–1923
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Listofmaps viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements x
NoteonTransliterationandCitation xi
NoteontheTranslationandCommentary xi
NoteontheStudies xii
Abbreviations xiii
GenealogicalTables xv
INTRODUCTION
Thethirteenthcentury inhistoricalwriting 3
Themanandhiswork 5
Promotionsandtitles 19
ChronologyofGeorgeAkropolites’life 28
TheHistory 29
Organizationofthenarrative 34
Sources 35
Accuracyandreliability 39
Namesandnaming 41
Datingandchronology 42
Content 43
InXuencesonAkropolites 46
ClassicizingfeaturesoftheHistory 51
Divine providence 54
Theemperorsat‘Nicaea’:Akropolites’Kaiserkritik 55
Akropolitesandlater writers 65
TheodoreSkoutariotes 65
GeorgePachymeres 71
Other writings 76
Publishedworks 76
Unpublishedwork 77
Lostworks 78
Worksofuncertainattribution 78
Studies 78
TheconquestofConstantinople 78
viii Contents
AlexiosIII 79
Thefoundationofthe‘empireofNicaea’ 81
Nicaea–Nymphaion 87
TheLatins 89
TheBulgarians 90
TheTurks 92
TheEpirots 94
Thearmy 97
Thenavy 100
TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY
TheHistoryofGeorgeAkropolites 105
Bibliography 389
Index 419
Maps
Map1:AsiaMinor xx
Map2:TheBalkans xxi
Preface
GeorgeAkropolites’History,themainGreeksourcefor1204–1261,theyears
in ‘exile’, narrates the fragmentation of the Byzantine world after 1204,
providing historians with the sequence of events and influencing modern
perceptions of the period. Akropolites’ thirteenth century has become our
thirteenthcentury.Traditionallyjudgedtobeareliableandobjectiveeyewit-
nessaccountbyawriterwhoemphasizestheimportanceofimpartialityinhis
preface, the History is indispensable. At the same time it is clear to all that
Akropolites wrote while in office in the reign of Michael VIII Palaiologos,
producingapictureofanidealruler.
ThisstudyoftheauthorandhisworkshowstheextenttowhichAkropo-
lites’ alignment with the usurper to the throne permeates and affects the
History as a whole, its structure, its language and style, and the author’s
characterizations and views on historical causation and divine providence.
In the History Akropolites speaks not only as a high official under Michael
VIII. He speaks as a member of one of the noble families who had suffered
under the Laskarides and who were restored by Michael Palaiologos. He
expressesasuperiorityto,anddisdainfor,otherswhowere,likehim,friends
and favourites of Theodore II, promoted and made noble by that emperor
through marriage alliances. It was from John III and Theodore II that
Akropolites received the education, the positions at court and the marriage
thatmadehimarelationofMichaelPalaiologosandthatensuredhissurvival
inthechangeofdynasty.ItwasfromJohnIIIandTheodoreIIthatAkropo-
lites had to dissociate himself in writing a History under Michael VIII. This
History presentsthecasefor thedefenceofMichaelVIIIbutalsoforGeorge
Akropolites.