Movatterモバイル変換

Byzantine commonwealth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cultural sphere of the Byzantine Empire

"Orthodox World" redirects here. For Oriental Orthodox Christian denominations, seeOriental Orthodox Churches. For Orthodox Judaism, seeOrthodox Judaism.

The termByzantine commonwealth was coined by 20th-century historianDimitri Obolensky to refer to the area where Byzantine general influence (Byzantine liturgical andcultural tradition) was spread during theMiddle Ages by theByzantine Empire and its missionaries. This area covers approximately the modern-day countries ofGreece,Cyprus,North Macedonia,Bulgaria,Serbia,Montenegro,Romania,Moldova,Ukraine,Belarus, southwesternRussia, andGeorgia (known as the region ofEastern Orthodoxy in Europe or theOrthodox Civilization).^[2] According toAnthony Kaldellis, the Byzantines in general did not have a ecumenical outlook, nor did they think about the notion of a panorthodox commonwealth, which he describes as "Roman chauvinism".^[3]

The Obolensky model

[edit]

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(February 2023)

The most important treatment of the concept is a study byDimitri Obolensky,The Byzantine Commonwealth.^[4] In his bookSix Byzantine Portraits he examined the life and works of six persons mentioned inThe Byzantine Commonwealth.^[5] He also described the commonwealth as the international community within the sphere of authority of the Byzantine emperor, bound by the same profession ofOrthodox Christianity, and accepting the principles of Romano-Byzantine law.^[6]

Criticism

[edit]

There are scholars, however, who criticize this conceptualization, disputing the notion of an unchallenged superiority of the Byzantine empire. It is argued that the complex and multi-faceted dynamics of documented cultural exchange was not aligned with the theory that Constantinople was the superior core while those in periphery understood their marginal position and merely imitated their superiors.^[7] Instead of Byzantine commonwealth, historian Christian Raffensperger, proposed that it be recast as the "Byzantine ideal". For instance, while the Bulgarian Empire was a constant and powerful rival to the Byzantine empire during theMiddle Ages,^[8] the Bulgarian tsars nonetheless framed their authority in a manner not hostile to 'Byzantism' per-se, styling themselves in a manner based on Orthodox Roman ideology and artistic style and calling themselvesemperors of the Romans as well as tsar of Bulgarians. The same would apply to theSerbian Empire, and even theOttoman Empire, withMehmed II styling himselfQayser-i Rûm. Obolensky's concept of a "Byzantine commonwealth" was recast by Christian Raffensperger as the "Byzantine ideal", according to which even in the later period of the empire, when the reach and sway of the empire were diminished, the rulers still maintained this conception of imperial hierarchy.^[9]

References

[edit]

^"Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population"(PDF). Pew Research Center.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2019-08-01.
^Walter, Natalie (2016-06-15)."Summary of "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order"".Beyond Intractability.Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved2021-10-28.
^Kaldellis, Anthony (2013).Ethnography After Antiquity : Foreign Lands and Peoples in Byzantine Literature (First ed.). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 46.ISBN 978-0-8122-0840-5.OCLC 859162344.
^Obolensky, Dimitri,The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500-1453 (1971).
^Obolensky, Dimitri,Six Byzantine Portraits (1988).
^Speake, Graham (2018).A History of the Athonite Commonwealth: The Spiritual and Cultural Diaspora of Mount Athos. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 5–6.ISBN 9781108425865.
^Boeck, Elena (2015).Imagining the Byzantine Past: The Perception of History in the Illustrated Manuscripts of Skylitzes and Manasses. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 11.ISBN 9781107085817.
^Dimiter G. Angelov,Byzantinism: The Imaginary and Real Heritage of Byzantium in Southeastern Europe, in Dimitris Keridis,Ellen Elias-Bursać, Nicholas Yatromanolakis,New approaches to Balkan studies, Brassey's, 2003,ISBN 1-57488-724-6,Google Print, p.3
^Hilsdale, Cecily (2014).Byzantine Art and Diplomacy in an Age of Decline. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 329.ISBN 9781107033306.

Sources

[edit]

Obolensky, Dimitri (1974) [1971].The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500-1453. London: Cardinal.ISBN 9780351176449.
Hilsdale, Cecily J. (20 February 2014).Byzantine Art and Diplomacy in an Age of Decline. Cambridge University Press. p. 432.ISBN 978-1-107-72938-4. Retrieved26 June 2025.

Billinis, Alexander.The Eagle Has Two Faces: Journeys Through Byzantine Europe. AuthorHouse Publishing, 2011.ISBN 9781456778705.
Miliana Kaimakamova; Maciej Salamon (2007).Byzantium, new peoples, new powers: the Byzantino-Slav contact zone, from the ninth to the fifteenth century. Towarzystwo Wydawnicze "Historia Iagellonica".ISBN 978-83-88737-83-1.
Meyendorff, John (1983),The Byzantine Legacy in the Orthodox Church. St Vladimir's Seminary Press,ISBN 0-913836-90-7.

‹ ThetemplateByzantine Empire topics is beingconsidered for merging. ›

Byzantine Empire topics

History

Preceding	Roman Empire Later Roman Empire
Early(330–717)	Constantinian–Valentinianic era Constantinian dynasty Valentinianic dynasty Theodosian era Leonid era Justinian era Heraclian era "Byzantine Dark Ages" Twenty Years' Anarchy
Middle(717–1204)	Isaurian era Nikephorian era Amorian era Macedonian era Doukid era Komnenian era Angelid era
Late(1204–1453)	Sack of Constantinople Fourth Crusade Frankokratia Latin Empire Byzantine successor states (Nicaea /Epirus–Thessalonica /Morea /Trebizond–Theodoro) Palaiologan era Decline of the Byzantine Empire Fall of Constantinople
By modern region or territory	Albania Anatolia Armenia Bulgaria Corsica Crete Cyprus Dalmatia Egypt Greece Italy Sardinia Sicily Maghreb Malta Mesopotamia Serbia Spain (Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands) Syria Thrace

Governance

Central

Emperors Coronation Family tree Empresses Imperial bureaucracy Medieval Greek Senate
Early	Praetorian prefects Magister officiorum Comes sacrarum largitionum Comes rerum privatarum Quaestor sacri palatii
Middle	Logothetes tou dromou Sakellarios Logothetes tou genikou Logothetes tou stratiotikou Chartoularios tou sakelliou Chartoularios tou vestiariou Epi tou eidikou Protasekretis Epi ton deeseon
Late	Megas logothetes Mesazon

Provincial

Early	Praetorian prefectures Dioceses Provinces Quaestura exercitus Exarchate of Ravenna Exarchate of Africa
Middle	Themata Kleisourai Bandon Catepanates
Late	Kephale Despotates

Foreign relations

Military

Army

Battle tactics Battles Beacon Generals Mercenaries Military manuals Military units Revolts
Early	Late Roman army East Roman army Foederati Bucellarii Scholae Palatinae Excubitors
Middle	Themata Kleisourai Tourma Droungos Bandon Tagmata Domestic of the Schools Hetaireia Akritai Varangian Guard
Late	Komnenian army Pronoia Vestiaritai Palaiologan army Allagion Paramonai Grand domestic

Navy

Conflicts

Religion and law

Religion	Eastern Orthodoxy Byzantine Rite Hesychasm Hayhurum Patriarchate of Constantinople Saints Oriental Orthodoxy Alexandrian Rite Armenian Rite West Syriac Rite Miaphysitism Ecumenical councils Arianism Monophysitism Paulicianism Iconoclasm Great Schism Bogomilism Mount Athos Missionary activity Bulgaria Moravia Serbs Kievan Rus' Jews
Law	Codex Theodosianus Corpus Juris Civilis Code of Justinian Ecloga Basilika Hexabiblos Mutilation

Culture and society

Architecture

Secular Sacred Cross-in-square Domes
Constantinople	Basilica Cistern Baths of Zeuxippus Blachernae Palace Chora Church City Walls Great Palace of Constantinople Hagia Irene Hagia Sophia Hippodrome Pammakaristos Church Prison of Anemas
Thessalonica	Arch of Galerius and Rotunda Byzantine Bath Hagia Sophia Hagios Demetrios Panagia Chalkeon Walls of Thessaloniki
Ravenna	San Vitale Sant'Apollinare in Classe Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
Other locations	Daphni Monastery Hosios Loukas Nea Moni of Chios Panagia Gorgoepikoos Saint Catherine's Monastery Mystras

Art

Economy

Literature

Everyday life

Science
Learning

Impact
Byzantine commonwealth Byzantine studies Museums Byzantinism Cyrillic script Neo-Byzantine architecture Greek scholars in the Renaissance Third Rome Megali Idea