“Do Thou Nothing without Counsel”: Political Assemblies and the Ideal of Good Government in the Thought of Theodore Palaeologus and Theodore Metochites1

Abstract

In the fourteenth century, a mounting crisis was faced by the Byzantine Empire. This study considers the reactions during the reign of Andronicus II of two courtiers, Theodore Palaeologus and Theodore Metochites, who can be argued to be key figures in late medieval political thought. Central to the debate that developed between these individuals was the issue of the appropriateness of introducing in Constantinople “constitutional” reforms modelled upon practices established in the city-states of northern Italy–practices that emphasised the importance of consultative rule as an ideal and insisted upon the role of conciliar or parliamentary institutions. 1An early version of this article was delivered as a paper at the International Medieval Conference at Leeds University in the summer of 2006, while further research was conducted during tenure of the Hannah Seeger Davis Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Program of Hellenic Studies at Princeton University. The argument presented in these pages is intended as a preliminary study with a view to the eventual publication of a translation and commentary of the De regimine principis of Theodore Palaeologus. For their comments and encouragement, the author is grateful to Peter Brown, David Gwynn, Jonathan Shepard and Maurizio Viroli. It should be noted that, unless otherwise indicated, all translations of the primary sources given in this piece are my own.