Niketas Choniates Research Articles

The Chronicle of Niketas Choniates: Writing History and Cultural Identity in Byzantium in the High Middle Ages

The Chronicle of Niketas Choniates: Writing History and Cultural Identity in Byzantium in the High Middle Ages

Dances at the Palace

Abstract The purpose of this article is to comment on three dance-related passages from the Χρονικὴ διήγησις of the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates (1155 ca.–1217). A linguistic analysis will identify both the precise classical reminiscences used by the author and the medieval reality transfigured through his archaizing linguistic choices. An introduction summarizes some aspects of Constantinopolitan dance in its specific connection with political power.

The Belissariotai family: a contribution to Byzantine prosopography

Abstract Michael and Niketas Choniates, significant figures of letters of the second half of the twelfth and the early thirteenth century, were closely related to the Belissariotai, a noble family of the Byzantine aristocracy. Thanks to both Choniatai brothers we are able to gather valuable information about the Belissariotai and to examine not only their role in the administration of the state during the last quarter of the twelfth century, but also their unbreakable bonds of friendship and kinship with the Choniatai. This paper aims to present a thorough prosopographic study on the Belissariotai family through the examination of literary and sigillographic evidence and to challenge a series of long-established views regarding the different stages of their life and career.

Tărnovgrad Viewed by the Others: the Case of Niketas Choniates

The text is devoted to the analysis of the portrayal of Tărnovo, the new capital of the restored near the end of the twelfth century Bulgarian state, in the historical work and speeches by Niketas Choniates, a Byzantine historian, official and rhetorician from the latter half of the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. As a direct witness of the contemporary Byzantine-Bulgarian relations, a high ranking court dignitary throughout most of the discussed period, and the author of the most important sources shedding light on the restitution of Bulgaria, he left a legacy of extraordinary importance, one which has shaped views of the subsequent generations of Byzantine historians. While examining Tărnovo’s role shows it did not occupy a particularly significant place in the historian’s narrative, and the remarks concerning it appear as if in passing, he nonetheless was fully conscious of the city’s significance not only for the Bulgarians themselves, but also in the context of the prospective expansion of the Empire in the direction of its northern neighbours. It is therefore no accident that in his brief characterisation the city the author focused on the description of the defensive qualities of Tărnovo. Paradoxically, his arguments on this subject may play an important role in the present ongoing discussion among the archaeologists exploring the former capital on the subject of chronology and size of the fortifications surrounding the two most important hills on which the city developed, namely Tsarevets and Trapezitsa.

The Title Hierarchy of the Last Komnenoi and the Angelos Dynasty – from Sebastohypertatos to Sebastokrator

The system of dignities introduced by Alexios I Komnenos was an answer for the need of a new reformed title hierarchy, adequate for aristocratic model of exercising power. It served as a clear manifestation of the special privileged position of emperor’s kinsmen. The titles granted to those relatives and affines can be traced accurately up to the reign of Manuel I. So far, however, little space has been devoted to the analysis of that system during the Angelos dynasty.It is often generally assumed following Niketas Choniates testimony, that the title hierarchy in the late 12th century suffered certain loss of value or inflation. It is worth taking a closer look at this process, on the example of the titles traditionally granted to the closest family members, at the courts of Andronicus I Komnenos and the Angeloi. I would like to focus particularly on those dignities, that at the time of the Komnenoi were given to the emperor’s siblings and his sons-in-law – from sebastohypertatos to sebastokrator. That part of the title hierarchy was much closer to a ruler, making it easier to trace.The basic problem encountered by researchers of this period is the small number of sources, not allowing for full reconstruction of the title hierarchy. However, very limited information found in the written sources can be complemented by aristocratic lead seals, which often included the dignity of their owners.From such an analysis emerges a picture of a steady evolution of the Komnenian system. The emperors of the late 12th century adjusted court dignities to need at hand. Yet that process doesn’t seem to diminish significantly the value of the highest titles.

Guardian of Eden, Guardian of the City: The Lost Mosaic of the Archangel Michael in Hagia Sophia of Constantinople

Abstract This contribution aims to shed light on the lost mosaic of the Archangel Michael with a drawn sword once set, according to Niketas Choniates, in a πρόναος of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. After an overview of previous hypotheses, I will argue for a position just outside of the south-west vestibule of the church in the 10th century. Such a location and dating would be in line with the connotation of the Archangel as defender of a sacred space, perceived as a sort of Eden in Byzantine textual and visual sources. The spread of similar representations confirms the role of a reference point that the mosaic soon acquired by virtue of its position at the ceremonial entrance of the most important church of the Empire, not to mention its political importance. The ideological character of the Archangel went a step further during the last centuries of the Empire. A unique use of the First Arab Siege of Constantinople as a stage for St. Michael’s role as sword-wielding guardian in a 14th century Serbian painting is more broadly reflective of a theme throughout Byzantine artistic tradition in varied media. This representation reflected the duty of the Archangel not just as guardian of Hagia Sophia, but also of the emperor, Constantinople and the Empire in a broader sense.

Ephraim of Ainos at work: a cycle of epigrams in the margins of Niketas Choniates

Abstract This article offers the first critical edition of a cycle of epigrams found in the margins of six manuscripts of Niketas Choniates’ History. This paper also proposes the attribution of the poems to Ephraim of Ainos, an author mainly known for his verse chronicle, which has Niketas Choniates as a source. Our poems occur in a group of manuscripts which we already knew Ephraim had used for his chronicle. Many formal parallels between the epigrams and the chronicle point to the same author and a book epigram connects one important manuscript with the city of Ainos. This paper reassesses the manuscript tradition of the epigrams with special emphasis on the marginalia of Niketas Choniates. The critical text of the poems is accompanied by two apparatuses and an English translation. The edition is preceded by some methodological considerations and followed by two appendices and three indices.

Dimitrie Cantemir, the First Modern Historian Writing on the Romanian-Bulgarian State Founded by the Asan Brothers

Hronicul vechimii romano-moldo-vlahilor includes some references to the Vlachs from Epirus and Thessaly, but Dimitrie Cantemir was mostly concerned with the greatest political achievement of the south-Danubian Romanians, the state created in cooperation with the Bulgarians after the rebellion of 1185 against the Byzantine domination. His main source was the history of Niketas Choniates, the most important for the first two decades of the state, but he ignored other indispensable sources like Georgios Akropolites or Jeffrey of Villehardouin. Large fragments from the book of the Byzantine historian and statesman Niketas Choniates were translated by Cantemir in his unfinished history of the Romanians.

The Age of Πειθανάγκη. A Note on Remembrance and Reinvention of Ancient Words under the Komnenoi

The article focuses on the historical semantics of the Greek noun πeιθανάγκη. It is a postclassical creation with the earliest attestation in Polybius and the earliest conscious usage as an oxymoron in Cicero. In Late Antiquity and Early Byzantium it occurs rarely and means “coercion” or “extortion”—a device used by those in power to force their will under the pretense of giving their victims freedom of choice. This meaning became proverbial and found its way into modern dictionaries. After a long period of dormancy, the word became popular under the Komnenoi, but the shades of meaning changed drastically. Whereas initially the compound derived its meaning from its second part (ἀνάγκη), in the 12th century the stress shifted to the first element (πeιθ-) and the idea of a half-hinted-at threat of violence gave place to deception or bewitchment. As a practical device, some writers placed πeιθανάγκη within the domain of rhetoric; others, within that of syllogistic reasoning. In the rarest cases πeιθανάγκη was associated with the highest philosophy and Platonic truth. It is worth noting that these texts are specimen of Manuel I Komnenos’ imperial propaganda. The survey ends with a discussion of the subversive πeιθανάγκη as an essential characteristic of Emperor Andronikos Komnenos in Niketas Choniates’ History.

The West from a Byzantine Perspective During the Early Crusades

The article explores changing attitudes to western Europeans in the Byzantine Empire from the eleventh century until the Fourth Crusade and for some time after it. Special attention is paid to the development of old stereotypes and the emergence of new ones. More active contacts between the two halves of Christendom from the eleventh century onwards did not result in an expected rapprochement, but rather led to hatred and resentment. The article focuses on a number of texts by Byzantine authors, such as Michael Psellos, Anna Komnena, John Kinnamos, Eustathios of Thessaloniki, and Niketas Choniates. In my view, the changes in Byzantine perceptions of the west could be represented in terms of the following metaphorically named stages: Calm, Menace, and Bitterness and Despair.

The Quranic concept of al-samad, history of its Greek translations, and correlation with the “Eternal God" in Slavic liturgical texts

The author examines the history of emergence of the controversial translation of “Eternal God” in the Slavic liturgical ceremony of the acceptance of Muslims into Orthodoxy; as well as reviews canonical texts and refers to the relevant scientific data to describe the known facts on the sources of the origin of this concept. Special attention is given to the problem of interpretation of the Islamic doctrine by John of Damascus, Theodore Abū Qurrah, Niketas Choniates, Bartholomew of Edessa, who had a remarkable impact upon the Byzantine perception of Islam. Leaning on the history of interpretation of the fundamental Quranic concept al-samad, the author provides a cross-section of the Orthodox – Muslim relations that have evolved over several centuries. The article demonstrates that the interpretation of the corresponding Quranic passage in the Christian polemical texts took the path of distortion and loose interpretation of the Islamic doctrine. The authentic Islamic description of al-samad along with the research dedicated to etymology of this word and its ancient pre-Islamic meaning are presented. The question is raised on the existence of various Slavic revisions of liturgical ceremony of acceptance of Muslims into Orthodoxy, since the initial centuries of the Christian mission on the Slavic lands until the amended versions of text emerged in the Russian Empire in the late XIX – early XX centuries, which expelled this term from circulation as improper.

Joy, Sorrow, Wrath: Some Considerations over the Byzantine People’s Emotionality in Literary Sources

The people’s emotions make up a phenomenon not measurable in objective way. This paper’s author has confirmed this conclusion by the cases of accounts on treasons and violent deaths of the emperors as described by several Byzantine historians. This paper addresses the accounts of Theophylaktes Symokattes on the death of Maurice, Michael Psellos and John Zonaras on the revolt against Michael V, and Niketas Choniates on the death of emperor Andronikos I Komnenos. Since the Byzantine literature expressed emotions by rhetoric, the description of events followed the norms of the genre. When the author described certain events, he supposed the reaction from particular individuals or groups and reproduced it by clichés describing the people’s behaviour in specific situations. This paper has analysed linguistic and literary ways the Byzantine historians used to reproduce the people’s emotional reactions on the events related to rebels and murders of the emperors. The analysis of the accounts on the events under study has uncovered that the emotions ascribed to the people were as varied as the author’s position towards the story he was telling. The conclusion has been made that the persons’ emotions always reflected the author’s own emotions.

Bitka kod Pantina 1168. godine i jedinstvo srpske države

The battle near the village of Pantino represents a turning point in the development of the Serbian medieval state. It cannot be stated with certainty when it took place, although it is asserted with great probability it happened in 1168. In this battle Stefan Nemanja defeated his brothers assisted with Byzantine's army, soldiers of fortune Turks, Frugus (Franks) and other peoples and finally ascended the throne of the great prefect of Serbia. The battle near Pantino is important due to the fact that it, directly or indirectly, found the place with great Byzantine's writers such as Joannes Kinamos and Niketas Choniates and with Nemanja's hagiography writers Stefan the First Crowned ad Domentian. Besides the above mentioned, data of this battle are fragmentized and modest and they do not give the opportunity to describe it more thoroughly. It was noticed a long time ago the battle represented a turning point for further development of Serbian medieval state, not only in political, military and organizational way but in symbolic as well. After the battle in which Stefan Nemanja defeated his brothers, the situation in Serbia became more clearer and calmer. The changes on the throne stopped happening, which after Uroš II had been so frequent. In this battle Stefan Nemanja, from the favorite of the basileus Manuel, who had just given him the area of Dubočica, and the title of "tsar's dream", became his opponent. Nemanja is appearing in it as the fighter for the state unity, contrary to his brothers whom supported by Byzantine, are struggling for sharing parts division and preservation of the previous state in which basileos had decisively influenced the great prefect choice. By his victory he achieved that the state became unique, and he came to power against the will of the basileus Manuel. The victory in the battle near Pantino reflected on the fundraising activity of Stefan Nemanja. Symbolic of the built monasteries of St. George in Ras and Studenica speaks on military victory over the enemies and on the established state unity.

Cavafy and Niketas Choniates: a possible source for ‘Waiting for the barbarians’

This article suggests that a possible source of inspiration for Cavafy's poem ‘Waiting for the barbarians’ can be identified in a passage of the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates concerning the arrival of German ambassadors at the court of Alexios III in Constantinople in 1196. The context of diplomacy, the city's decadent atmosphere, the emperor's self-humiliation and the unsuccessful ostentation of luxury and royal attire are prominent features linking both texts.

Preliminary observations on the reception of Flavius Josephus in Byzantine historical writings: the accounts of John Zonaras, Niketas Choniates and Michael Kritovoulos

no abstract available in English

Byzantium, Rus and Cumans in the early 13th century

This paper examines the foreign policy of the Galician-Volhynian prince Roman Mstislavich. Roman became the main military ally of the Byzantine Empire in the early 13th century. Byzantium was going through a severe political crisis caused by the Serbian and the Bulgarian uprisings and by the crushing raids of the Cumans. According to Niketas Choniates, the nomads’ aggression could have been stopped only thanks to the aid of the Galician prince Roman. The circumstances and the time of Roman’s campaign in Choniates’ account are the same as in the Russian chronicles reporting the steppe campaigns of the Galician-Volhynian prince.

“Erinyes and Maenads”. Who Stood at the Cradle of the New Bulgarian Community in 1185–1186?

The paper investigates the nature and identity of the “demoniacs” mentioned in Niketas Choniates’ “History” as instrumental in bringing about the anti-Byzantine revolt in Bulgaria, 1185–1186. Until recently, researchers from Bulgaria, Russia, Western Europe and America approached the issue basically along two lines. According to the first, the “demoniacs” were a special group of people differing from everyone else by physical appearance and/or behaviour, obsessed by ecstatic feelings or just simulating it. The second viewed them as first-hand participants of the revolt, indignant over and profoundly disturbed by foreign rule and, at the same time, encouraged by the perspectives of the future independence from Byzantine power. In this opinion, Niketas Choniates intentionally portrays the rebels’ actions in the form of a caricature and substitutes it for the heroic picture of the liberation struggle of the Bulgarians and Vlachs. However, trying to reconstruct historical truth researchers read the complex text of Niketas Choniates, full of numerous quotations, allusions, and reminiscences, too literally. Textual research of Choniates’ work shows that the description of persons urging the Bulgarians and Vlachs to fight against Byzantium was stylized to look like they were Erinyes and Maenads from the ancient poetry and drama. Obviously, this description is of a literary nature and may hardly be used for an exact reconstruction of historical reality.

The Byzantine Office of Ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεων and Its Holders (in the Light of Sphragistic Evidence and Written Sources)

The paper investigates the establishment of the office of the epi ton kriseon during the Reign of emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042–1055), analysing the reasons behind its creation and its initial character. In addition, a list of all holders of this office is provided, based on all available sources – sphragistic, epistolary, rhetorical, documentary, etc. The list is divided into two parts – before and after the sack of the Byzantine capital by the Crusaders in 1204. Certain conclusions are reached at the end of the paper based on the data from the first part of the list. Different aspects of the problem are examined, including the honorific titles of the epi ton kriseon, their other offices, activities and social bonds. Individuals who held this position include prominent figures such as Konstantinos, nephew of patriarch Michael I Keroularios (1043–1058) and the addressee of many letters from Michael Psellos, as well as the 12th–13th century historian Niketas Choniates. In the 11th–12th century, these officials were an indelible part of the Byzantine bureaucratic elite and the Constantinopolitan society; they exerted their power not only in the capital, but also in the provinces.

Aristophanes in the Service of Niketas Choniates – Gluttony, Drunkenness and Politics in the Χρονικὴ Διήγησις

This article discusses Aristophanic influence present in two important passages from Niketas Choniates’ Χρονικὴ διήγησις, which are related to gluttonous tax officials from the retinue of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (John of Poutza and John Kamateros). The first part of the article examines the place of Aristophanes’ comedies within Byzantine learned culture in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and investigates possible reasons for the sudden boom in their popularity within the period. The second part analyses in details the passages in question, situating them within the comic tradition, demonstrating numerous intertextual allusions to Old Comedy (as represented by Aristophanes), and showing how consious appropriation of Aristophanic material added additional, chiefly political, meanings to Choniates’ narrative.

Constantinople and the Echo Chamber: The Vlachs in the French Crusade Chronicles

The chroniclers of the Fourth Crusade (Geoffroi de Villehardouin, Henri de Valenciennes, and Robert de Clari) have much to say about the Vlachs. Much of that information results from direct contact with the Vlachs, particularly in the case of Villehardouin and Henri de Valenciennes. However, several issues characterizing the Vlachs, especially in Robert de Clari’s chronicle, are remarkably similar to stories that may be found in Niketas Choniates. The paper analyzes the role attributed to the Vlachs in the French chronicles, and attempts to explain the similarity to the coverage of things Vlach in Niketas Choniates. As such, the paper offers an examination of all Byzantine sources mentioning the Vlachs before Choniates and of non-Byzantine sources such as Benjamin of Tudela. The conclusion is that the image of the Vlachs in the French chronicles derives from stories about them circulating in twelfth-century Constantinople.