IMC 2019: Sessions
Session 304: Structuring, Sharing, and Contesting Power: Elites in Byzantium and the Christian East, 11th-15th Centuries
Monday 1 July 2019, 16.30-18.00
| Organiser: | João Vicente de Medeiros Publio Dias, Historisches Seminar - Byzantinistik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz |
|---|---|
| Moderator/Chair: | Miriam Salzmann, Historisches Seminar, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz |
| Paper 304-a | The Supposed Rebellion of Ioannes Komnenos (the Doux of Dyrrhachion) against the Emperor Alexios I, 1081-1118: A Multi-Layered Episode (Language: English) Index terms: Administration, Byzantine Studies, Historiography - Medieval |
| Paper 304-b | Integration and Participation: The Byzantine Military and the Aristocratic Elite in 12th-Century Byzantium (Language: English) Index terms: Administration, Byzantine Studies, Genealogy and Prosopography, Military History |
| Paper 304-c | Aristocratic Groups and Power Structures in 15th-Century Cyprus (Language: English) Index terms: Administration, Byzantine Studies, Genealogy and Prosopography, Local History |
| Abstract | Far from being divine and absolute rulers, medieval monarchs always needed the support of élites to exert power and run the political system. To guarantee acceptance and participation, a great deal of negotiation, concession and accommodation was necessary. Byzantium and the Christian East were no exception. Among the leading individuals and families, control over state resources and structures was continuously disputed. Power was delegated, shared and sometimes usurped. Moreover, the limited action range of the central authorities even allowed the existence of (semi-)autonomous power structures. Accordingly, this session intends to discuss how the mechanisms of structuring, distributing and contesting power worked within the political systems of Byzantium and Cyprus in the Middle Ages. |