The Late Medieval Balkans

Fine, John

doi:10.3998/mpub.7807

Cited by 61 publications

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“…21 Jenkins' arguments were reiterated and reinforced by the American Balkanist John Fine in 1983, who qualified the common implication that Simeon was duped into accepting a sham coronation. 22 Similar conclusions were reached at the same time by the Bulgarian scholar Ivan Božilov. 23 In 1989, the British Byzantinist Jonathan Shepard built onto the case put forth by Jenkins, Chrysos, Fine, and Božilov, combing through the evidence, qualifying several a priori assumptions, and making a case for a more peaceable and reactive character to Simeon's policies.…”

supporting

confidence: 74%

The Crown and the Veil: Titles, Spiritual Kinship, and Diplomacy in Tenth‐Century Bulgaro–Byzantine Relations

Mladjov

2015

History Compass

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When it comes to diplomatic relations, the phrase "too close for comfort" perfectly describes the relationship between the medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian states in the Balkan peninsula. In the early 10th century, shortly after Bulgaria's conversion to the Eastern rite of Christianity, the two states engaged in a bloody and lengthy conf lict over not just territory and wealth but also over the now exacerbated issues of diplomatic equality and prestige. Marching on Constantinople, the Bulgarian monarch Simeon I demanded the imperial title itself and was partly accommodated by the Ecumenical patriarch Nicholas I in an idiosyncratic ceremony that has caused much debate among Byzantinists and Slavicists. This study explores the main features of the historiographical debate and attempts to find the correct answers in the testimony of the relevant sources. And while the incident under investigation might appear self-contained, it lies at the heart of a major preoccupation of Byzantine diplomacy: Byzantium's monopoly on the political heritage of Rome and the Roman imperial title. Correctly interpreted and compared to Byzantium's diplomatic relations with the Frankish ruler Charlemagne, Simeon's recognition as a non-Roman emperor and peer of his Byzantine counterpart in 913 suggests a pattern of grudging and incomplete accommodation designed to guarantee both the safety and the identity of the Byzantine Empire.August 913. The Bulgarian ruler Simeon I (893-927) reached Constantinople with a large army and proceeded to blockade the peninsular city by land, digging a ditch from the Blachernai Palace on the Golden Horn in the north to the Golden Gate on the Sea of Marmara in the south. Allegedly surprised by the strength of the defenses, he retired to Hebdomon, southwest of Constantinople, and made overtures for peace. The regency for the underage Byzantine emperor Constantine VII (913-958) readily accepted the proposal and brought in two of Simeon's sons to dine with the emperor at the Blachernai. At this point, the leading regent, Patriarch Nicholas I Mystikos (901)(902)(903)(904)(905)(906)(907)(912)(913)(914)(915)(916)(917)(918)(919)(920)(921)(922)(923)(924)(925), went out to Simeon; Simeon bowed his head before the patriarch, and the latter, having read out a prayer, placed on Simeon's head his own veil or cowl (epirriptarion) instead of an imperial crown (stemma).This far, our narrative follows the Chronicle of the Logothete and the early chroniclers who followed his mid-tenth-century account. 1 A later and largely derivative set of accounts, first represented by John Skylitzes (late eleventh century), related the same general story, but altered some of the details, bringing the Bulgarian monarch himself into the city for the banquet at the Blachernai after an exchange of suitable hostages, omitting any going out by the patriarch, calling Simeon a barbarian, and using a different, more generic, term for the crown (stephanos). 2 The two narrative traditions end the same way: laden with gifts, Simeon and his sons returne...

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confidence: 74%

The Crown and the Veil: Titles, Spiritual Kinship, and Diplomacy in Tenth‐Century Bulgaro–Byzantine Relations

Mladjov

2015

History Compass

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“…117 Malakes' fellow administrators in the region represented another source of unrest. 118 Malakes was one of many prelates in the theme of Hellas and Peloponnesos, which encompassed the area between Sparta and Larissa. His episcopate territorially overlapped with the authorities of various civil and military officials, and his metropolitan see was one of several within the theme.…”

Section: In Hellasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupying and transcending a provincial see: the career of Euthymios Malakes

Ewing¹

2018

Byz. Mod. Greek stud.

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Despite a distinguished reputation as an orator and bishop in his own time, comparatively little scholarship focuses upon Euthymios Malakes, metropolitan of Neopatras during the later twelfth century. Using his extant works and contemporary sources, this article reconstructs elements of Malakes’ career in both Constantinople and Hellas. He was active in each, balancing his intellectual credentials, participation in synods, and elite connections to the capital, with immersion in more local contests. This combination allowed him to expand his pursuits and reputation beyond his minor see, in the capital and also in the province of his see.

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“…Albania's past can be told as the tale of leading families that often conflicted with each other but sometimes coalesced to resist pressure from larger neighbors (Albania, ; Fine, ; Jacques, ; Skendi, ; Vickers, ; Young, ; Zavalani, ). Their region was strategic for external powers.…”

Section: Albaniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Dictators Against Dependence: Albania and Korea

White¹

2018

Asian Politics and Policy

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When a linguistically distinctive ethnicity is surrounded by much larger powers, its leader usually needs resources from one of them – and then that power may try to absorb it. The local leader quickly switches to reliance on the previous protector's main foreign enemy, simultaneously purging (often killing) domestic rivals. Albania's long history through Enver Hoxha, like North Korea's under Kim Jong‐un still, shows recurrent examples of this link between independence and dictatorship – although not all tyrants emerge in this way. The essay also discloses violent aspects of past South Korean politics that few readers of English know. Historical parallels can be observed without any universal covering “law.” Further examples explore limits of this method. History can inform policies toward nonproliferation (American, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), elucidate the recent effects of surrounding pluralistic states on small countries, and provide evidence about the likely benefits of Korean patriotism and reunification.

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The Late Medieval Balkans

Cited by 61 publications

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The Crown and the Veil: Titles, Spiritual Kinship, and Diplomacy in Tenth‐Century Bulgaro–Byzantine Relations

The Crown and the Veil: Titles, Spiritual Kinship, and Diplomacy in Tenth‐Century Bulgaro–Byzantine Relations

Occupying and transcending a provincial see: the career of Euthymios Malakes

Dictators Against Dependence: Albania and Korea

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