Byzantine commonwealth
The term Byzantine commonwealth was coined by 20th-century historian
The Obolensky model
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2023) |
The most important treatment of the concept is a study by Dimitri Obolensky, The Byzantine Commonwealth.[4] In his book Six Byzantine Portraits he examined the life and works of six persons mentioned in The 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 of Orthodox Christianity, and accepting the principles of Romano-Byzantine law.[6]
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 the Middle 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 themselves emperors of the Romans as well as tsar of Bulgarians. The same would apply to the Serbian Empire, and even the Ottoman Empire, with Mehmed II styling himself Qayser-i Rûm. Thus 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]
See also
- Byzantinism
- Byzantine culture
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Eastern Orthodoxy by country
- Rum Millet
- Succession of the Roman Empire
References
- ^ "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. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
- OCLC 859162344.
- ^ Obolensky, Dimitri, The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500-1453. (1971)
- ^ Obolensky, Dimitri, Six Byzantine Portraits. (1988)
- ISBN 9781108425865.
- ISBN 9781107085817.
- ISBN 9781107033306.
Sources
- ISBN 9780351176449.
Further reading
- Billinis, Alexander. The Eagle Has Two Faces: Journeys Through Byzantine Europe. AuthorHouse Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9781456778705.
- 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.