ME4852 From Leo VI to Basil II: Byzantium in the Tenth Century

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Module description

The tenth century witnessed the political and cultural revival of Byzantium following two centuries of dour military struggle, impoverishment and introspection. Byzantium took advantage of a fragmented Muslim polity to push eastwards, seizing territory and attracting Armenian, Arab and Kurdish clients into its orbit. Byzantium also sought to resolve its relationship with an expanding Bulgarian state, uncomfortably close to Constantinople both geographically and ideologically. In Semester 1, this module will trace the interaction of Byzantium with its immediate neighbors and distant powers through a wide range of translated extracts and material evidence. There were acute differences of opinion over the direction and rate of expansion, prompting civil war although never secession. In semester 2 we shall examine the economic and social foundations of Byzantium, the role of the court in Constantinople and the workings of the administration. The revival in literary, artistic and architectural activity will be placed against this backdrop.