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Where Advice Meets Criticism in Eleventh Century Byzantium: Theophylact of Ohrid, John the Oxite and Their (Re)Presentations to the Emperor1

Where Advice Meets Criticism in Eleventh Century Byzantium: Theophylact of Ohrid, John the Oxite... Advice had to be given carefully to the Emperor in Byzantium. This article looks at two addresses delivered to Alexios I Komnenos in the latter part of the 11th Century by Theophylact of Ohrid and John the Oxite. Both were senior clerics who sought to counsel the Emperor to abandon risky policies which had brought limited success to Byzantium. The methods of the two orators differ sharply, with one urging Alexios gently and through flattery, and the other providing a stinging critique of Komnenian rule, offering a dramatic diagnosis of the problems affecting Byzantium at this time. This is at least partly a reflection of a changing political situation in and around Constantinople between 1088–91. 1I am very grateful for comments made when I gave this paper in July 2006 at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Judith Gilliland for her suggestions. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean Taylor & Francis

Where Advice Meets Criticism in Eleventh Century Byzantium: Theophylact of Ohrid, John the Oxite and Their (Re)Presentations to the Emperor1

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Where Advice Meets Criticism in Eleventh Century Byzantium: Theophylact of Ohrid, John the Oxite and Their (Re)Presentations to the Emperor1

Abstract

Advice had to be given carefully to the Emperor in Byzantium. This article looks at two addresses delivered to Alexios I Komnenos in the latter part of the 11th Century by Theophylact of Ohrid and John the Oxite. Both were senior clerics who sought to counsel the Emperor to abandon risky policies which had brought limited success to Byzantium. The methods of the two orators differ sharply, with one urging Alexios gently and through flattery, and the other providing a stinging critique of...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
1473-348X
eISSN
0950-3110
DOI
10.1080/09503110701823585
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Advice had to be given carefully to the Emperor in Byzantium. This article looks at two addresses delivered to Alexios I Komnenos in the latter part of the 11th Century by Theophylact of Ohrid and John the Oxite. Both were senior clerics who sought to counsel the Emperor to abandon risky policies which had brought limited success to Byzantium. The methods of the two orators differ sharply, with one urging Alexios gently and through flattery, and the other providing a stinging critique of Komnenian rule, offering a dramatic diagnosis of the problems affecting Byzantium at this time. This is at least partly a reflection of a changing political situation in and around Constantinople between 1088–91. 1I am very grateful for comments made when I gave this paper in July 2006 at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Judith Gilliland for her suggestions.

Journal

Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Taylor & Francis

Published: Mar 1, 2008

Keywords: Byzantium–Middle Byzantine period; Byzantium–politics, address; Byzantine literature–orations; Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor; Theophylact, archbishop of Ohrid; John the Oxite, patriarch of Antioch

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