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- Title
Die Beziehungen zwischen Byzanz und dem Königreich Jerusalem am Beispiel des kaiserlichen Hofzeremoniells von Konstantinopel im 12. Jahrhundert.
- Authors
SOFRONIE, VLAD
- Abstract
In this essay I wanted to present what the relations between Byzantium and the Jerusalem kingdom were, on a close interpretation of the imperial ceremonial from Constantinople. After the first crusade and the reduction of Jerusalem by the Latins, the Byzantine Empire had no other alternative then to try to live and to develop peaceful relations with the Western Christians, who were its neighbors now in the Eastern part. What is important to note is that the collaboration between these two parties in the 12th century was better and more productive as it was the one between the Greeks and the crusaders, who came for the first time in the Far East. This is another aspect that I am following during this study. I show that, after the Latins settled down in the Orient, they began to find out the difficulties the Byzantines had to deal with for so many centuries. We know very good what an aggressive antibyzantine propaganda was cultivated by the clergymen in the Occident. When the crusaders came to Constantinople their vision towards the Byzantines was a negative one, mostly influenced by the chroniclers from the Occident. After they began living in Jerusalem or in the other principalities from the Orient, they realized the danger of the Moslem world and began understanding the Byzantine politic and diplomacy. During this essay I also present how the Latins adapt themselves to the new realities they had found in the Orient and how they began to copy the Byzantine diplomacy and their political actions in the 12th century Another aspect that I deal with here is the Byzantine court ceremonial and how it was interpreted by William of Tyre. The Kings of Jerusalem got in contact more then once with the rituals that were displayed at Constantinople. It is interesting to remark that William's opinion isn't so radical as the ones expressed by the Latin chroniclers from the Occident. William lived in the Orient and understood better then anyone else the rituals and the role of the court ceremonial from Constantinople. The different view William had in his work shows us that the Latins from the Orient learnt how to live together with the Byzantines and that they were their only possible allies in the new world they had travelled to. The Latin Orient was caught in the fight against the Islam and politically they were forced to collaborate with the Byzantine Empire. In order to survive they tried to integrate themselves in the Byzantine Othis. This thing was understood by the Jerusalem kings. The matrimonial alliances and the vassal oaths towards the basileus were important steps in the bettering of the relations between the two parties. Sadly for the future political development of the two sides, the power of the Byzantine emperors was in decline. Manuel promoted a favourable politic towards the Kingdom of Jerusalem. So the best relations between the Latin Orient and the Greeks were under Manuel Comnenus reign, emperor who was highly appreciated by William of Tyre and the only hope for the Latins from the Orient. This is the explanation why the Byzantine court ceremonial has such a positive description in William's work.
- Subjects
JERUSALEM; ISTANBUL (Turkey); CHRISTIANS; TYRE, William of, ca. 1130-ca. 1190; LATINI (Italic people); COMNENUS, Manuel; BYZANTINE Empire
- Publication
Transylvanian Review, 2013, Vol 21, p43
- ISSN
1221-1249
- Publication type
Article