Byzantine Hellene: The Life of Emperor Theodore Laskaris and Byzantium in the Thirteenth Century

Theodore II Laskaris was a Byzantine emperor who ruled over Nicaea. He was a man of literary talent and keen intellect, with a philosophy that led him to critique scholasticism, develop a mathematically inspired theology, and have a political vision of Hellenism. This book combines a personal biography, a ruler's biography, and an intellectual biography to provide a view of the eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Balkans in the thirteenth century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 460 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2019
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Theodore II Laskaris, an emperor who presided over the Byzantine state of Nicaea, founded in Asia Minor following the fall of Constantinople to the crusaders in 1204, is the subject of this remarkable book. Theodore Laskaris was a man of remarkable literary talent and keen intellect. His life was filled with action, a youthful mindset, a concern for communal identity (Anatolian, Roman, and Hellenic), ambitious reforms that were tragically cut short by an early death, and a wealth of thoughts and feelings that are reconstructed based on his extensive and diverse writings. His original philosophy, explored in this book, led him to critique scholasticism in the West, develop a mathematically inspired theology, and envision a political vision of Hellenism. This highly illustrated book serves as a personal biography, a ruler's biography, and an intellectual biography, offering a unique perspective on the eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Balkans during the thirteenth century, as seen through the eyes of a key political actor and commentator.

Theodore II Laskaris, an emperor who presided over the Byzantine state of Nicaea, founded in Asia Minor following the fall of Constantinople to the crusaders in 1204, is the subject of this remarkable book. Theodore Laskaris was a man of remarkable literary talent and keen intellect. His life was filled with action, a youthful mindset, a concern for communal identity (Anatolian, Roman, and Hellenic), ambitious reforms that were tragically cut short by an early death, and a wealth of thoughts and feelings that are reconstructed based on his extensive and diverse writings. His original philosophy, explored in this book, led him to critique scholasticism in the West, develop a mathematically inspired theology, and envision a political vision of Hellenism. This highly illustrated book serves as a personal biography, a ruler's biography, and an intellectual biography, offering a unique perspective on the eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Balkans during the thirteenth century, as seen through the eyes of a key political actor and commentator.

Weight: 1154g
Dimension: 185 x 255 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108480710