Politics and Government in Byzantium: The Rise and Fall of the Bureaucrats

The eleventh century saw the Byzantine Empire lose half of its territory and struggle to recover under the Komnenos family, attributed to reckless favouring of civilian bureaucrats. Jonathan Shea's analysis of 2,200 unpublished seals provides a fresh account of this transitional century and insight into Byzantine politics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 11 August 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The eleventh century marked a significant turning point in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Initially, Byzantium held a dominant position in the Mediterranean world, commanding both fear and admiration. However, by the end of the century, the empire had experienced a significant decline, losing nearly half of its territory and only partially recovering under the leadership of the Komnenos family. The question of how such a powerful and prosperous empire could collapse so rapidly has been a subject of debate for centuries. Contemporary accounts of this turbulent period, spanning approximately 950–1100, often attribute the empire's decline to the emperors' reckless and self-serving favouritism towards civilian bureaucrats. While these sources are widely recognized as biased and unreliable, modern assessments of the century have yet to offer concrete alternatives. To address this gap in archival material, Jonathan Shea conducted a meticulous analysis of 2,200 previously unpublished seals from the period, representing over a third of the known extant seals today. By examining these seals, Shea was able to identify the individuals and groups that the emperors were favouring and promoting, providing a nuanced and revealing picture of the makeup of the much-maligned civilian bureaucracy. The sigillographic evidence is then compared with the written material to provide a fresh account of this pivotal transitional century and a rare glimpse into Byzantine politics.

Weight: 430g
Dimension: 157 x 234 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780755648306