Fourteen Byzantine Rulers

Fourteen Byzantine Rulers
Author: Michael Psellus
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 400
Release: 1979-09-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 0141904550

This chronicle of the Byzantine Empire, beginning in 1025, shows a profound understanding of the power politics that characterized the empire and led to its decline.

The Letters of Psellos

The Letters of Psellos
Author: Michael Jeffreys
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 479
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 0198787227

The Letters of Psellos is the first detailed study of the correspondence of Michael Psellos, a preeminent Byzantine intellectual, politician, and writer. Structured in two parts, it juxtaposes five essays offering detailed historical and literary analyses of selected letters with annotated summaries of the entirety of Psellos' correspondence.

The Depiction of Character in the Chronographia of Michael Psellos

The Depiction of Character in the Chronographia of Michael Psellos
Author: Frederick Lauritzen
Publisher: Brepols Publishers
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Byzantine Empire
ISBN: 9782503548418

Character is the single most important feature of the Chronographia written by Michael Psellos (1018-1081?). It is an historical account of the events at court from the time of Basil II (986-1025) to Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078) with the insight of someone whose career developed within the imperial court and his unsurpassed eye for details of personality was enlightened by his intellectual interests. During his lifetime, Psellos was considered the forefront of philosophical studies in the capital and therefore was named consul of philosophers in 1047 and he credited himself with reintroducing Plato on the cultural scene of Constantinople. It was his attractive manner of speech which led him to remain in the emperor's presence and his rhetorical ability also plays an important role in the Chronographia, especially when he emphasizes or fabricates events to justify his understanding of a person's mind. Many have employed Psellos' Chronographia for its value in shedding light on historic events, itself important, though it often neglects the fact that Psellos' historiography is not based on factual details to explain multiple causes for events, but seeks to attribute blame or merit to the personality of the ruling emperor.

The History

The History
Author: Michael Attaleiates
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 657
Release: 2012-11-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674057996

In 1039 Byzantium was the most powerful empire in Europe and the Near East. By 1079 it was a politically unstable state half the size, menaced by enemies on all sides. The History of Michael Attaleiates is our main source for this astonishing reversal. This translation, based on the most recent critical edition, includes notes, maps, and glossary.

The Argument of Psellos' Chronographia

The Argument of Psellos' Chronographia
Author: Anthony Kaldellis
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2021-10-11
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9004452869

This book is a philosophical interpretation of Michael Psellos' Chronographia, an acknowledged masterpiece of Byzantine literature. Anthony Kaldellis argues that although the Chronographia contains a fascinating historical narrative; it is really a disguised philosophical work which, if read carefully, reveals Psellos' revolutionary views on politics and religion. Kaldellis exposes the rhetorical techniques with which Psellos veils his unorthodoxy, and demonstrates that the inner message of the text challenges the Church's supremacy over the intellectual and political life of Byzantium. Psellos consciously articulates a secular vision of Imperial politics, and seeks to liberate philosophy from the constraints of Christian theology. The analysis is lucid and should be accessible to anyone with a general knowledge of Byzantine civilization. It should interest all who study the history of ancient and medieval philosophy.

Reading Michael Psellos

Reading Michael Psellos
Author: Charles Barber
Publisher: Medieval Mediterranean
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2006
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

The papers of this volume highlight the intellectual and literary contribution of Michael Psellos (1018-after 1081?) by offering readings of his original texts from a variety of scholarly perspectives.

Chronographia

Chronographia
Author: Michael Psellus
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781960069504

It is a history of the Byzantine emperors during the century leading up to Psellos' own time. It covers the reigns of fourteen emperors and empresses, beginning with the almost 50-year-long reign of Basil II, the "Bulgar-Slayer" (976-1025), and ending some time during the reign of Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078).

The Cambridge Intellectual History of Byzantium

The Cambridge Intellectual History of Byzantium
Author: Anthony Kaldellis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1438
Release: 2017-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 110821021X

This volume brings into being the field of Byzantine intellectual history. Shifting focus from the cultural, social, and economic study of Byzantium to the life and evolution of ideas in their context, it provides an authoritative history of intellectual endeavors from Late Antiquity to the fifteenth century. At its heart lie the transmission, transformation, and shifts of Hellenic, Christian, and Byzantine ideas and concepts as exemplified in diverse aspects of intellectual life, from philosophy, theology, and rhetoric to astrology, astronomy, and politics. Case studies introduce the major players in Byzantine intellectual life, and particular emphasis is placed on the reception of ancient thought and its significance for secular as well as religious modes of thinking and acting. New insights are offered regarding controversial, understudied, or promising topics of research, such as philosophy and medical thought in Byzantium, and intellectual exchanges with the Arab world.

Psellos and the Patriarchs

Psellos and the Patriarchs
Author: Michael Psellos
Publisher:
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2017-03-30
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780268175146

Contains translations of the funeral orations written by Michael Psellos, the leading Byzantine intellectual of the eleventh century, for the three ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople.