Supervisors info:
Μεργιαλή - Σαχά Σοφία, Αναπλ. Καθηγήτρια Ιστορίας του Βυζαντινού Κράτους, Tμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Νικολάου Κατερίνα, Αναπλ. Καθηγήτρια Ιστορίας του Βυζαντινού Κράτους, Tμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Μανιάτη - Κοκκίνη Τριανταφυλλίτσα, Επίκ. Καθηγήτρια Βυζαντινής Ιστορίας, Tμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The Byzantine Empire had developed a complex system of diplomacy, which took different forms and modes of expression. Adapted to the imperatives and needs of the time, Byzantium recruited every means of intervention it had, exploiting its maximum interest. The aim of this dip is to highlight the diplomatic methods of Manuel I Komnenos (1143-1180) in his contacts with the West and, consequently, to evaluate their effectiveness.
The thesis consists of three introductory chapters, four chapters on the main subject, the conclusion and finally the annex and bibliography. Initially, the introductory chapters present the overview of the principles and methods of Byzantine diplomacy, as well as the subject of this study. In the last part of the introduction are the sources on which the work was based as well as the ideological-political context that prevailed in the 12th century between the West and the East.
Chapter 1 illustrates the retaliatory efforts of Manuel I Komnenos to create a network of alliances, geographically extending from the kingdom of England to the Italian peninsula. Special reference is made to the diplomatic tricks of the Byzantine emissaries on the peninsula of Italy, as well as to the personal relations of Manuel I Komnenos with the King of England, Henry II.
Chapter 2 deals with the relations of the Byzantine Empire with the crusader states, and especially with the application of the widespread practice of feudal subordination. Byzantine diplomacy in the 12th century, in an attempt to expand its alliances, tried to turn the rulers of the crusading states into prisoners of Byzantine politics.
Chapter 3 presents the diplomatic initiatives of the Byzantine emperor regarding the creation of marriage alliances with lords and kings from the West. In particular, eleven cases of marriages with Western rulers are being examined, focusing mainly on the motives of this diplomatic practice.
Chapter 4 lists examples of diplomatic intervention through the granting of diplomatic gifts. In particular, four gifts giving cases, including the granting of commercial privileges to the naval republics of Italy, the offer of remains to the Duke of Bavaria and a grant for the decoration of the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, are being examined.
In the Conclusion, a general assessment of the diplomatic practices used during the reign of Manuel I Komnenos is presented. In particular, it is estimated that Manuel I was one of the last Byzantine emperors who consciously worked to preserve the grandeur of the Empire.
