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Home , Asia (Roman province), Basil II, Despotate of Epirus, Macedonian dynasty, Macedonia (theme)

Johannes Irmscher

The imageof Macedoniaas foundin Byzantinehistorians

The region of including , the second capital of the republic and one of the most important parts of the modem Greek state, has borne the stamp of Greek culture through the centuries. 1 Greek culture prevailed there also even in the times of ~EVOICpextia and was strong enough to assimilate and to hellenize foreign peoples who came from the north and settled in the region of Macedonia. In 148 BC Macedonia became a province of the . 2 The Roman authors reflected popular opinion in praising the nobility and the military competence of the . 3 As a Macedonia enjoyed a period of prosperity: good roads improved the links with other parts of the Empire, and Roman skill in agriculture brought an economic boom. 4 With the division of the Empire in 395, Macedonia (which in the meantime had been christianized) became part of the eastern empire and remained a very important region of the Byzantine state until its end. In considering the image of Macedonia reflected by the historians, we must always bear in mind that not only the scholars who wrote history but also their readers - at least in principle - had the opportunity of travelling to Macedonia and of scrutinizing the scene of its history. Travel in the was a nonnal and necessary activity among merchants, civil servants, officers and soldiers in particular, but also among clergymen and pilgrims - despite numerous difficulties such as warfare, piracy, brigandage, shipwrecks, and a lack of hostels. 5 For Macedonia it was fortunate that the , built in the time of the , traversed the whole region. It began on the Adriatic coast at Dyrrachion and Apollonia (nowadays in ) and reached Thessaloniki, the seat of the . During the the road was extended to the river Hebros (modern Marica). From this point there were two ways of travelling to , either following the coast along the Sea of Marmara or via Adrianople (modem Edime in ).6 In the age of Justinian Macedonia was divided into two provinces, Macedonia Salutaris with its capital Thessaloniki and Macedonia II with its capital Stobi. The reason for this measure was twofold, firstly the relatively flourishing economy of the region and secondly the danger of hostile raids, especially from the north

I. In such a way the title of the book edited by M.B. Sakellariou,Macedonia, 4000 years ~l Greekhistory and civilization( 1983;hereafter 'Macedonia') is legitimate. 2 F. Papazoglou,"Political and administrativedevelopment~" Macedonia 193. 3. J. Innscher, Quid auctoresRomani de Macedonibusnuntiaverint (Commentarii Academiae Latinitatifovendae V-VI,Rome 1994-5)l 7f. 4. Papazoglou,Joe.cit. 199. 5. ODB 1112109. 6. Lexikonder Antikeed. J. lnnscher (10th ed., Leipzig 1990;hereafter 'Lexikon')620.

ByzantineMacedonia. Identity Image and History. Edited by John Burke & Roger Scott (Byza11ti11aAustralie11sia 13, Melbourne 2000). The Image of Macedonia in Byzantine Historians 51 of the . I This danger became reality with the Slavonic settlement during the late sixth and seventh centuries. In this period Macedonia in fact was divided: the Slavs controlled the countryside and upland regions, while Byzantines retained possession of most of the towns. 2 The inhabitants of Thessaloniki saw the rescue of their town as a miracle of St. Demetrios, the µqa) ..oµaptu<;, who suffered the death of a martyr under at the beginning of the fourth century and had ever since been revered especially in Thessaloniki. 3 In my opinion it was one of the greatest achievements of the Greek people that within a short period most of the Slavonic tribes were integrated into the empire. Beginning with the upper classes, they were hellenized and christianized. It is no wonder that the apostles of the Slavs, Constantine-Cyril and Methodios, were born in Macedonia in the beginning of the ninth century and knew Slavonic perfectly.4 With the cultural assimilation of the Slavs in Macedonia there began a period of power and prosperity for the capital and its hinterland. 5 In 867 with the so-called began its rule which lasted until 1056. But Basil was of Armenian origin and his family lived in or Macedonia. 6 Thus the dynasty had no special importance for Macedonia. However Basil II (976-1025) who was called BouA.yapoJCt6vo<;,the Bulgar-Slayer, restored Byzantine rule in the Balkans and also in Italy.7 It was not possible to hold this position of a great power permanently; Italy was conquered by the , and in the East the Turks occupied parts of Minor; but Macedonia in the epoch of the Komnenoi ( 1081- 1185) remained firmly under Byzantine domination. 8 A catastrophe, however, occurred when the Venetians in 1204 undertook the against Constantinople, ending Greek control of Byzantium and installing a western feudal system. The essential part of Macedonia now belonged to the newly established Kingdom of Thessaloniki 9 with a Frankish ruler. In the last East-Roman period, at the time of the restoration of the Byzantine state Thessaloniki again came under Greek control, first by the Despotate of and then by the Empire of Nicaea. 10 But this restored empire, and likewise the empire of the Palaiologoi in Constantinople, were only shadows of the former world power. I I Throughout its history Macedonia was thus an important part of the Byzantine Empire and hostile raids, insurrections and revolts were not ever able to destroy this adherence.

I. G. Ostrogorsky,Geschichte des byzantinischenStaates (2nd ed, Munich 1992)map I. 2. ODBII 1261. 3. Dix millesaints, ed. M. Stroobants(fumhout 1991)142. 4. R. Browning,"Intellectual life" Macedonia264f. 5. H. Ahrweiler, "Political history" Macedonia 272; cf. Andreas Schminck in: Byzantine Makedonia,Progrnmme, Melbourne, 1995, p.38 6. ODBII 1262. 7. Ostrogorsky,toe.cit. map 3. 8. Ostrogorsky,toe.cit. map 4. 9. Ostrogorsky,toe.cit. map 5. 10. J. Karayarmopulos,"Political history" Macedonia 308f. 11. Ostrogorskytoe.cit. map 6.