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The Political Opposition to Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118)

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The Political Opposition to Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118) The Political Opposition to Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118) Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Akademischen Grades eines Dr. phil., vorgelegt dem Fachbereich 07 Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz von João Vicente de Medeiros Publio Dias aus São Paulo, Brasilien 2020 Dekan: 1. Gutachter: 2. Gutachter: Tag des Prüfungskolloquiums: 18. Juli 2018 Dedicado a Dai Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 1 Note on translation and transliteration .................................................................................. 2 i. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3 i.i. Bibliographic Review ...................................................................................................... 4 i.ii Conceptual and Theoretical Issues on Political Opposition in Byzantium ...................... 7 i.iii Sources .......................................................................................................................... 18 i.iii.i Material for History of Nikephoros Bryennios .......................................................... 24 i.iii.ii The Alexiad of Anna Komnene ................................................................................. 26 i.iii.iii The Epitome Historion of Ioannes Zonaras .............................................................. 30 i.iii.iv The Chronike Diegesis of Niketas Choniates ........................................................... 32 i.iii.v The Non-Historiographical Sources .......................................................................... 35 1. The background of Alexios I Komnenos’ reign (1042–1081) ........................................ 42 1.1 The Role of the Aristocracy in the Middle Byzantine Period ....................................... 42 1.2 The Political Conditions during the 11th century ......................................................... 53 1.2.1 The End of the Macedonian Dynasty and the Legitimacy Crisis ............................... 53 1.2.2 The Role of the People in the Political Process and the Expansion of the Senate ..... 55 1.2.3 New Enemies: Military Challenges for the Empire and State Reforms ..................... 58 1.2.4 The Reign of Isaakios I Komnenos (1057–1059): a Komnenos for the First Time on the Throne ........................................................................................................................... 61 1.2.5 From Konstantinos X Doukas (1059–1068) to Nikephoros III Botaneiates (1078– 1081) ................................................................................................................................... 65 1.2.6 The “Vicious Circle” of the 11th century: the Generous Pragmatism and the State- conservative Reformers ....................................................................................................... 68 2. The Family History of the Doukai and Komnenoi from the 10th Century to 1081 ........ 71 2.1. The Doukai ................................................................................................................... 71 2.2 The Komnenoi ............................................................................................................... 77 2.3. Observations on the Political Careers of the Doukai and the Komnenoi until 1081 .... 84 2.4. The Rebellion of the Komnenoi in April 1081 ............................................................. 87 3. 1081–1091: Building an Internal Status Quo in Face of External Threats and Internal Discontentment.................................................................................................................... 98 3.1 The imperial concessions .............................................................................................. 98 3.2. Alexios and Constantinople: Traces of a Difficult Relationship ................................ 101 3.3 Pretenders and Foreign Enemies ................................................................................. 107 3.4 The Komnenos-Doukas Relation: Struggle for Hegemony and Building of a Status Quo ........................................................................................................................................... 113 3.4.1 First Conflicts after the Seizure of Power in 1081 ................................................... 114 3.4.2 The Role of Anna Dalassene in Alexios I’s Reign ................................................... 115 3.4.3 The Rise and Fall of Maria of Alania ....................................................................... 122 3.4.4 The Leon of Chalcedon Controversy: 1081–1095 ................................................... 125 3.5 Summary of the Period between 1081 and 1091: the Capacity and Limitations of the Komnenian Patrimonial Regime ....................................................................................... 131 4. 1091–1100: The Rise of the Porphyrogennetoi and the Anemas Conspiracy .............. 137 4.1 The Diogenes Crisis and the Uprising of the Porphyrogennetoi (1094–1096) ........... 138 4.1.1 The Diogenai after Manzikert .................................................................................. 138 4.1.2 The Conspiracy near Serres: Anna Komnene’s account. ......................................... 140 4.1.2.1 The Conspirators ................................................................................................... 143 4.1.2.2 The Making of the Nikephoros Diogenes Conspiracy and its Causes .................. 147 4.2 The Synod of Blachernae in 1095: Recasting the Komnenian Alliance ..................... 153 4.3 The Anemas Conspiracy ............................................................................................. 161 4.4 The Doukas after 1095 ................................................................................................ 169 4.5 A Summary of the Events between 1091 and 1100 .................................................... 173 5. 1100–1118: The Stabilization of the Regime and Uprisings in the Provinces .............. 176 5.1 Crete and Cyprus ......................................................................................................... 176 5.2 Trebizond .................................................................................................................... 181 5.3 The Aaron Conspiracy (1107) ..................................................................................... 186 5.4 Eastern Provinces, Paulicians in Thracia and Michael of Amastris ............................ 188 5.5 General Conclusions for the Period between 1100 and 1118 ...................................... 195 6. Ideology and Political Struggles ................................................................................... 197 6.1. The Ideological Basis of the Opposition .................................................................... 198 6.2 The (Lack of) Imperial Repression ............................................................................. 209 6.3 The Relations Between Emperor, People, and Church ............................................... 215 6.3.1 Ecclesiastical and Political Struggles during the Reign of Alexios I Komnenos ..... 218 6.3.2 Alexios Komnenos and the People ........................................................................... 222 6.4 An Outline of Alexios I’s Response to Opposition ..................................................... 225 7. Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 227 Appendix: the Genealogical Tree of the Families Doukas and Komnenos from their First Known Member to 1118 ................................................................................................... 234 Abreviations ...................................................................................................................... 235 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 239 Acknowledgements A doctorate is much more than the result of research work, especially when one has to leave behind family, friends and home and move to a new and unknown country. If this undertaking was successful in the end, it was because I had the support of several people. Firstly, I would like to register my appreciation to my supervisor for accepting me as a PhD student and supporting me since my first contact per e-mail written in a sufferable German in 2011. Since my arrival – and even before that – I could count with the constant support of my colleagues in Mainz, whose inputs were crucial for the advance of my work. There were also other people who at some point of my doctorate helped me in several – and sometimes unconscious – ways: by reading and commenting some pages of the thesis, providing me with unknown literature, sending me works to which I did not have access or simply engaging with me in a particularly enlightening conversation.. I want to show my appreciation to the funding bodies Deutscher Akademischer Austauchdienst (DAAD) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). CAPES financed my flight tickets to Germany and DAAD granted me a scholarship between 2012 and 2016. This financial support allowed me to dedicate all my energy to the research work. Financing
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