1st Edition

Imperial Women in Byzantium 1025-1204 Power, Patronage and Ideology

By Barbara Hill Copyright 1999
    258 Pages
    by Routledge

    258 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book will be essential reading for anyone studying Byzantine history in this period. It ranges in time from the death of the emperor Basil II in 1025 to the sacking of the city of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusaders in 1204, spanning the rise and fall of the successful Komnenos dynasty. Eleventh-century Byzantine history is unusual in that imperial women were able to wield immense power and in this ground-breaking book Dr Hill explores why this was possible and, equally, why they lost their position of influence a century later.

    1.Introduction.  2. The Role of Women in Eleventh-Century Politics.  3. Creating the Ideal Komnenian Woman.  4. Titles for Imperial Women.  5. The Method of Marriage.  6. Power through Patronage.  7. A Woman's Ideology
    8. The Collapse of the Komnenian System.  9. Conclusion.  Bibliography.  Genealogical Tables.  Index.

    Biography

    Barbara Hill