Title: Mirrors for Princes: genuine Byzantine genre or academic construct?
Source document: Graeco-Latina Brunensia. 2017, vol. 22, iss. 1, pp. 5-16
Extent
5-16
-
ISSN1803-7402 (print)2336-4424 (online)
Persistent identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2017-1-1
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/136459
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
The term 'Mirrors for Princes' occurs in commonly used handbooks of Byzantine literature (H. Hunger). It denotes highly elaborated advisory works addressed to noble young men or even future emperors to instruct them on certain aspects of human conduct and on how to reign. This term, mentioned for the first time by Godfrey of Viterbo in the 12th century and imported by modern scholars from the literature of the western Middle Ages into the Byzantine milieu, was never used by the Byzantines themselves. Not only the foreign origin of the term, but also significant differences among particular writings classified as 'Mirrors for Princes' with respect to their literary form, language register, style, content, or purpose have made recent scholars question the application of this genre to Byzantine literature. Three main attitudes or approaches have arisen: the complete rejection of the term (P. Odorico); a search for new criteria enabling a more reasonable genre taxonomy (M. Mullett, Ch. Roueché, S. Papaioannou); and the formation of sub-categories within this genre to create more homogenous groups of literary works (G. Prinzing, D. Angelov). The presented paper pursues two main aims. The first is to describe the development of the application of the genre 'Mirrors for Princes' to Byzantine literature in modern scientific works; the second, after defining recent general trends in scholarly approaches to Byzantine literature, is to judge the impact of these approaches on the criteria of genre taxonomy with respect to this particular genre.
Note
A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the Oxford University Byzantine Society's 18th International Graduate Conference entitled Trends and Turning-Points: Constructing the Late Antique and Byzantine World (c. 300 – c. 1500).
References
[1] Gautier, P. (Ed.). (1980). Théophylacte d' Achrida: Discours, traités, poésies (Corpus fontium historiae Byzantinae, 16/1). Thessalonique: Association de Recherches Byzantines.
[2] Laourdas, V., & Westerink, L. G. (Eds.). (1983). Photii patriarchæ Constantinopolitani Epistulæ et Amphilochia (Vol. 1). Leipzig: Teubner.
[3] Reinsch, D. R., & Kambylis, A. (Eds.). (2001). Annae Comnenae: Alexias (Corpus fontium historiae Byzantinae, 40/1). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
[4] Riedinger, R. (Ed.). (1995). Agapetos Diakonos: Der Fürstenspiegel für Kaiser Iustinianos. Athina: Etaireia filon tou laou.
[5] Russell, D. A., & Wilson, N. G. (Eds.). (1981). Menander Rhetor. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[6] Angelov, D. (2007). Imperial ideology and political thought in Byzantium (1204–1330). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[7] Anton, H. H. (1968). Fürstenspiegel und Herrscherethos in der Karolingerzeit. Bonn: Röhrscheid.
[8] Anton, H. H. (2006). Fürstenspiegel des frühen und hohen Mittelalters. Darmstadt: WBG.
[9] Barker, E. (1957). Social and political thought in Byzantium: from Justinian I to the last Palaeologus. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[10] Berges, W. (1938). Die Fürstenspiegel des hohen und späten Mittelalters. Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann.
[11] Blum, W. (1981). Byzantinische Fürstenspiegel: Agapetos, Theophylakt von Ochrid, Thomas Magister (Bibliothek der griechischen Literatur; Vol. 14). Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann.
[12] Čičurov, I. (1985). Gesetz und Gerechtigkeit in den byzantinischen Fürstenspiegeln des 6.‒9. Jahrhunderts. In L. Burgmann, M. T. Fögen, & A. Schminck (Eds.), Cupido legum (Vol. 1; pp. 33–45). Frankfurt am Main: Löwenklau-Gesellschaft.
[13] Eberhardt, O. (1977). Via regia: Der Fürstenspiegel Smaragds von St. Mihiel und seine literarische Gattung. München: Wilhelm Fink.
[14] Giannouli, A. (2009). Paränese zwischen Enkomion und Psogos: Zur Gattungseinordnung byzantinischer Fürstenspiegel. In A. Rhoby, & E. Schiffer (Eds.), Imitatio – Aemulatio – Variatio (Vol. 1; pp. 119–129). Wien: ÖAW.
[15] Grimmer, J., Blaydes, L., & McQueen, A. Mirrors for Princes and Sultans: Advice on the Art of Governance in the Medieval Christian and Islamic Worlds. [Unpublished working paper; retrieved 16. 7. 2016 from http://stanford.edu/~jgrimmer/BGM_final.pdf].
[16] Hadot, P. (1972). Fürstenspiegel. In T. Klauser (Ed.), Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum (Vol. 8; pp. 555–632). Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann.
[17] Hörandner, W. (2009). Les conceptions du bon souverain dans la poésie byzantine. In P. Odorico (Ed.), «L’éducation au gouvernement et à la vie»: la tradition des «régles de vie» de l’Antiquité au Moyen-Âge: Colloque international ‒ Pise 18 et 19 mars 2005, Autour de Byzance (Vol. 1; pp. 103–114). Paris: De Boccard.
[18] Hunger, H. (1978). Die hochsprachliche profane Literatur der Byzantiner: Philosophie – Rhetorik – Epistolographie – Geschichtsschreibung – Geographie (Vol. 1; pp. 157–165). München: C. H. Beck.
[19] Jónsson, E. M. (2006). Les «miroirs aux princes» sont-ils un genre littéraire? Médiévales, 51, 153–166. | DOI 10.4000/medievales.1461
[20] Karatolios, K. (2015). Βυζαντινή αυτοκρατορική ιδεολογία, τα κάτοπτρα ηγεμόνος της μέσης βυζαντινής περιόδου. Athina: Historical Quest.
[21] Kazhdan, A., & Constable, G. (1982). People and Power in Byzantium: An Introduction to Modern Byzantine Studies. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.
[22] Krumbacher, K. (1897). Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur von Justinian bis zum Ende des oströmischen Reiches (527–1453) (2. ed.). München: C. H. Beck.
[23] Lachaud, F., & Scordia, L. (Eds.). (2007). Le prince au miroir de la littérature politique de l’Antiquité aux Lumières. Mont-Saint-Aignan: Publications des universités de Rouen et du Havre.
[24] Leonte, F. (2012). Rhetoric in Purple: the Renewal of Imperial Ideology in the Text of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (unpublished dissertation thesis). Budapest.
[25] Mullett, M. (1992). The Madness of Genre. In A. Cutler, & S. Franklin (Eds.), Homo Byzantinus: Papers in Honor of Alexander Kazhdan (Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 46). Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.
[26] Mullett, M. (1996). The imperial vocabulary of Alexios I Komnenos. In M. Mullett, & D. Smythe (Eds.), Alexios Komnenos I: Papers (Vol. 1; pp. 359–397). Belfast: Belfast Byzantine Enterprises.
[27] Mullett, M. (2007). Letters, Literacy and Literature in Byzantium. Aldershot ‒ Burlington: Ashgate.
[28] Mullett, M. (2013). How to criticize the laudandus. In D. G. Angelov, & M. Saxby (Eds.), Power and subversion in Byzantium: Papers from the 43rd Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Birmingham, March 2010 (Vol. 1; pp. 247–262). Farnham: Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies.
[29] Odorico, P. (2009). Les miroirs des princes à Byzance: Une lecture horizontale. In P. Odorico (Ed.), «L’éducation au gouvernement et à la vie»: la tradition des «régles de vie» de l’Antiquité au Moyen-Âge: Colloque international ‒ Pise 18 et 19 mars 2005, Autour de Byzance (Vol. 1; pp. 223–246). Paris: De Boccard.
[30] Paidas, K. D. S. (2005). Η θεματική των βυζαντινών κάτοπτρων ηγεμόνος της πρώιμης και μέσης περιόδου (398–1085). Athina: Grigoris.
[31] Paidas, K. D. S. (2006). Τα βυζαντινά κάτοπτρα ηγεμόνος της ύστερης περιόδου (1254–1403). Athina: Grigoris.
[32] Papaioannou, S. (2014a). Voice, Signature, Mask: The Byzantine Author. In A. Pizzone (Ed.), The Author in Middle Byzantine Literature (Vol. 1; pp. 22–40). Boston ‒ Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
[33] Papaioannou, S. (2014b). Byzantine historia. In K. A. Raaflaub (Ed.), Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World (The Ancient World: Comparative Histories; Vol. 10; pp. 297–314). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
[34] Prinzing, G. (1988). Beobachtungen zu "integrierten" Fürstenspiegeln der Byzantiner. Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik, 38, 1–31.
[35] Roueché, Ch. (2009). The place of Kekaumenos in the admonitory tradition. In P. Odorico (Ed.), «L’éducation au gouvernement et à la vie»: la tradition des «régles de vie» de l’Antiquité au Moyen-Âge: Colloque international ‒ Pise 18 et 19 mars 2005, Autour de Byzance (Vol. 1; pp. 129–144). Paris: De Boccard.
[36] Ševčenko, I. (1978). Agapetus East and West: The Fate of a Byzantine "Mirror of Princes". Revue des études sud-est européennes, 16, 3–44.
[2] Laourdas, V., & Westerink, L. G. (Eds.). (1983). Photii patriarchæ Constantinopolitani Epistulæ et Amphilochia (Vol. 1). Leipzig: Teubner.
[3] Reinsch, D. R., & Kambylis, A. (Eds.). (2001). Annae Comnenae: Alexias (Corpus fontium historiae Byzantinae, 40/1). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
[4] Riedinger, R. (Ed.). (1995). Agapetos Diakonos: Der Fürstenspiegel für Kaiser Iustinianos. Athina: Etaireia filon tou laou.
[5] Russell, D. A., & Wilson, N. G. (Eds.). (1981). Menander Rhetor. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[6] Angelov, D. (2007). Imperial ideology and political thought in Byzantium (1204–1330). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[7] Anton, H. H. (1968). Fürstenspiegel und Herrscherethos in der Karolingerzeit. Bonn: Röhrscheid.
[8] Anton, H. H. (2006). Fürstenspiegel des frühen und hohen Mittelalters. Darmstadt: WBG.
[9] Barker, E. (1957). Social and political thought in Byzantium: from Justinian I to the last Palaeologus. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[10] Berges, W. (1938). Die Fürstenspiegel des hohen und späten Mittelalters. Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann.
[11] Blum, W. (1981). Byzantinische Fürstenspiegel: Agapetos, Theophylakt von Ochrid, Thomas Magister (Bibliothek der griechischen Literatur; Vol. 14). Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann.
[12] Čičurov, I. (1985). Gesetz und Gerechtigkeit in den byzantinischen Fürstenspiegeln des 6.‒9. Jahrhunderts. In L. Burgmann, M. T. Fögen, & A. Schminck (Eds.), Cupido legum (Vol. 1; pp. 33–45). Frankfurt am Main: Löwenklau-Gesellschaft.
[13] Eberhardt, O. (1977). Via regia: Der Fürstenspiegel Smaragds von St. Mihiel und seine literarische Gattung. München: Wilhelm Fink.
[14] Giannouli, A. (2009). Paränese zwischen Enkomion und Psogos: Zur Gattungseinordnung byzantinischer Fürstenspiegel. In A. Rhoby, & E. Schiffer (Eds.), Imitatio – Aemulatio – Variatio (Vol. 1; pp. 119–129). Wien: ÖAW.
[15] Grimmer, J., Blaydes, L., & McQueen, A. Mirrors for Princes and Sultans: Advice on the Art of Governance in the Medieval Christian and Islamic Worlds. [Unpublished working paper; retrieved 16. 7. 2016 from http://stanford.edu/~jgrimmer/BGM_final.pdf].
[16] Hadot, P. (1972). Fürstenspiegel. In T. Klauser (Ed.), Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum (Vol. 8; pp. 555–632). Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann.
[17] Hörandner, W. (2009). Les conceptions du bon souverain dans la poésie byzantine. In P. Odorico (Ed.), «L’éducation au gouvernement et à la vie»: la tradition des «régles de vie» de l’Antiquité au Moyen-Âge: Colloque international ‒ Pise 18 et 19 mars 2005, Autour de Byzance (Vol. 1; pp. 103–114). Paris: De Boccard.
[18] Hunger, H. (1978). Die hochsprachliche profane Literatur der Byzantiner: Philosophie – Rhetorik – Epistolographie – Geschichtsschreibung – Geographie (Vol. 1; pp. 157–165). München: C. H. Beck.
[19] Jónsson, E. M. (2006). Les «miroirs aux princes» sont-ils un genre littéraire? Médiévales, 51, 153–166. | DOI 10.4000/medievales.1461
[20] Karatolios, K. (2015). Βυζαντινή αυτοκρατορική ιδεολογία, τα κάτοπτρα ηγεμόνος της μέσης βυζαντινής περιόδου. Athina: Historical Quest.
[21] Kazhdan, A., & Constable, G. (1982). People and Power in Byzantium: An Introduction to Modern Byzantine Studies. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.
[22] Krumbacher, K. (1897). Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur von Justinian bis zum Ende des oströmischen Reiches (527–1453) (2. ed.). München: C. H. Beck.
[23] Lachaud, F., & Scordia, L. (Eds.). (2007). Le prince au miroir de la littérature politique de l’Antiquité aux Lumières. Mont-Saint-Aignan: Publications des universités de Rouen et du Havre.
[24] Leonte, F. (2012). Rhetoric in Purple: the Renewal of Imperial Ideology in the Text of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (unpublished dissertation thesis). Budapest.
[25] Mullett, M. (1992). The Madness of Genre. In A. Cutler, & S. Franklin (Eds.), Homo Byzantinus: Papers in Honor of Alexander Kazhdan (Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 46). Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.
[26] Mullett, M. (1996). The imperial vocabulary of Alexios I Komnenos. In M. Mullett, & D. Smythe (Eds.), Alexios Komnenos I: Papers (Vol. 1; pp. 359–397). Belfast: Belfast Byzantine Enterprises.
[27] Mullett, M. (2007). Letters, Literacy and Literature in Byzantium. Aldershot ‒ Burlington: Ashgate.
[28] Mullett, M. (2013). How to criticize the laudandus. In D. G. Angelov, & M. Saxby (Eds.), Power and subversion in Byzantium: Papers from the 43rd Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Birmingham, March 2010 (Vol. 1; pp. 247–262). Farnham: Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies.
[29] Odorico, P. (2009). Les miroirs des princes à Byzance: Une lecture horizontale. In P. Odorico (Ed.), «L’éducation au gouvernement et à la vie»: la tradition des «régles de vie» de l’Antiquité au Moyen-Âge: Colloque international ‒ Pise 18 et 19 mars 2005, Autour de Byzance (Vol. 1; pp. 223–246). Paris: De Boccard.
[30] Paidas, K. D. S. (2005). Η θεματική των βυζαντινών κάτοπτρων ηγεμόνος της πρώιμης και μέσης περιόδου (398–1085). Athina: Grigoris.
[31] Paidas, K. D. S. (2006). Τα βυζαντινά κάτοπτρα ηγεμόνος της ύστερης περιόδου (1254–1403). Athina: Grigoris.
[32] Papaioannou, S. (2014a). Voice, Signature, Mask: The Byzantine Author. In A. Pizzone (Ed.), The Author in Middle Byzantine Literature (Vol. 1; pp. 22–40). Boston ‒ Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
[33] Papaioannou, S. (2014b). Byzantine historia. In K. A. Raaflaub (Ed.), Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World (The Ancient World: Comparative Histories; Vol. 10; pp. 297–314). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
[34] Prinzing, G. (1988). Beobachtungen zu "integrierten" Fürstenspiegeln der Byzantiner. Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik, 38, 1–31.
[35] Roueché, Ch. (2009). The place of Kekaumenos in the admonitory tradition. In P. Odorico (Ed.), «L’éducation au gouvernement et à la vie»: la tradition des «régles de vie» de l’Antiquité au Moyen-Âge: Colloque international ‒ Pise 18 et 19 mars 2005, Autour de Byzance (Vol. 1; pp. 129–144). Paris: De Boccard.
[36] Ševčenko, I. (1978). Agapetus East and West: The Fate of a Byzantine "Mirror of Princes". Revue des études sud-est européennes, 16, 3–44.