Authority in Byzantine Provincial Society, 9501100 [Paperback]

This 2004 book examines in detail the mechanisms provincial households in the Byzantine Empire used to acquire and dispute authority.The emperors of the Byzantine Empire ca. 950 1100 acted to maintain power and collect taxes, but did not attempt to govern provincial society. Whenever the imperial government was not paying attention, provincial households competed for control over each other. This book describes the power-holders in the central provinces and gives the first detailed examination of the provincia l strength of the imperial government and the mechanics of local authority during this period. It provides a new model for the organisation of provincial society.The emperors of the Byzantine Empire ca. 950 1100 acted to maintain power and collect taxes, but did not attempt to govern provincial society. Whenever the imperial government was not paying attention, provincial households competed for control over each other. This book describes the power-holders in the central provinces and gives the first detailed examination of the provincia l strength of the imperial government and the mechanics of local authority during this period. It provides a new model for the organisation of provincial society.Acting essentially to maintain power and collect taxes, the emperors of the Byzantine Empire (ca. 950-1100) did not attempt to govern provincial society. As a result, provincial households took advantage of this situation by competing for local control over each other whenever they could. This book describes the power-holders in the central provinces in a detailed comparison of the provincial strength of the imperial government and the mechanics of local authority.Introduction; 1. Imperial administration and Byzantine political culture; 2. Activities of the imperial administration; 3. Provincial households; 4. Provincial households and the imperial administration; 5. Regulation of provincial society; 6. Contention and authority; Appendix; Bibliography; Index. The blƒ