Vasilief, A History of the Byzantine Empire

Byzantium and the Crusades

Ιnternal affairs under the Comneni and Angeli 

Page 14

As far as the navy was concerned, the maritime forces which had been well organized by Alexius seem gradually to have been losing their fighting power, so that under Manuel they were in a state of decline. Nicetas Choniates, in his history, sharply condemned Manuel for the destruction of the maritime power of the Empire. Under the Comneni, the Venetian vessels which had made an alliance with the Empire helped Byzantium a great deal, but, of course, at the expense of Byzantine economic independence.

Manuel restored and fortified some places which were in a state of decay. He fortified a very important city and stronghold, Attalia (Satalia), on the southern shore of Asia Minor. He also erected fortifications and constructed a bridge at Abydos, at the entrance into the Hellespont, where one of the most important Byzantine customhouses was located and where, from the time of the Comneni, the Venetians and their rivals, Genoese and Pisans, had their residences.

Provincial administration under the Comneni has not yet been satisfactorily investigated. It is known that in the eleventh century the number of themes reached thirty-eight. The reduction of the territory of the Empire in the eleventh and twelfth centuries made it impossible for the boundaries of the provinces and their number to remain the same. Information on this problem can be drawn from the Novel of Alexius III Angelus, of Nov. 1198 where the trade privileges granted Venice by the Emperor are discussed and where are enumerated by names all the provinces that were under the power of Romania and where (the Venetians) could conduct their trade business. The list given in this Novel, a source which has not yet been adequately studied, gives an approximate idea of the changes which took place in the provincial division of the Empire in the course of the twelfth century.

Most of the former themes had been governed by military governors or strategi. Later, especially after the battle of Manzikert in 1071, and then in the course of the twelfth century in connection with the growing Turkish danger in Asia Minor and with the secession of Bulgaria in 1186, the territory of the Empire was considerably reduced. Owing to the reduction of territory, the very important title of strategus given to the governor general of the themes towards the end of the eleventh century fell into disuse. Under the Comneni the title of strategus entirely disappeared, because it became inappropriate to the smaller size of the provinces, and it was gradually replaced by dux, a title which had been already borne, in the ninth century and earlier, by the governors of some small provinces.

Previous / First / Next Page of this section

A History of the Byzantine Empire - Table of Contents

Next Chapter : Education, learning, literature, and art

Previous Chapter : The Fourth Crusade and Byzantium

Constantinople

 

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/vasilief/internal-affairs-angeli.asp?pg=14