Séismes, astres et tempêtes. Les basileis face aux calamités naturelles (viie–xiie s.): entre usages politiques et expériences personnelles
- Autores: Nicolas Drocourt
- Localización: Byzantinoslavica, ISSN 0007-7712, Vol. 81, Nº. 1-2, 2023, págs. 21-45
- Idioma: francés
- Títulos paralelos:
- Earthquakes, stars and storms. The basileis facing natural calamities (7th–12th centuries): between political uses and personal experiences
- Enlaces
-
Resumen
With few exceptions, middle Byzantine emperors had to face various natural disasters during their reigns. The empire was frequently afflicted by these phenomena, including earthquakes, climatic events – such as droughts, extreme colds, storms or unusual precipitations – or astronomic incidents. The link between them and the political life of the empire has repeatedly been interpreted by medieval chroniclers from ideological, theological and providential perspectives. The aim of this study is to examine how the basileis dealt with these destructions and casualties, as well as their economic and/or social aftermath. Some of these phenomena (mainly the astronomical ones) could be forecast, which provided an opportunity for the sovereigns to show their superiority. Did they exploit these situations for political ends? And, on the other hand, could one find evidence for the fact that the emperor remained human in the Byzantine sources? The author aims to answer these questions focusing on several emperors facing or experiencing storms in both continental and maritime context.
