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Michael Attaleiates or Attaliates ( grc-gre, Μιχαήλ Ἀτταλειάτης, Michaḗl Attaleiátēs, ; – 1080) was a
Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman co ...
chronicler, public servant and historian active in
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
and around the empire's provinces in the second half of the eleventh century. He was a younger contemporary (possibly even a student) of
Michael Psellos Michael Psellos or Psellus ( grc-gre, Μιχαὴλ Ψελλός, Michaḗl Psellós, ) was a Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to hav ...
and likely an older colleague of
John Skylitzes John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes, la, Johannes, label=none, la, Iōannēs, label=none Scylitzes ( el, Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, ''Iōánnēs Skylítzēs'', or el, Σκυλίτση, ''Skylítsē'', label=none ; la, ...
, the two other Byzantine historians of the eleventh century whose work survives.


Life and work

Michael Attaleiates was probably a native of Attaleia (now
Antalya Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
, in Turkey) and moved to
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
some time between, approximately, 1030 and 1040 to pursue studies in law. During years of service in the empire's judicial system he built a small private fortune. Prominence on the judge's bench also brought him to the attention of a number of emperors who rewarded him with some of the highest honours available to civil servants (''
patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
'' and ''
anthypatos ''Anthypatos'' ( gr, ἀνθύπατος) is the translation in Greek of the Latin ''proconsul''. In the Greek-speaking East, it was used to denote this office in Roman and early Byzantine times, surviving as an administrative office until the 9th ...
''). In 1072, Attaleiates compiled for Emperor
Michael VII Michael VII Doukas or Ducas ( gr, Μιχαήλ Δούκας), nicknamed Parapinakes ( gr, Παραπινάκης, lit. "minus a quarter", with reference to the devaluation of the Byzantine currency under his rule), was the senior Byzantine e ...
a synopsis of law, known as the ''Ponema Nomikon'', based on the late ninth-century ''
Basilika The ''Basilika'' was a collection of laws completed c. 892 AD in Constantinople by order of the Eastern Roman emperor Leo VI the Wise during the Macedonian dynasty. This was a continuation of the efforts of his father, Basil I, to simplify and ...
''. In addition, he drew up an ''Ordinance for the Poor House and Monastery'', which he founded at Constantinople in the mid-1070s. This work, known as the ''Diataxis'', is of value for students of the social, economic, cultural and religious history of Byzantium in Constantinople and the provinces during the eleventh century. It also provides invaluable information regarding the life of Attaleiates himself. It includes a catalogue of the books available in the monastery's library, while also offering details about the founder's fortune in the capital and in Thrace. From the ''Diataxis'' we learn that Attaleiates owned numerous properties (both farms and urban real estate) in Constantinople, Raidestos (mod.
Tekirdağ Tekirdağ (; see also its other names) is a city in Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. In 2019 the city's population was 204,001. Tekirdağ town is a commercial centre with a harbour ...
), Selymbria (mod.
Silivri Silivri, formerly Selymbria (Greek: Σηλυμβρία), is a city and a district in Istanbul Province along the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, outside the urban core of Istanbul, containing many holiday and weekend homes for residents of the city. The ...
). Around 1079/80, Michael Attaleiates circulated ''The History,'' a political and military history of the Byzantine Empire from 1034 to 1079. This vivid and largely reliable presentation of the empire's declining fortunes after the end of the
Macedonian dynasty The Macedonian dynasty (Greek: Μακεδονική Δυναστεία) ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greatest extent since the Muslim conquests, ...
, offered Attaleiates the opportunity to engage with political questions of his time also addressed, albeit often from a different point of view, by his contemporary Michael Psellos. ''The History'' concludes with a long
encomium ''Encomium'' is a Latin word deriving from the Ancient Greek ''enkomion'' (), meaning "the praise of a person or thing." Another Latin equivalent is ''laudatio'', a speech in praise of someone or something. Originally was the song sung by the c ...
to Emperor
Nikephoros III Botaneiates Nikephoros III Botaneiates, Latinized as Nicephorus III Botaniates ( el, Νικηφόρος Βοτανειάτης, 1002–1081), was Byzantine emperor from 7 January 1078 to 1 April 1081. He was born in 1002, and became a general du ...
, to whom the whole work is dedicated. On account of this encomium and dedication, Attaleiates was for years considered an honest supporter of this elderly and largely ineffective emperor. Careful reading of his text, however, suggests that the words of praise may be less than honest. Instead Attaleiates appears to be partial towards the young military commander and future emperor
Alexios Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
. Attaleiates probably died around 1080, shortly before the beginning of the
Komnenian era The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the Komnenos dynasty for a period of 104 years, from 1081 to about 1185. The ''Komnenian'' (also spelled ''Comnenian'') period comprises the reigns of five emperors, Alexios I, John II, Manuel I, A ...
. He therefore had no chance to rededicate his work to the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, Alexios I Komnenos, whom ''The History'' treats as a potential saviour of the Byzantine state. He was outlived by his son Theodore, who died sometime before 1085. Their bodies, along with those of the judge's two wives, Eirene and Sophia, were put to rest on the grounds of the church of St. George of the Cypresses in the southwestern side of Constantinople. This was the area where the family's Constantinopolitan estates were likely clustered, close to the monastery of Christ Panoikteirmon, of which the Attaleiatai were patrons. One may still visit the church of St George
Samatya Aya Yorgi Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi
, which today, after two fires and extensive reconstruction, bears no resemblance to the church of Attaleiates' day.


The historian's goals

Attaleiates’ ''History'' is a consciously constructed account of Byzantine military decline. In the context of his analysis, the author frequently deviates from contemporary political and military history and sprinkles the pages of his work with images of
Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
an glory that are starkly juxtaposed to the ineptitude of his contemporaries. The author's turn to the past is not, however, a sign of idle antiquarianism. This is not an attempt on Attaleiates' part to impress the reader with a display of erudition. Instead, in the civic virtue of ''The History'''s Republican heroes the reader detects a quest for a new Roman patriotism that would take the empire out of the crisis. At the same time history-writing allows Attaleiates to reflect on the empire's troubled present through the prism of the past in a manner that hints at his ability to plan for an uncertain future. ''The History'' therefore confirms the author's status as a politically engaged official and competent imperial advisor. History-writing in general, and ''The History'' in particular, cast Attaleiates as an ambitious, patriotic, and astute observer of political developments in his time, denouncing the failings of Byzantine administration, while engaging in close dialogue on current affairs with his contemporaries about the Roman world unravelling around them.


Attaleiates and historical causation

From the first lines of ''The History'', Attaleiates explains to his readers that he will be seeking the causes behind the various historical events presented in his work. This programmatic statement is taken very seriously by the historian throughout his work. Attaleiates provides, to the degree that it is possible, proper historical analysis for each event and focuses each time on the actions of men. The author's interest in the causes of things also extends to his descriptions of the natural world. Thus natural phenomena, like earthquakes and thunder, are described and explained in ''The History'' with what at the time passed as scientific analysis. Writing, however, for an audience steeped in the Christian faith, Attaleiates is cautious and frequently mentions the Christian God as a possible force behind historical and natural events that he otherwise explains away through historical or scientific reasoning. Thus the reader often encounters what appear to be contradictory explanations of a single event. Careful analysis of ''The History'', however, shows the historian's analysis to be weighted in favour of reasoned analysis. At the same time, Attaleiates' invocation of the divine is frequently vague enough to evoke the classical notion of fortune (''tyche'') rather than the Christian God per se. In that, Attaleiates is a proper disciple of Michael Psellos, the philosopher who marked the Constantinopolitan intellectual scene with his inquisitiveness and search for knowledge.


Place in the Byzantine intellectual tradition

While Attaleiates is mostly studied for his highly informative work of history, and secondarily for the usable historical trivia to be found in the ''Diataxis'', his work, both historical and legal, must be read in the context of the eleventh-century intellectual ferment and florescence.
Alexander Kazhdan Alexander Petrovich Kazhdan (russian: Алекса́ндр Петро́вич Кажда́н; 3 September 1922 – 29 May 1997) was a Soviet-American Byzantinist. Among his publications was the three-volume ''Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'', a comp ...
thought of Attaleiates as a relatively conservative voice aligned with the circle of the patriarch
Michael Keroularios Michael I Cerularius or Keroularios ( el, Μιχαήλ Α΄ Κηρουλάριος; 1000 – 21 January 1059 AD) was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1043 to 1059 AD. His disputes with Pope Leo IX over church practices in the 11th century ...
.Kazhdan, "The Social Views of Michael Attaleiates," 23-86; Krallis, “Sacred Emperor, Holy Patriarch: A New Reading of the Clash between Emperor Isaakios I Komnenos and Patriarch Michael Keroularios in Attaleiates’ History,” ''Byzantinoslavica'' 67 (2009): 169–190 for an opposing opinion. One would do better, however, to think of the judge as part of the fascinating world of intellectuals from Michael Psellos and
John Mauropous John Mauropous ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Maurópous'', lit. "John Blackfoot") was an Eastern Roman poet, hymnographer, and author of letters and orations, who lived in the 11th century. Life John Mauropous was born in Paphlagonia around 1000. He ...
, to the Xiphilinoi (both
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
an
patriarch
and
Symeon Seth Symeon Seth, "Symeōn Magister of Antioch onof Sēth". His first name may also be spelled Simeon or Simeo. (c. 1035 – c. 1110)Antonie Pietrobelli (2016)Qui est Syméon Seth ?Le Projet Syméon Seth. was a Byzantine scientist, translator and offi ...
.


References


Bibliography


Primary Sources

* Michael Attaleiates, ''The History'', trans.
Anthony Kaldellis Anthony Kaldellis ( gr, Αντώνιος Καλδέλλης; born 29 November 1971) is a Greek historian who is Professor and a faculty member of the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is a specialist in Greek historiography, ...
&
Dimitris Krallis Dimitris Krallis ( gr, Δημήτρης Κράλλης) is a Greek historian who is Professor of Humanities and Director of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. Biography Dimitris Krallis was born in Athens, Greece wher ...
, (Cambridge/Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2012). * The ''History'' was originally edited by
I. Bekker August Immanuel Bekker (21 May 17857 June 1871) was a German philologist and critic. Biography Born in Berlin, Bekker completed his classical education at the University of Halle under Friedrich August Wolf, who considered him as his most promis ...
, in the "Corpus Script. Byz." (Bonn, 1853). A new Greek edition and Spanish translation was published by I. Pérez Martín, ''Miguel Ataliates, Historia,'' (Nueva Roma 15) Madrid 2002. * P. Gautier, «La Diataxis de Michel Attaliate», ''REB'' 39 (1981), 5-143 for an edition of the ''Diataxis'' with French translation. For an English translation see Alice-Mary Talbot in ''Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents'', ed. John P. Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks, 2000), 1: 326–76. * For the law-manual of Attaleiates see ''Ponema Nomikon'', ed. Ioannes Zepos and Panagiotis Zepos. In ''Jus graecoromanum'' (Athens: Georgios Phexis and son, 1931), 7: 411-97


Modern Scholarship

* Antonios Vratimos, "Was Michael Attaleiates present at the battle of Mantzikert?" ''Byzantinische Zeitschrift ''105.2 (2012): 829–839 *
Dimitris Krallis Dimitris Krallis ( gr, Δημήτρης Κράλλης) is a Greek historian who is Professor of Humanities and Director of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. Biography Dimitris Krallis was born in Athens, Greece wher ...
, ''Michael Attaleiates and the Politics of Imperial Decline in Eleventh Century Byzantium'' (Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2012) *
Dimitris Krallis Dimitris Krallis ( gr, Δημήτρης Κράλλης) is a Greek historian who is Professor of Humanities and Director of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. Biography Dimitris Krallis was born in Athens, Greece wher ...
, "'Democratic' Action in Eleventh-Century Byzantium: Michael Attaleiates' 'Republicanism' in Context," ''Viator'' 40.2 (Fall 2009): 35–53 *
Dimitris Krallis Dimitris Krallis ( gr, Δημήτρης Κράλλης) is a Greek historian who is Professor of Humanities and Director of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. Biography Dimitris Krallis was born in Athens, Greece wher ...
, "Sacred Emperor, Holy Patriarch: A New Reading of the Clash between Emperor Isaakios I Komnenos and Patriarch Michael Keroularios in Attaleiates' History," ''Byzantinoslavica'' 67 (2009): 169–190 *
Anthony Kaldellis Anthony Kaldellis ( gr, Αντώνιος Καλδέλλης; born 29 November 1971) is a Greek historian who is Professor and a faculty member of the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is a specialist in Greek historiography, ...
, "A Byzantine Argument for the Equivalence of All Religions: Michael Attaleiates on Ancient and Modern Romans," ''International Journal of the Classical Tradition'' 14 (2007) 1–22. *
Dimitris Krallis Dimitris Krallis ( gr, Δημήτρης Κράλλης) is a Greek historian who is Professor of Humanities and Director of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. Biography Dimitris Krallis was born in Athens, Greece wher ...
, "Michael Attaleiates as a Reader of Psellos" in Barber Ch. ed., ''Reading Michael Psellos'' (Leiden, 2006): 167–191 * Athanasios Markopoulos, "The portrayal of the male figure in Michael Attaleiates," in ''The Empire in Crisis: Byzantium in the 11th century (1025–1081) ''(Athens, 2003): 215–30 *
Speros Vryonis Speros Vryonis Jr. ( el, Σπυρίδων "Σπύρος" Βρυώνης, July 18, 1928 – March 12, 2019) was an American historian of Greek descent and a specialist in Byzantine, Balkan, and Greek history. He was the author of a number of wor ...
, "
Michael Psellus Michael Psellos or Psellus ( grc-gre, Μιχαὴλ Ψελλός, Michaḗl Psellós, ) was a Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to hav ...
, Michael Attaleiates: the blinding of RomanusIV at Kotyaion, 29 June 1072 and his death on Proti, 4 August 1072," in ''Porphyrogenita: essays on the history and literature of Byzantium and the Latin East in honour of Julian Chrysostomides'' (Aldershot, 2003): 3–14 *
John Haldon John F. Haldon FBA ( 23 October 1948 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a British historian, and Shelby Cullom Davis '30 Professor of European History emeritus, professor of Byzantine history and Hellenic Studies emeritus, as well as former director ...
, "The ''Krites'' tou Stratopedou: a new office for a new situation?," ''Travaux et mémoires'' 14 (Paris, 2002): 279–86 *
Alexander P. Kazhdan Alexander Petrovich Kazhdan (russian: Алекса́ндр Петро́вич Кажда́н; 3 September 1922 – 29 May 1997) was a Soviet-American Byzantinist. Among his publications was the three-volume ''Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'', a comp ...
, "The Social Views of Michael Attaleiates," in ''eadem,'' ''Studies on Byzantine Literature of the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries'' (1994): 23–86 * Lia Raffaella Cresci, "Anticipazione e possibilità: moduli interpretative della Storia di Michele Attaliata, Storia e tradizione culturale a Bisanzio fra XI eXII secolo" in ''Atti della prima Giornatadi Studi Bizantini sotto il patrocinio della Associazione Italiana di Studi Bizantini'' (Napoli, 1993) * Lia Raffaella Cresci, "Cadenze narrative e interpretazione critica nell' opera storica di Michele Attaliate", ''REB'' 49 (1991): 197–218 * Carlotta Amande, "L'Encomio di Niceforo Botaniate nella storia di Attaliate: modelli, fonti, suggestini letterarie", ''Serta Historica antiqua'' 2 (1989): 265–86 * Paul Lemerle, "La Diataxis de Michel Attaleiate (mars 1077)", in ''eadem'', ''Cinq etudes sur le XI siècle Byzantine'' (Paris, 1977): 65–112 * Eudoxos Tsolakis, "Aus dem Leben des Michael Attaleiates (Seine Heimatstadt, sein Geburts- und Todesjahr)," ''BZ'' 58 (1965), 3–10


External links


Attaleiates entry from the Prosopography of the Byzantine World



''The History'' of Michael Attaleiates
a modern edition
''The History'' of Michael Attaleiates from google books
*
The ''Diataxis'' of Michael Attaleiates
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Attaleiates, Michael 1020s births 1080 deaths Year of birth uncertain 11th-century Byzantine historians 11th-century Greek people 11th-century jurists Byzantine jurists Byzantine officials Byzantine writers People from Antalya