as those of the slavonization of the Balkan peninsula, the origin and development of the system of themes, and of the Patzinaks in the eleventh century.

Of the scholars who have reviewed the book in Russian and in Western European periodicals, I am especially grateful to two esteemed colleagues-V. Barthold, a member of the Academy of Science at Leningrad, Russia,1 and Louis Bréhier, professor at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, France2-who will note in looking over this English edition how helpful their comment, carefully followed, has been.

Mrs. S. M. Ragozin, who translated my book, has done the work with admirable conscientiousness, for which I am deeply grateful.

To Professor H. B. Lathrop, of the University of Wisconsin, for his part in this undertaking, I owe more than I can say. With unwearied kindness he revised and corrected the manuscript, making many invaluable suggestions which have been profitably incorporated. Helpfulness so unstinting as Professor Lathrop's cannot be forgotten, and I ask him to accept my warmest thanks.

The University of Wisconsin not only has borne the cost of the translation, but furthermore is publishing this volume as one of the University Studies. As a slight token of my gratitude, I take the liberty of dedicating this volume to the University of Wisconsin, which, in the short time I have been in Madison, I have learned to love and esteem.

MADISON, WISCONSIN

May 15, 1927

A. VASILIEV

1 His review was published in the Zapiski Kollegii Vostokovedov pri Asiatskom Muzee Rossiyskoy Akademii Nauk (Transactions of the College of the Orientalists at the Asiatic Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences), I (Leningrad, 1925), 461–82.

64-68.

His review appeared in the Revue Historique, CXXXIX (January-February, 1922),

CHAPTER I

A BRIEF OUTLINE OF WORKS ON BYZANTINE HISTORY

A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE STUDY OF BYZANTINE HISTORY IN

WESTERN EUROPE

Early studies: the part played by France; the time of Du Cange. The period of the Italian Renaissance was primarily concerned with the classical literature of Greece and Rome. Byzantine literature was almost unknown in Italy at that time and there seemed to be no definite desire to become acquainted with it. But frequent visits to the East in search of Greek manuscripts and the thorough study of the Greek language gradually forced a change in this neglectful attitude toward medieval Greek literature. However, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the interest in Byzantine literature was only casual and was completely overshadowed by the interest in the classical world.

But as early as the sixteenth and the first part of the seventeenth centuries the interest in Byzantine history and literature became more pronounced. During this period numerous works of Byzantine writers, though unequal in importance and chosen at random, were published in various parts of Europe: In Germany (by Hieronymus Wolf), in Holland (by Meursius), in Italy (by two Greeks-Alemannus and Allatius).

The truly scientific study of the Byzantine period was begun in France during the seventeenth century. It was during the brilliant period of Louis XIV-when French literature became a model for all Europe, when kings, ministers, bishops, and private individuals vied with each other in founding libraries and collecting manuscripts, when every kind of favor and attention was showered upon the learned men of the day-that Byzantine scholarship found a place of honor in France.

In the early part of the seventeenth century Louis XIII translated from the original Greek into French the instructions of Deacon Agapetus to Justinian. Cardinal Mazarin, a lover of books and a

tireless collector of manuscripts, founded a rich library which included numerous Greek writings. After the death of the Cardinal this collection passed into the possession of the Paris Royal Library (now the National Library), which was founded in the sixteenth century by Francis I. The famous minister of Louis XIV, Colbert, who was also director of the royal library, strove constantly to add to the literary treasures of the library and to obtain manuscripts from abroad. In the eighteenth century the King acquired for the royal library the rich private collection of Colbert, which contained a large number of Greek manuscripts. Cardinal Richelieu founded the royal press in Paris (the Louvre Press) for the purpose of publishing in a satisfactory manner the works of outstanding writers. The Royal Greek type of this press was remarkable for its beauty. In 1648, under the patronage of Louis XIV and Colbert, the royal printing house published one volume of the first collection of the works of Byzantine historians. By the year 1711 thirty-four volumes in folio of this collection had been published. This edition was a marvelous accomplishment for its time, and has not been entirely supplanted to this day. At the time of the appearance of the first volume of this collection the French editor and scholar Labbé (Labbaeus) issued an appeal (Protrepticon) to all lovers of Byzantine history in which he stressed the importance of the history of the Eastern Greek Empire "so astonishing in the number of events, so alluring in its diversity, so remarkable in the duration of its existence." He urged European scholars to search out and publish documents buried in the dust of libraries, promising to all collaborators eternal fame "more enduring than marble and brass."

The leading French scholar of the seventeenth century was the famous Du Cange (1610-88), whose numerous and varied writings have retained their vitality and importance to our own times. Historian and philologist, archeologist and numismatist, artistic editor, deeply versed in all of these, Du Cange was tireless and accurate in the aspects of the scholar's work. Following are the outstanding works of Du Cange on Byzantine history: The History of the Empire of Constantinople under the French Emperors (Histoire de

1 Ph. Labbé, De byzantinae historiae scriptoribus ad omnes per orbem eruditos IIротреTтIKÓ (Parisiis, 1648), pp. 5-6.

l'empire de Constantinople sous les empereurs français); toward the end of his life Du Cange revised this work, but the second edition was not published until the nineteenth century; On Byzantine Families (De familiis byzantinis), containing rich genealogical material; and The Christian Constantinople (Constantinopolis Christiana), full of detailed accurate information about the topography of Constantinople until 1453 A.D. The last two works are known under one common title, Historia Byzantina duplici commentario illustrata. At the age of seventy Du Cange published the two volumes (in folio) of his Dictionary of Medieval Greek (Glossarium ad scriptores mediae et infimae graecitatis), which, according to the Russian Byzantine scholar, V. G. Vasilievsky, "is an unparalleled work, the compilation of which might well have employed an academy of scholars." This glossary of Du Cange is even today indispensable to all students of Byzantine as well as of general medieval history. Besides all these original works Du Cange produced many standard editions of the writings of distinguished Byzantine historians. These editions are particularly valuable because of their learned notes. Of no little importance to the Byzantine scholar is another enormous work of Du Cange, The Dictionary of Medieval Latin (Glossarium ad scriptores mediae et infimae latinitatis).3

Du Cange did not work alone. During the same period Mabillon wrote his immortal Diplomatics (De re diplomatica), which created an entirely new science of documents and charters. The early part of the eighteenth century saw the publication of Montfaucon's most important work on Greek Paleography, which has maintained its value to our own day. At this time appeared also the voluminous work of the Benedictine monk, Banduri, who lived and wrote in Paris. His Eastern Empire (Imperium Orientale) contains a wealth of material on the historical geography, the historical topography, and the archeology of the Byzantine period. Almost contemporary with this work is the extensive work of the Dominican monk, Le Quien, The Christian Orient (Oriens christianus), V. Vasilievsky, A Survey of Works on Byzantine History (St. Petersburg, 1890), p. 139 (in Russian).

This dictionary has gone through many editions.

which is a rich collection of historical information with special emphasis on the church of the Christian Orient.

Thus, until the middle of the eighteenth century, France was undoubtedly the leading center of Byzantine research, and many French works of that period are still of great value.

The eighteenth century and the time of the Napoleonic Wars. -In this same century conditions in France changed. The Age of Reason, characterized by the denial of the past, by scepticism toward religion, by strong criticism of clerical power and despotic monarchy, could no longer find anything of interest in the Byzantine Empire. Medieval history was thought of as the history of a "Gothic, barbarian" period, as a source of darkness and ignorance. Without having made any study of the history of that period some of the best minds of the eighteenth century advanced severe criticisms of medieval Greek history. Voltaire, criticizing the imperial epoch of Roman history, adds, "There exists another history, more absurd [ridicule] than history of Rome since the time of Tacitus: it is the history of Byzantium. This worthless collection [recueil] contains nothing but declamations and miracles. It is the disgrace of the human mind." Montesquieu, the serious historian, wrote that, beginning with the early part of the seventh century, "the history of the Greek Empire is nothing but a tissue of revolts, seditions, and perfidies."

The writings of the English historian, Gibbon, were deeply influenced by the ideology of the eighteenth century.

Moreover, the negative and neglectful attitude to Byzantine history which had developed during the second half of the eighteenth century survived the period of the French Revolution and persisted through the early part of the nineteenth century.

The well-known German philosopher, Hegel (1770-1831), for example, wrote in his Lectures on the Philosophy of History: "The Byzantine Empire was thus distracted by passions of all kinds within, and pressed by the barbarians to whom the emperors could offer but feeble resistance-without. The realm was in a con

4 Voltaire, Le pyrrhonisme de l'histoire, chap. xv.

Montesquieu, Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Romains et de leur décadence, translated by J. Baker (New York, 1882), chap. xxi, p. 437.