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Warfare and propaganda: the portrayal of Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282–1328) as an incompetent military leader in the Histories of John VI Kantakouzenos(1347–54)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

Savvas Kyriakidis
Savvas Kyriakidis*
Affiliation:
Department of Greek and Latin Studies, University of Johannesburg
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Extract

The Histories of Kantakouzenos is the main source for the civil war between Andronikos II and Andronikos III which was fought intermittently from 1321 until 1328. This article examines how Kantakouzenos remodelled and fabricated events, conversations and deliberations in order to depict Andronikos II as an incompetent military leader. By criticizing Andronikos II’s military abilities and by blaming him for the military failures of the period, Kantakouzenos diverts suspicion of his personal responsibility and Andronikos III’s mistakes that led to the advance of Byzantium’s enemies and demonstrates that the elder Andronikos was not worthy of being on the throne.

Type
Articles
Information
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , 2013 , pp. 176 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © The Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham 2013

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References

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