| The dissertation examines the relationship between kinship and holding of high office in Byzantium from 717 to 959, that is, from the accession of Leo III to the death of Constantine VII. As a basis for analysis, a prosopography has been composed which consists of a listing of names, dates, known activities and positions of individuals found in a selection of contemporary sources. These sources include both literary and non-literary materials, such as histories, letters, saints' lives, technical works, inscriptions, coins and seals. This prosopography allows a more comprehensive study of society in this period than has been done previously.; Introductory sections of the dissertation deal with problems of identification and family structure and define the elite and its characteristics. There follows a description of the imperial dynasties and their collaterals as well as twenty-three families prominant in the government and church, with emphasis on their continued control of high office. The holders of six specific offices, those of eparch, drungarius of the fleet, drungarius of the watch (vigla), strategos of the Anatolikon theme and domestic of the scholai are listed in chronological order with such evidence as exists on their relations. A high correlation is found between occupancy of important offices and membership in one of the dominant families. While nepotism is known to have been common in medieval government, its extent in Byzantium in this period has not been fully documented before; it can be easily illustrated by the fact that all emperors between 717 and 1056 were related by blood, marriage or para-familial ties, such as baptismal sponsorship, instead of forming five separate dynasties as is commonly held. At least five patriarchs of this period belonged to a family prominent since 700.; The study concludes with a discussion of alternate paths of social mobility, such as literacy and patronage, and with genealogical charts. |
