Archive MALEON Bogdan Petru
The Annals of Ovidius University Constanţa no.21 / 2010
MALEON BOGDAN PETRU - An Introduction to Byzantine Political Exile
(pag. 173-187)
The Byzantine Empire inherited the Roman politics according to which the one who was to take the power was elected by the Senate, people and army. The role of each above mentioned instance differed during the 5th-10th centuries, due to the influence of political, social and economical factors. After Christianity was adopted it was considered that the emperors were chosen by God through Roman constitutional factors, and his continuity as a leader was conditioned by the Christian virtues. The sovereigns’ giving up to Christian model led to their lack of legitimacy, and, under these conditions, their subjects had to remove them. Those dispossessed of power or pretenders who failed in their fight for power were killed or exiled. This study aims at pointing out the way the exile was ordered, with accent on the modalities these operations took place. Another goal resides in the manner in which some geographic places were preferred for political exile and the explanation of their symbolic significance. This approach suggests a new lecture of political ideology, taking into consideration the mechanisms of exclusion from holding the power.