Nochmals zum cursus honorum des Konstantinos, des neffen des Patriarchen Michael I. (Kerullarios)

Our first reconstruction of the cursus honorum of Constantine, the oldest nephew of the patriarch Michael I (Keroularios), was recently contradicted by the British scholar Michael Jeffreys with suggestions based on misunderstandings and partially less relevant sources. For this reason we feel obliged to offer a detailed reexamination of all the available and relevant sources. Constantine’s date of birth is unknown. Offices of βεστάρχης καὶ μέγας κουράτωρ τῶν Μαγγάνων, which we prefer to date in the reign of emperor Isaakios I, as well as offices of μάγιστρος καὶ σακελλάριος (of course not in the patriarchat!), demanded great responsibility and experience, which a young man of some twenty years could hardly have possessed. We do not see any reliable indicia prohibiting Constantine’s promotion to the high title of πρόεδρος already before Konstantinos X became seriously ill or even before the solemn oath of the empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa was annihilated. We could, in fact, say that Ioannes kaisar suspected Constantine and his brother Nikephoros, who had acquired such dignities during the reign of Konstantinos X, as potential rivals, so he, therefore, forced the Augusta Eudokia Makrembolitissa in 1067 to swear that she would not admit her relatives to the administration of the empire after basileus had passed away. A short note in the History of Nikephoros Bryennios, that Constantine had at some time ambitions to ascend the throne could be even the background for the Augusta’s forced oath. Psellos’ correspondence does not offer any hint sharing responsibility of Constantine πρόεδρος during the conspiracy against Konstantinos X (1060). Constantine was neither addressee of Psellos ̓ letter 21 (in the edition of Gautier), nor πρωτοπρόεδρος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεων, because the letter’s content and superscription do not fit together. So we are not allowed to assume for Psellos a title higher than πρωτοπρόεδρος, not to mention that it cannot be supported that he held this title between 1064 and 1068. Constantine and Psellos, are both attested with the same title πρωτοπρόεδρος only for the year 1072. There has not been a synchronous „running side by side“ between Constantine and Psellos, as the latter was already in 1047 βέστης, 1056 still βεστάρχης and became πρόεδρος during Isaakios I

Ancient history · Brother · Emperor · Nephew and niece · Oath · Political science · Politics · Reign · Theology · Throne · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Law · Philosophy

• Michael Psellos on friendship and love

  Open Access•Stratis Papaioannou•Early Medieval Europe•2011

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