Constantine Manasses

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The beginning of Constantine's Chronicle with a portrait of the author in the manuscript Vienna, Austrian National Library , Cod. Hist. gr. 91, fol. 1r (15th century)
Constantine Manasses (right) next to Tsar Ivan Alexander , left Christ, in a manuscript from the Manasses Chronicle (14th century)
The Chronicle of Manasses in the manuscript written in 1312/1313 London, British Library , MS. Arundel 523, fol. 22r

Constantine Manasses ( Middle Greek Κωνσταντίνος Μανασσῆς , * around 1130 in Constantinople ; † around 1187 ) was a diplomat, writer and author of a world chronicle. It is unlikely that he was the Byzantine bishop of the Greek city of Naupaktos .

Life

Manasses belonged to the group of letters, by the sebastokratorissa Irene Komnene, a sister Manuel I , have been promoted. Around 1160 he took part in a delegation to the Holy Land and the Crusader states located there on behalf of the Byzantine emperor . The aim was to court the widowed emperor Manuel I. The new empress was Maria of Antioch .

Works

In his work Hodoiporikon , he reports on the journey to the Holy Land, which was not exactly pleasant for the author . He also wrote a story about Aristander and Kalithea , a romance in verse that has only survived in fragments. His most important work, however, is a world chronicle Chronike synopsis written around 1181 . It describes the events from the creation of the world to the year 1081 in verse. In addition to the Byzantine world, it was also very popular in the neighboring Balkan region . In the 14th century, a Bulgarian translation and extension (see Manasses Chronicle ), which was richly illustrated, was commissioned by Tsar Ivan Alexander . Furthermore, a few smaller works by Konstantin Manasses have been preserved.

Editions

literature

Web links

Commons : Category: Manasses Chronicle  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ So Schreiner in the Lexicon of the Middle Ages
personal data
SURNAME Constantine Manasses
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Κωνσταντίνος Μανασσῆς (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Naupaktos, author of a world chronicle
DATE OF BIRTH around 1130
PLACE OF BIRTH Constantinople
DATE OF DEATH around 1187