Niketas Choniates

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Niketas Choniates while writing his chronicle (Constantinople ?, 14th century) in the manuscript Vienna, Austrian National Library Cod. Hist. gr. 53 *, fol. 1v
The history of Niketas Choniates in the manuscript Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS, written in 1286. Roe 22, fol. 440v

Niketas Choniates ( Middle Greek Νικήτας Χωνιάτης ; * around 1155 in Chonai ; † 1217 in Nikaia ) was a Byzantine statesman and historian .

Niketas came to Constantinople at a young age with his older brother Michael , where he received extensive training. He later entered the civil service and became secretary in the capital, but gave up this post after the assassination of Emperor Alexios II Komnenus in 1183 and retired into private life. In 1185 he returned to the civil service and was responsible, among other things, for keeping the participants of the 3rd Crusade in check.

In the following years he rose steadily in the hierarchy of the Byzantine state (judge, administrator of finances) until he finally held the highest civil post: he became Grand Logothet . The 4th Crusade was a personal catastrophe for Nicetas as well. He lost his property and could only save his life and that of his family. He finally moved to the Nikaia Empire . There, disaffected by the disaster of 1204, he turned to writing before he died in Nikaia between 1215 and 1217.

The main work of Niketas Choniates is the Chronike diegesis , which deals with the history of the empire from 1118 to 1206 in 21 books. In addition, Niketas dedicated a work to the monuments of Constantinople, which were destroyed during the looting in 1204 ( De Signis ). Niketa's history has been revised several times and is written chronologically. The exact sources of the Niceta are not known. However, he was partially eyewitness to the events and reports largely neutrally on domestic and foreign policy, but also on court intrigues. One source is probably the work of Johannes Kinnamos (or its possible model). Niceta's objectivity suffers when he talks about the Latins , which is quite understandable in view of his personal fate. He judges the Armenians just as badly because of their partial cooperation with the Alamans, i. H. Crusaders.

The Chronicle of Nicetas has been written on a high level and is strongly influenced by speeches based on ancient models, which is also clear from the numerous quotations. It is the most important source for the Byzantine history of the 12th century and an important one for the conquest of 1204.

The conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders in the description of Choniates found a literary processing and partial quotation in the novel Baudolino by the Italian writer Umberto Eco .

Editions and translations

expenditure

  • Imperii Graeci Historia. Published by Hieronymus Wolf . Basel 1557. (Greek text and parallel Latin translation)
  • Nicetae Choniatae Historia. Edited by Immanuel Bekker . Weber, Bonn 1835 (Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Volume 23).
  • Nicetae Choniatae Historia . In: Jacques Paul Migne (ed.): Nicetae Choniatae Opera omnia , Volume 2. Paris 1894 (Patrologiae cursus completus, Ser. Graeca, Volume 140). (Typographically adapted reproduction of Wolf's text and translation). [ Digitized version ]
  • Nicetae Choniatae Historia. Published by Jan-Louis van Dieten . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1975, ISBN 3-11-004528-1 ( CFHB , Volume 11). [= critical edition]


Translations

  • The crown of the Komnenen. The reign of Emperors Joannes and Manuel Komnenos (1118–1180) from the history of Niketas Choniates . Translated by Franz Grabler, Graz 1958 ( Byzantine Historians , Volume 7).
  • Adventurer on the imperial throne. The reign of Emperors Alexios II, Andronikos and Isaak Angelos (1180–1195) from the history of Niketas Choniates . Translated by Franz Grabler, Graz 1958 ( Byzantine Historians , Volume 8).
  • The crusaders conquer Constantinople. The reign of Emperors Alexios Angelos, Isaak Angelos and Alexios Dukas, the fate of the city after the capture and the "Book of the Statues" (1195–1206) from the history of Niketas Choniates . Translated by Franz Grabler, Graz 1958 ( Byzantine Historians , Volume 9).
  • O city of Byzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniates . Translated into English by Harry J. Magoulias , Wayne State University Press, Detroit 1984, ISBN 978-0-81-431764-8 . [ Digitized version ]

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Niketas Choniates
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Νικήτας Χωνιάτης; Νικήτας Ακομινάτος
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Byzantine statesman and historian
DATE OF BIRTH around 1155
PLACE OF BIRTH Chonai
DATE OF DEATH 1217
Place of death Nikaia