Purple Birth

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From a porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenese ( medium Greek πορφυρογέννητος Porphyrogennetos or fem. Πορφυρογέννητη porphyrogénnētē "purple birth") occurs since the late antiquity , when sons and daughters of the reigning emperor of the Byzantine Empire as a potential heir to the throne in the Porphyra , a chamber of the Great Palace in Constantinople Opel , were born at a time when the father was already in power.

The term purple-born is also used in the non-Byzantine context to refer to the children of rulers who were born during their father's reign.

origin

It is unclear where exactly the name comes from.

For example, the color of the diapers or the marble cladding of some palaces is considered to be the origin. The porphyra owes its name to the purple-colored porphyry , mined in Egypt at Mons Porphyrites , with which the floor and walls of the chamber were lined. Earlier emperors had this stone brought from Rome .

However, it is not undisputed whether the name can actually be traced back to this area, as the Greek name πορφυρογέννητος porphyrogénnētos "born purple" refers to the purple color, which was traditionally the color of kings and emperors due to its preciousness.

The term is also used in historical research (in a figurative sense) when purple did not play a corresponding role in a society.

meaning

The purple birth could be of particular importance in the event of a dispute over the throne - sometimes a candidate competed with an older brother, referring to his purple birth, who invoked the principle of primogeniture (the right of the firstborn), which is common in many monarchies . That is, the older brother was born before his father came to the throne. One example among many was the rivalry between the Persian prince Arsikes (who later became Artaxerxes II ) and his younger brother Cyrus , who pointed out that although he was a younger son, he was the "eldest purple-born" prince. In contrast to him, Xerxes I had previously had success against his half-brother Artobazanes with the argument.

literature