ΑΛΕΞΙΟΣ Γ΄ ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ (1195-1203) ΚΑΙ ΝΙΚΗΤΑΣ ΧΩΝΙΑΤΗΣ (Alexius III Angelus and Nicetas Choniates)

Στέφανος Π. Δημητριάδης (Stefanos Dimitriadis)

Zusammenfassung

The two last decades of the 12th century following the death of Manuel I Comnenus in 1180 constituted a period of crisis for the Eastern Roman Empire. This crisis culminated with the fall of Constantinople to the Latin crusaders in 1204. Nicetas Choniates, one of the leading figures of the state bureaucratic mechanism during the reign of Alexius III Angelus, wrote the only Greek contemporary account of the events that led to this unprecedented disaster. His Historia has come down to us in two main versions. The well-known final version, written about ten years after the event, is an attempt by the historian to explain the reasons for the downfall of his homeland. His views and criticism of his compatriots and rulers have shaped modern historians’ views of the period. His initial version, written at the time of the events described, is mostly a concise record of events lacking any deep analysis. The discrepancies between the two versions, which increase as the narration approaches the date of the disaster in 1204, become striking when Choniates refers to the events of the reign of the emperor he served, as Alexius III’s shortcomings were deemed by him a major factor contributing to the fall of the imperial capital. Nevertheless by taking into account his neglected initial version it is possible to clarify some issues of Alexius III’s reign in terms of chronology and content and put the deeds of the emperor into a clearer context. Finally, in relation to Choniates’ criticism of the empress Euphrosyne Ducaena, an example of his intertextuality is given in the appendix, namely how he used Procopius’ portrait of Theodora as a source of inspiration.