The funeral oration of Eustathios of Thessaloniki for Manuel I Komnenos : a portrait of a Byzantine emperor
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Abstract
Of the two surviving commemorative funeral orations for the emperor
Manuel I Komnenos (reigning 1143-1180), the epitaphios by Eustathios of
Thessaloniki is of great interest for its highly individualised detail and a
concomitant relative freedom from the use of standard topoi, which, although
they are employed, take second place to this characterization of Manuel as an
individual. Emphasis is put on the emperor’s display of the virtue of prudence,
and the rhetor also describes the emperor’s demeanour and some of his habits.
The speech is the third single most important document, after John Kinnamos
and Niketas Choniates, for the characterization of Manuel.
Manuel I Komnenos (reigning 1143-1180), the epitaphios by Eustathios of
Thessaloniki is of great interest for its highly individualised detail and a
concomitant relative freedom from the use of standard topoi, which, although
they are employed, take second place to this characterization of Manuel as an
individual. Emphasis is put on the emperor’s display of the virtue of prudence,
and the rhetor also describes the emperor’s demeanour and some of his habits.
The speech is the third single most important document, after John Kinnamos
and Niketas Choniates, for the characterization of Manuel.
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