Authority and administration
Description
Exhibition Space Text DescriptionIn earthly correspondence with the divine order, under one God, the emperor alone possessed supreme temporal power. The crowned emperor was God’s elect, His representative on earth. The emperor embodied all virtues as well as the law; all authority proceeded from him and was conferred on the empire’s officials according to their place in the political, administrative and military hierarchy.
One of the essential virtues of any emperor was peerless courage. As the highest commander of the army, the emperor often led his forces into battle; the security of the empire’s frontiers was his constant concern.
While the patriarch of Constantinople was the head of the Church, there too the emperor played a supervisory role and enjoyed special privileges. Church and State sought jointly to unite all peoples under the aegis of Christ and, consequently, the Byzantine emperor, his earthly viceroy.
Exhibits
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Chrysobull issued by Andronikos II Palaiologos
Manuscripts, Codices, Early Printed Books, Engravings and Drawings The chrysobull was issued by Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282-1328) to confirm and extend a number of privileges that he had g...
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Metal panoply of a horseman
Metal panoply of a horseman
Metal panoply of a horseman
Minor Arts The panoply (armour)consists of a bronze helmet and an iron chainmail cuirass. The two pieces of the panoply are not part of ...
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Wedding (?) Crowns
Minor Arts The crowns are made of tin-plated bronze. They have semicircular elevations, adorned with a cross. Each of them has an inscri...
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