Papers by Anna Calia
An Unedited Anti-Latin Letter by John Dokeianos to John Moschos of Korone (1460 ca.)
forthcoming in A. Bucossi - A. Calia (eds.), “Contra Latinos et Adversus Graecos: The Separation ... more forthcoming in A. Bucossi - A. Calia (eds.), “Contra Latinos et Adversus Graecos: The Separation between Rome and Constantinople from 9th to 15th Century”, Proceedings of the International Congress held in Venice, 15-17 December 2016.
The Venetian-Ottoman peace of 1479 in the light of documents from Venice State Archive, in: I. M. Damian-I. A. Pop-M. Popovic- A. Simon (eds.), Italy and Europe’s Eastern Border. 1204-1669, Proceedings of the Congress, Rome 25-27 November 2010, Wien/NY, Peter Lang 2012, pp. 45-59.
Viaggiatori veneziani in Oriente tra Ottomani e Persiani (fine XV-inizi XVI secolo), in: G. Proglio (ed.), Orientalismi Italiani, Torino, Antares 2012, pp. 176-192.
Some Greek Documents of the First Ottoman Sultans, in: Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Byzantine Studies, Sofia 22-27 August 2011, vol. III, pp. 398-399.
Enigmaticatica Galaktotrophousa. Isis lactans – Maria Lactans, in: L. Casadei (ed.), Arte e culti dell’Oriente cristiano a Roma e nel Lazio, Roma – Padova 2009, pp. 149-163.
Talks by Anna Calia
Unlike many well-known cases of Byzantines who sought refuge in the West, a full-round study of t... more Unlike many well-known cases of Byzantines who sought refuge in the West, a full-round study of the Byzantine scholars who remained in Istanbul after 1453 has not been attempted yet. Among them the case of John Dokeianos is particularly relevant. He wrote rhetorical works for the Palaiologan court of Mistra and after the Ottoman conquest in 1460 he moved to Istanbul, where he worked as teacher at the Patriarchate and as copyist at the court of Mehmed II (1451-81).
Dokeianos also held an eclectic book collection which he enlarged in the Ottoman capital, as an autograph list at the end of a manuscript shows. His library encompassed different literary genres, sacred and profane, poetry and history, rhetoric and liturgy, classical Attic texts and Byzantine authors. It tells us a lot about the literary tastes of 15th century Byzantine humanists and it shows that interest in classical texts was equal to that in sacred literature. Dokeianos’ deep knowledge of ancient history, rhetoric and philosophy - as it emerges from his imperial orations - is also mirrored in the content of his library collection. One manuscript in particular bears relevant details on his acquaintance with Plethonic works and it also features notes showing that in the later years he became critical of Pletho. Moreover, the very same manuscript hints at the reading of Pletho in the Ottoman capital in the years when Gennadios Scholarios condemned the philosopher of Mistra. Finally, his library is of crucial importance because very little is known about private libraries in the early Ottoman Empire. Here we therefore have a rare case of a 15th century Byzantine library collection which travelled eastwards from Morea to Istanbul instead of being taken to the West.
Using an interdisciplinary approach encompassing book history, paleography and cultural history, I will examine the problems posed by the reconstruction of a late Byzantine private library, drawing comparisons with book collections from the western medieval world. I will present the manuscripts owned by Dokeianos which I managed to identify on the ground of paleographical analysis. I will trace the development of his library from the years at the Byzantine court of Mistra to those in Istanbul, providing an account of the fate of his books some of which remained in the East after the 15th century.
Using an interdisciplinary approach encompassing book history, paleography and cultural history, I will examine the problems posed by the reconstruction of a late Byzantine private library, drawing comparisons with book collections from the western medieval world. I will present the manuscripts owned by Dokeianos which I managed to identify on the ground of paleographical analysis. I will trace the development of his library from the years at the Byzantine court of Mistra to those in Istanbul, providing an account of the fate of his books some of which remained in the East after the 15th century.
Les Grecs au service de la Porte ottomane dans la 2ème moitié du XVème siècle
From Mistra to Kostantiniyye, from Byzantium to the Ottomans: the Life and Works of John Dokeianos
Imperial Illusions: some Aspects of Byzantine Diplomacy with the Muslim World, 14th-15th centuries.
Some Greek Documents of the first Ottoman Sultans
PhD dissertation by Anna Calia
Meglio il turbante del sultano della tiara latina? Giovanni Dokeianos e la transizione bizantino-ottomana a Costantinopoli nel secondo Quattrocento
Unlike the XVth century diaspora of Byzantine intellectuals and Greek manuscripts to the West, th... more Unlike the XVth century diaspora of Byzantine intellectuals and Greek manuscripts to the West, the role played by Byzantine scholars in Constantinople in the aftermath of the Ottoman conquest in 1453 is still a little-explored subject. In the first chapter of my dissertation I provide an overview of the conditions of Constantinople before and after the conquest, discussing the emergence of an Ottoman imperial ideology and the importance of Greek merchant networks and Greek archons as intermediators between the Ottoman court and the Patriarchate. The second chapter focuses on the Greek presence in the Ottoman court during Mehmed II’s reign. In particular, I address cultural cosmopolitism in the sultan’s court by looking at the Ottoman interest for the Byzantine cultural legacy, which is also attested by the circulation of Byzantine scholars and by a number of Greek manuscripts in the Ottoman court. The second part of the dissertation is devoted to the rhetorician and copyist John Dokeianos, a representative figure of the Byzantine-Ottoman transition. I provide a commented edition of his unedited rhetorical works written for members of the Byzantine court of Mistra. Formerly close to Pletho, he became close to the anti-Unionist circle of Gennadios Scholarios when he moved to Constantinople around 1460, where he worked for both the Patriarchate and the Ottoman court. In the last chapter I discuss Dokeianos’ eclectic book collection and his copying activities in Mistra and Constantinople, proposing new manuscripts identifications. In the appendix I provide an edition of some unedited XVth century Byzantine works written by authors connected in various degrees to Dokeianos.
Contrairement à la diaspora des intellectuels et des manuscrits grecs en Occident au XVème siècle, le rôle joué par les savants byzantins à Constantinople après la conquête ottomane de 1453 est un sujet encore peu connu. Dans le premier chapitre de ma thèse je dresse un tableau de Constantinople avant et après la Chute, tout en soulignant le développement de l’idéologie impériale ottomane et l’importance des réseaux marchands et des archontes grecs en tant qu’intermédiaires entre la cour ottomane et le Patriarcat. Le deuxième chapitre se concentre sur la présence grecque dans la cour ottomane de Mehmed II. J’aborde en particulier le cosmopolitisme culturel dans la cour à partir de l’intérêt ottoman pour l’héritage culturel byzantin, qui est attesté aussi par la circulation des savants byzantins et de quelques manuscrits grecs. La deuxième partie de la thèse est consacrée au rhéteur et copiste Jean Dokeianos, un personnage représentatif de la transition byzantine-ottomane. J’offre une édition commentée de ses ouvrages rhétoriques inédits, écrits pour les membres de la dernière cour byzantine de Mistra. Initialement proche de Pléthon, il s’approcha au cercle anti-unioniste de Gennadios Scholarios après son déplacement à Constantinople autour de 1460, où il travailla pour le Patriarcat et pour la cour ottomane. Dans le dernier chapitre je présente l’éclectique collection manuscrite de Dokeianos et son activité de copie à Mistra et à Constantinople, tout en proposant des nouvelles identifications. Dans l’appendice j’offre une édition de quelques ouvrages Byzantines inédits de la moitié du XVème siècle écrites par des auteurs liés à différents égards à Dokeianos.
Uploads
Papers by Anna Calia
Talks by Anna Calia
Dokeianos also held an eclectic book collection which he enlarged in the Ottoman capital, as an autograph list at the end of a manuscript shows. His library encompassed different literary genres, sacred and profane, poetry and history, rhetoric and liturgy, classical Attic texts and Byzantine authors. It tells us a lot about the literary tastes of 15th century Byzantine humanists and it shows that interest in classical texts was equal to that in sacred literature. Dokeianos’ deep knowledge of ancient history, rhetoric and philosophy - as it emerges from his imperial orations - is also mirrored in the content of his library collection. One manuscript in particular bears relevant details on his acquaintance with Plethonic works and it also features notes showing that in the later years he became critical of Pletho. Moreover, the very same manuscript hints at the reading of Pletho in the Ottoman capital in the years when Gennadios Scholarios condemned the philosopher of Mistra. Finally, his library is of crucial importance because very little is known about private libraries in the early Ottoman Empire. Here we therefore have a rare case of a 15th century Byzantine library collection which travelled eastwards from Morea to Istanbul instead of being taken to the West.
Using an interdisciplinary approach encompassing book history, paleography and cultural history, I will examine the problems posed by the reconstruction of a late Byzantine private library, drawing comparisons with book collections from the western medieval world. I will present the manuscripts owned by Dokeianos which I managed to identify on the ground of paleographical analysis. I will trace the development of his library from the years at the Byzantine court of Mistra to those in Istanbul, providing an account of the fate of his books some of which remained in the East after the 15th century.
Using an interdisciplinary approach encompassing book history, paleography and cultural history, I will examine the problems posed by the reconstruction of a late Byzantine private library, drawing comparisons with book collections from the western medieval world. I will present the manuscripts owned by Dokeianos which I managed to identify on the ground of paleographical analysis. I will trace the development of his library from the years at the Byzantine court of Mistra to those in Istanbul, providing an account of the fate of his books some of which remained in the East after the 15th century.
PhD dissertation by Anna Calia
Contrairement à la diaspora des intellectuels et des manuscrits grecs en Occident au XVème siècle, le rôle joué par les savants byzantins à Constantinople après la conquête ottomane de 1453 est un sujet encore peu connu. Dans le premier chapitre de ma thèse je dresse un tableau de Constantinople avant et après la Chute, tout en soulignant le développement de l’idéologie impériale ottomane et l’importance des réseaux marchands et des archontes grecs en tant qu’intermédiaires entre la cour ottomane et le Patriarcat. Le deuxième chapitre se concentre sur la présence grecque dans la cour ottomane de Mehmed II. J’aborde en particulier le cosmopolitisme culturel dans la cour à partir de l’intérêt ottoman pour l’héritage culturel byzantin, qui est attesté aussi par la circulation des savants byzantins et de quelques manuscrits grecs. La deuxième partie de la thèse est consacrée au rhéteur et copiste Jean Dokeianos, un personnage représentatif de la transition byzantine-ottomane. J’offre une édition commentée de ses ouvrages rhétoriques inédits, écrits pour les membres de la dernière cour byzantine de Mistra. Initialement proche de Pléthon, il s’approcha au cercle anti-unioniste de Gennadios Scholarios après son déplacement à Constantinople autour de 1460, où il travailla pour le Patriarcat et pour la cour ottomane. Dans le dernier chapitre je présente l’éclectique collection manuscrite de Dokeianos et son activité de copie à Mistra et à Constantinople, tout en proposant des nouvelles identifications. Dans l’appendice j’offre une édition de quelques ouvrages Byzantines inédits de la moitié du XVème siècle écrites par des auteurs liés à différents égards à Dokeianos.
Dokeianos also held an eclectic book collection which he enlarged in the Ottoman capital, as an autograph list at the end of a manuscript shows. His library encompassed different literary genres, sacred and profane, poetry and history, rhetoric and liturgy, classical Attic texts and Byzantine authors. It tells us a lot about the literary tastes of 15th century Byzantine humanists and it shows that interest in classical texts was equal to that in sacred literature. Dokeianos’ deep knowledge of ancient history, rhetoric and philosophy - as it emerges from his imperial orations - is also mirrored in the content of his library collection. One manuscript in particular bears relevant details on his acquaintance with Plethonic works and it also features notes showing that in the later years he became critical of Pletho. Moreover, the very same manuscript hints at the reading of Pletho in the Ottoman capital in the years when Gennadios Scholarios condemned the philosopher of Mistra. Finally, his library is of crucial importance because very little is known about private libraries in the early Ottoman Empire. Here we therefore have a rare case of a 15th century Byzantine library collection which travelled eastwards from Morea to Istanbul instead of being taken to the West.
Using an interdisciplinary approach encompassing book history, paleography and cultural history, I will examine the problems posed by the reconstruction of a late Byzantine private library, drawing comparisons with book collections from the western medieval world. I will present the manuscripts owned by Dokeianos which I managed to identify on the ground of paleographical analysis. I will trace the development of his library from the years at the Byzantine court of Mistra to those in Istanbul, providing an account of the fate of his books some of which remained in the East after the 15th century.
Using an interdisciplinary approach encompassing book history, paleography and cultural history, I will examine the problems posed by the reconstruction of a late Byzantine private library, drawing comparisons with book collections from the western medieval world. I will present the manuscripts owned by Dokeianos which I managed to identify on the ground of paleographical analysis. I will trace the development of his library from the years at the Byzantine court of Mistra to those in Istanbul, providing an account of the fate of his books some of which remained in the East after the 15th century.
Contrairement à la diaspora des intellectuels et des manuscrits grecs en Occident au XVème siècle, le rôle joué par les savants byzantins à Constantinople après la conquête ottomane de 1453 est un sujet encore peu connu. Dans le premier chapitre de ma thèse je dresse un tableau de Constantinople avant et après la Chute, tout en soulignant le développement de l’idéologie impériale ottomane et l’importance des réseaux marchands et des archontes grecs en tant qu’intermédiaires entre la cour ottomane et le Patriarcat. Le deuxième chapitre se concentre sur la présence grecque dans la cour ottomane de Mehmed II. J’aborde en particulier le cosmopolitisme culturel dans la cour à partir de l’intérêt ottoman pour l’héritage culturel byzantin, qui est attesté aussi par la circulation des savants byzantins et de quelques manuscrits grecs. La deuxième partie de la thèse est consacrée au rhéteur et copiste Jean Dokeianos, un personnage représentatif de la transition byzantine-ottomane. J’offre une édition commentée de ses ouvrages rhétoriques inédits, écrits pour les membres de la dernière cour byzantine de Mistra. Initialement proche de Pléthon, il s’approcha au cercle anti-unioniste de Gennadios Scholarios après son déplacement à Constantinople autour de 1460, où il travailla pour le Patriarcat et pour la cour ottomane. Dans le dernier chapitre je présente l’éclectique collection manuscrite de Dokeianos et son activité de copie à Mistra et à Constantinople, tout en proposant des nouvelles identifications. Dans l’appendice j’offre une édition de quelques ouvrages Byzantines inédits de la moitié du XVème siècle écrites par des auteurs liés à différents égards à Dokeianos.