Social Network of the Byzantine Intellectual John Tzetzes

Abstract

This article provides a reconstruction of a social network of John Tzetzes, famous Byzantine writer from the twelfth century. The epistolary legacy of John Tsetztes was analyzed using the database “Prosopography of the Byzantine World”. The author demonstrates that in correspondence with persons of this circle John Tzetzes allowed himself to violate the strict canons of Byzantine epistolography, leaving room for sarcasm and irony, which is a sign of high trust between the addressees. The reviewed letters contain numerous examples of the “scholarly friendship” characteristic of the Byzantine intellectual environment during the Komnenian and Palaiologan Periods. It has been shown that among the friends and disciples of John Tzetzes there were the representatives of the families of Triphyles, Gabrielakites, Basilakes, Charsianites, Machetarios and others who did not belong to the ruling Komnenan clan. The author concludes that the entourage of John Tsetzes included church hierarchs, provincial officials and representatives of formerly noble families who lost their position during the reign of the Komnenoi. The composition of the circle of communication demonstrates that Tzetzes, while remaining a teacher and a grammarian, did not have strong connections among court officials and representatives of the military aristocracy, but at the same time did not abandon his attempts to acquire such contacts and find influential patrons.

Keywords

• византийская интеллектуальная жизнь
• иоанн цец
• комни- новское возрождение
• византийская эпистолография
• круг общения