The peculiarities of the Byzantine provincial administration in the Balkans under the Komnenoi

Abstract

The text presents the results of the research on the Byzantine provincial organization in the parts of the Balkans that the Empire directly controlled during the Komnenian era. The non-uniform historical and political evolution of some regions of the Balkan Peninsula called for different methods to be employed by the Constantinopolitan court when organizing the local provincial administration, leading to a differentiation among the Balkan themes. Another factor that contributed to the differentiation process was that not all provinces were of equal importance to the Empire, which is why strategically important districts and their local elites received certain privileges, mostly of a fiscal and financial nature. The role and significance of some themes grew over time, while others gradually lost their strategic relevance. That was reflected in Constantinople’s changing approach to organizing the provincial administration in the Balkans. This contribution focuses on when, how, and why some Balkan districts received privileges or had them rescinded in the Komnenian era.

Keywords

• byzantium
• balkans
• komnenoi
• provincial administration