Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos and Byzantine Mediterranean Policy

The purpose of the present contribution is to examine Byzantium’s Mediterranean policy during the reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos ([913]-945-959). Through his writings, particuralry the De Thematibus and De Administrando Imperio, this paper is focused on how the emperor articulated the Empire’s position within the broader Mediterranean world. By examining the aforementioned texts from this point of view, our study moves beyond conventional interpretations of military dominance and instead promotes Constantine VII’s emphasis on diplomacy, administrative order and ideological continuity. Within that context, it also rekindles views and arguments expressed in Arnold J. Toynbee’s 1973 specialized monograph on the Porphyrogennitan monarch, a synthesis which proved its author’s belated merit as a Byzantinist, despite the fact that it is sometimes unjustly ignored by scholarship. The construction of a vision of imperial self-perception that is rooted in Roman legacy, divine legitimacy and political intelligence is also hereby explored. Constantine's vision of Byzantium is presented not only as a notion of a hegemonic force but also as the central axis of civilization and stability in a diverse and hotly-contested Mediterranean landscape. An examination of the administrative geography and ethnographic details reveals a diplomatic strategy focused on knowledge of production and the cultivation of long-term relationships with neighbouring powers. Constantine Porphyrogennetos’ framing of Byzantium as both mediator and ruler signifies a pragmatic, yet ideologically firmly grounded Mediterranean policy. The present paper contends that the texts in question functioned as instruments of soft power, thereby contributing to the shaping of imperial perceptions both internally and externally. In conclusion, the study illuminates the nexus of textual production, imperial ideology and foreign policy in the tenth century, offering novel insights into the manner in which Byzantium navigated its position in a dynamic and challenging Mediterranean world.