The Palaiologan Romances Libistros and Rhodamne, Kallimachos and Chrysorrhoe, and Belthandros and Chrysantza as Sources for the Study of the Byzantine Aristocracy

Research on works referred to in scholarship as Palaiologan romances began as early as the 19th century, but it was not until the late 20th century that scholars started to engage with these texts on a larger scale. However, relatively few scholars have examined the image of Byzantine society that emerges from the aforementioned works. This lack of interest is especially evident in studies on the aristocracy. Studies on the late Byzantine aristocracy have a long tradition and have been conducted by many leading scholars. In their research, historians usually relied on chronicles, epistolography, or even documentary sources. On the other hand, romances have been used relatively rarely, typically as auxiliary sources, for example in studies on the image of power in the aforementioned works. In this paper, I propose that these sources should be examined more closely as texts that offer valuable insights into the aristocracy. Especially noteworthy are the works “Libistros and Rodamne”, “Kallimachos and Chrysorrhoe”, “Belthandros and Chrysantza” dated to the 13th and 14th centuries. The complexity and structure of their plot suggest that they were written for learned readers associated with the upper classes of Byzantine society. Suffice it to say that most literary scholars classify them as a part of the so-called “courtly” romance group, as opposed to the “popular” romances intended for the broader strata of Byzantine society. In order to prove the usefulness of these texts, I will present excerpts from my research, conducted as a part of my doctoral dissertation, showing what kind of information can be extracted from these sources. In addition, I indicate new perspectives in the study of aristocracy that emerge from the use of information contained in late Byzantine romances.