The Arabs in the Chronicle of Constantine Manasses Cover Image

The Arabs in the Chronicle of Constantine Manasses
The Arabs in the Chronicle of Constantine Manasses

Author(s): Mirosław J. Leszka
Subject(s): Military history, Political history, 6th to 12th Centuries
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Arabs; Constantine Manasses; Byzantine historiography

Summary/Abstract: This paper looks into the piece by Constantine Manasses considering how it depicts the Arabs. It appears Manasses saw the Arabs primarily as bloody and cruel plunderers who invaded the Byzantine lands. Indeed, they won some of the fights against the Byzantines but eventually had to accept their superiority and concede defeat. It should also be noted that Constantine Manasses did not bring up religious themes when referring to the Arabs.

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