Abstract

The History of Niketas Choniates, covering the period of Byzantine history from 1118 to 1206, is one of the acknowledged masterpieces of medieval Greek historiography. Not the least masterly of its features is its full and nuanced portrait of the emperor Manuel I Komnenos . In itself, the appraisal seems neutral, for the author has both good and bad to say about Manuel and his policies. However, in comparison with the other literary sources for Manuel's reign — the histories of John Kinnamos and William of Tyre, and the numerous prose and verse encomia celebrating the emperor's achievements — Choniates is highly critical. Whether this criticism is as accurate or as fair as most modern scholars, seduced perhaps by Choniates' sophistication, seem to have assumed must be disputed elsewhere. My present concern is with the general principles on which Choniates' disapproval is based. These principles are apparent in three passages of his work