Being Byzantine

In 1204 Europe ostensibly taking part in the Fourth Crusade. This was a hugely significant event for the subjects of the empire, radically altering the Byzantines’ self-image and weakening their state for the later conflict with theOttoman Turks. Using the heory of ethnicity – a comparatively recent tool with regard to the pre-modern era – Gill Page provides fresh insight into the late Byzantine period, providing a corrective to nationalistic interpretations of the period of Frankish rule and more broadly to generally held assumptions of ethnic hostility in the period. A systematic analysis of texts in Greek from the period, from both ends of the social spectrum, is backed up by an in-depth study of Frankish rule in the Peloponnese to revealthe trends in the development of Byzantine identity under the impact of the Franks.