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Byzantine historiography and modern Greek oral poetry: the case of Rapsomatis*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

Roderick Beaton
Roderick Beaton*
Affiliation:
King’s College, University of London
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Extract

In the ninth book of the Alexiad, Anna Comnene tells the story of the simultaneous revolts against her father Alexios which broke out in Crete and Cyprus in the year 1093. The rising in Crete was shortlived, as the Cretans changed their minds and murdered their leader on hearing the news that the emperor’s fleet was approaching. Of the Cypriot revolt, however, Anna has the following tale to tell: The Cypriots, under their leader Rapsomatis, at first refused to fight after the emperor’s forces landed in Cyprus, apparently expecting to talk their way out of a conflict. Rapsomatis, a complete novice in the arts of war, had embarked on the revolt more as a game than in earnest; and was easily defeated by Manuel Voutoumitis, captured and sent to the emperor’s brother-in-law John Doukas who was in charge of the campaign.

Type
Research Article
Information
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies , Volume 10 , 1986 , pp. 41 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © The Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham 1986

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References

1. Alexiad, IX, 2.

2. Glykas (Bonn) 620; Zonaras, XVIII, C.22; Sathas, K.. II p. Google Scholar Hill, G., The history of Cyprus Vol. I (London 1949) 297 Google Scholar and n., Runciman, S., in Footprints in Cyprus, ed. Hunt, D. (London 1982) 151.Google Scholar

3. Buckler, G., Anna Comnena: a study (Oxford 1929) 506–7.Google Scholar

4. Alexiad, ibid.

5. ibid.

6. See ibid. XIV, 7.

7. Selections from the many known variants of the ballad may be found in , A. (Athens, 1951), Vol. 1, pp.97–103 Google Scholar; (Athens 1963) I, 54–8.

8. See e.g. (Nicosia 1975) No.B 15Google Scholar; (Larnaka) 13 (1982) 6–7.

9. For a rare variant from the Cyclades see op. cit., 56–7.

10. See R. Beaton,’”Digenes Akrites” and modern Greek folk song: a reassessment’. B51 (1981) 22–43.

11. Usually entitled See e.g. (Athens 1868) III, 3–8 Google Scholar; (Nicosia 1926) Nos. 5,6.

12. This was Grégoire’s proposal (see (New York 1942) 25–8); and has been repeated without question in authoritative modern collections of Greek folk poetry.

13. op. tit., No.29, lines 3–5.

14. ‘Social borderers: themes of conflict and ambiguity in Greek folk-song’, BMGS 6 (1980) 61–80.

15. See, respectively, Nos. 29, 30, 54–8, Nos A,

16. See loc. cit.

17. Revised and enlarged edition, 6 vols (Copenhagen and Indiana 1955–8).

18. See e.g. (Athens 1926) 140–9, lines 30–1.

19. See e.g. D. Nicol, The last centuries of Byzantium (London 1972) 224.

20. op. cit. No.B15.

21. I. ‘O (Larnaka) 13 (1982) 3–5.

22. op.cit. 78.