The Emperor and the Court during the Middle Byzantine Period
Considered the representative of Christ by his subjects, the emperor of Byzantium was an absolute ruler. He centered his government at his palace and had thousands of educated bureaucrats throughout the empire carrying out imperial legislation and operations, including the tax and justice systems. This administration was unique in its efficiency.
Ceremonials, held by both the male court of the emperor and the female court of the empress, sumptuously punctuated all state occasions, including imperial coronations, marriages, births, and birthdays; the promotion of officials; the reception of ambassadors; and the celebration of triumphs. On holy days the court magnificently processed to churches. These occasions of elaborate pomp not only put the internal structure of the court on stage, with the precise ranks of officials marked by their silk costume, but also presented to the public an idealized image of the Byzantine state in harmonious order.
This sort of theater can also be seen in the visual and verbal portraits of emperors by Byzantine artists and orators, in which the condition of the court, and thus the state, was symbolically shown. In physique and deportment the ideal emperor was always decorous and handsome; even his costume and regalia expressed his majesty and quality. An emperor's portrayal might also link him to the virtuous prototypes of Christ, such as the Hebrew rulers David and Solomon, while in art the emperor's halo and the gold of his background associated him with the sun.
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