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Maria Lekapene, Empress of the Bulgarians, Neither a Saint nor a Malefactress

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Default Title
ISBN: 978-83-8142-028-0
Description: softcover, 226 pages (24x17cm), ills.
Condition: new
Weight: 365g.



Zofia A. Brzozowska, Miroslaw J. Leszka, Maria Lekapene, Empress of the Bulgarians, Neither a Saint nor a Malefactress, Byzantina Lodziensia XXXVI, Uniwersytet Lodzki, Lodz 2017


The book presents the biography of Maria, daughter of Christopher Lekapenos (the eldest son of emperor Romanos I). For about 35 years, she was the tsaritsa of the Bulgarians at the side of her husband, Tsar Peter (927-969). Her character is but dimly visible in the sources; interestingly, the few sources that do mention her are almost exclusively of Byzantine provenance. Most scholars who have dealt with her life—usually as a side note to studies on Peter’s reign—saw in her a representative of the interests of Constantinople and a propagator of Byzantine culture. Some have gone so far as to call her a Byzantine agent at the Bulgarian court.

In this book, the first monograph on Maria ever to have been written, Mirosław J. Leszka and Zofia A. Brzozowska construct a balanced narrative of the tsaritsa’s life and her role in tenth-century Bulgaria through meticulous analysis of primary sources, putting aside biases. The publication is supplemented by a translation of the fragments of the Hellenic and Roman Chronicle of the second redaction devoted to Maria and Peter.



Introduction
Chapter I. Sources – Zofia A. Brzozowska
Chapter II. Origins and Early Years – Zofia A. Brzozowska, Mirosław J. Leszka
Chapter III. The Year 927 – Zofia A. Brzozowska, Mirosław J. Leszka
1. Byzantine-Bulgarian Relations during the Reign of Symeon the Great (893–927) – Mirosław J. Leszka
2. Peter’s Way to the Bulgarian Throne – Mirosław J. Leszka
3. Peace Negotiations – Zofia A. Brzozowska, Mirosław J. Leszka
4. Peace Treaty – Mirosław J. Leszka
5. Wedding – Zofia A. Brzozowska
Chapter IV. The Marriage with the Bulgarian Ruler – Honor or Degradation? – Zofia A. Brzozowska
Chapter V. Maria Lekapene as a Mother – Zofia A. Brzozowska
Chapter VI. On the Bulgarian Throne at Peter’s Side – Zofia A. Brzozowska, Mirosław J. Leszka
Chapter VII. Maria Lekapene and the Transfer of the Idea of the Imperial Feminine in Medieval Bulgaria – Zofia A. Brzozowska, Mirosław J. Leszka
1. Female Authority in Byzantium – Mirosław J. Leszka
1.1. The Byzantine Model of the Empress
1.2. The Empress’s Court
1.3. Coronations of Empresses
1.4. Imperial Wedding Ceremonies and Festivities
1.5. Participation in Secular and Religious Ceremonies
1.6. Philanthropy and Donation Activities
1.7. Political Influence of Byzantine Empresses
1.8. Rule from Behind the Throne
1.9. Female Regents
2. Maria Lekapene, Empress of the Bulgarians – Titulature, Seals, Insignia – Zofia A. Brzozowska
Chapter VIII. Towards Eternity – Zofia A. Brzozowska, Mirosław J. Leszka
Final Remarks
Appendix. Maria Lekapene and Peter in Medieval Rus’ Historiography – fragments of the Hellenic and Roman Chronicle of the second redaction – Zofia A. Brzozowska
Bibliography
1. Sources
2. Modern Scholarship
Indices
1. Index of People
2. Index of Ethnic and Geographic Names
Illustrations