Alexios G. C. Savvides. <i>A Bibliographical Survey on the Issue of Byzantine Feudalism and on the Institution of the Pronoia</i>

This new book by well-known Emeritus Professor of Medieval and Byzantine History, Alexios G. Savvides, consists of an in-depth analysis of the existing bibliography regarding the thorny issue of whether Byzantine feudalism existed, namely whether the later Byzantine society had developed social and economic institutions that resembled the feudal institutions of western medieval Europe. This is an argument that has been introduced in the bibliography by Russian historians A. Vasiliev and G. Ostrogorsky and which has been adopted by a number of modern historians who approached later Byzantine society within the lens of traditional European medieval narratives, with an emphasis on the distribution of land and societal-economic relations rather than the more classical political/military narrative. However, a significant number of historians dispute the existence of Byzantine feudalism or the appropriateness of a comparison between Byzantine and the western European feudalism.Savvides provides a complete and thorough bibliographical guide to this question, presenting, and commenting upon, the diverse viewpoints, and providing his own interpretation on the issue. This book has been issued as part of a series that aims to provide digital supporting material to university instructors and students, and within this context it is definitely invaluable. The exhaustive bibliography and the detailed index of names, places, and terms are also extremely useful, enhancing the didactic value of the book.The book is divided into two main parts. The first part introduces the reader to feudalism and its connection to the Byzantine era and provides an exhaustive bibliographical analysis of existing literature. The author begins from the initial connection of western European feudalism and the study of Byzantine institutions through the works of Vasiliev and Ostrogorsky, and emphasizes on later research on the topic. The author principally divides the Byzantine feudal era into three main periods (while acknowledging the existence of alternative divisions), (a) the early feudal era (fourth–sixth century), (b) the developing feudal era (seventh–tenth century), and (c) the main feudal development that appears during the last part of the Byzantine era (tenth–fifteenth century). The latter is further divided into three subperiods, (i) the struggle between powerful landowners and smaller cultivators of land (tenth-eleventh century), (ii) the conflict between political bureaucracy of Constantinople and the peripheral military autocracy, which led to the establishment of various para-feudal institutions, such as pronoia (eleventh–twelfth century), and (iii) the full development of a feudal structure of post-Byzantine society (twelfth–fifteenth century). The author further provides an account of Marxist accounts of Byzantine feudalism, including the discussion of whether Byzantine feudalism was genuine or not by referring to noted historian Nicos Svoronos.The second main part of the book provides an extensive bibliographical review of the Byzantine institution of pronoia, a social and economic institution developed in the later Byzantine era that has been the subject of exhaustive academic analysis. Its development was connected with the need to further strengthen the military power of the Byzantine empire during the Komnenos dynasty, and led to the increase of the ownership (and “feudal” influence) by parochial landowners-members of the aristocracy, and correspondingly to less state cohesion. The practice of granting pronoia to members of other nations had led to dissatisfaction among Byzantine citizens, who were obligated to pay tax to persons they considered as socially inferior to them. The author analyses the development and main characteristics of the system by reviewing the relevant literature and assessing the feudal characteristics of the institution, as well as its interaction with Ottoman timar.Overall, the book achieves its objective by providing a thorough review of existing bibliography regarding the issue of Byzantine feudalism and the institution of pronoia. It should therefore prove helpful to researchers and students alike.