CLAS 260 Leaders and Leadership in Byzantium
What is leadership? And how does one maintain power through complicated and often-changing circumstances? The often neglected Eastern Roman Empire (aka Byzantine Empire) lasted more than a thousand years (324-1453) and presents a unique opportunity to understand how leadership through change is crucial in order to preserve political in a time of turmoil.
In a time of heavy crisis, uncertainty, and fragmentation world-wide, we are going to see whether or not we can learn anything from them. By looking at a selection of great Byzantine leaders, we are going to investigate the relationship between leadership and power, and the complex problems it raises.