The two dodecasyllable poems known by the title of Muses and attributed to the emperor Alexius I Comnenus, fall within the ‘genre’ of the so-called Fürstenspiegel, that is, they are part of the great parenetic tradition that was so popular in Byzantium. The editor princeps, Paul Maas, considered the Muses as ‘scattered papers’ of the Comnenian sovereign: the latter, addressing to his son John, would have imparted useful teachings on the art of governing. But it is more likely that the work was written at the time of John Comnenus, heir and successor of Alexius, by one of his supporters, to legitimise the succession of the new sovereign. A new edition of the text is provided here with an Italian translation and commentary notes.
Le Muse di Alessio I. Introduzione, edizione critica, traduzione e note
Gioacchino Strano
2025-01-01
Abstract
The two dodecasyllable poems known by the title of Muses and attributed to the emperor Alexius I Comnenus, fall within the ‘genre’ of the so-called Fürstenspiegel, that is, they are part of the great parenetic tradition that was so popular in Byzantium. The editor princeps, Paul Maas, considered the Muses as ‘scattered papers’ of the Comnenian sovereign: the latter, addressing to his son John, would have imparted useful teachings on the art of governing. But it is more likely that the work was written at the time of John Comnenus, heir and successor of Alexius, by one of his supporters, to legitimise the succession of the new sovereign. A new edition of the text is provided here with an Italian translation and commentary notes.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
