Manuel II Paleologus and the admonition to John VIII: A late illusion of imperial resurgence

Abstract

Manuel II‘s admonitory speech to his son and successor John VIII, embedded in the tradition of the so-called -Mirror-of-Princes‖, amounts to the final manifestation of this political-rhetorical genre in the history of the Byzantine empire. By means of this historical source‘s content, the present article sets out to examine the calling towards transcendence that perpetually animated Byzantium - a calling that did not wilt under the adverse political conditions then plaguing the empire and endangering its very existence. Likewise, it presents an outline of Emperor Manuel and broaches the historical context that witnessed the creation of his admonitory speech. The article includes a point-by-point summary of the address, maintaining its original numeration.