En el año 917 d. C., los regimientos del Imperio Romano de Oriente se concentraron en Tracia, preparando una respuesta militar contra las incursiones de Simeón de Bulgaria. En ese momento, según la Crónica del Logoteta y otras fuentes, los oficiales de palacio trajeron consigo una reliquia de la Santa Cruz, y las tropas la veneraron y juraron sobre ella antes del comienzo de la campaña. Este artículo plantea algunas preguntas sobre este juramento y ofrece una explicación sobre el significado del episodio. El artículo argumenta que la práctica descrita por los cronistas puede explicarse, por un lado, por las diferentes formas en que la élite imperial bizantina utilizaba las reliquias cristianas en contextos militares y, por otro, por la particular situación del trono durante la regencia de Zoe, madre de Constantino VII.
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