Isaac Comnenus Porphyrogenitus: Walking the Line in Twelfth-Century Byzantium and Beyond, University of Southern Denmark, March 5–6, 2020
In the last decades, modern scholarship has devoted much attention to the Comnenian dynasty. Surprisingly, no comprehensive study has yet been devoted to Isaac Comnenus Porphyrogenitus, son of emperor Alexius I and brother of both John II and Anna Comnena. Isaac is an intriguing figure, at the crossroads between different worlds: classical scholarship, artistic patronage, courtly intrigues and international political alliances. Traditional divisions between scholarly fields have prevented a comprehensive exploration of Isaac’s many facets.
Challenging this very compartmentalization, this workshop aims to bring together Isaac’s different worlds, contributing to a better understanding of 12th-century Byzantium.