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Michael VIII and Andronikos II Dynastic Trachy Sear 2323 - Oddly Charming
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<p>[QUOTE="The Trachy Enjoyer, post: 7349952, member: 118358"]<b>Michael VIII Paleologus and Andronicus II:</b></p><p>1272-1282 AD, AE Trachy, Thessalonica mint.</p><p><i>OAΓIT ΘE-OΔOΡ</i> / St. Theodore, half-length facing figure, in military dress, holding spear and round shield decorated with eight-rayed star</p><p><br /></p><p><i>AΔΡ X..M</i> // Michael and Andronikos, half-length figures, each wearing loros and holding labarum and sword between them; half-length bust of the Archangel Michael above. DOC 212-215; SB 2323.[ATTACH=full]1281949[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1281946[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1281943[/ATTACH]</p><p>This trachy is one of my favorites, possessing a fun and charming style. It was minted at some point during the 10 year interlude of Andronikos II's elevation to co-emperor with Michael VIII until the eventual death of Michael VIII. The reverse is highly interesting in design, showing Michael VIII and Andronikos II each holding the Labarum over their respective shoulders and together holding up a sword, over all of which the half bust of Archangel Michael watches/blesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>The message of this type was one of a divinely blessed, Christian ruling, success bringing dynasty. About a decade before Michael VIII elevated his son Andronikos II as co emperor, Michael VIII himself stole power. Entrusted to watch over the empire as regent for young John IV Lascaris (himself the son of Theodore II Lascaris), Michael VIII shut the 13 year old boy out of his inheritance and blinded him.</p><p><br /></p><p>The success Michael VIII brought with the recapture of Constantinople among other things has tended to wash out his despicable deeds early in his reign. Michael VIII was a power hungry and greedy man, who put his own ambition above all else. He had the fortune to found the Palaeologan dynasty however, which ruled Byzantium for another 200+ years (ultimately serving as the longest dynasty in the history of the Roman empire). His later descendants glorified his reign to legitimize their own.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Palaeologans oversaw the decline and fall of Byzantium and Michael VIII doesn't escape his share of the blame...but ultimately, the message on this coin came to fruition. Michael VIII established a long lasting dynasty. He brought military success by recapturing the beating heart of the Roman empire and Eastern Christendom, Constantinople. Because of his early feats, the Palaeologans over saw the last and greatest renaissance of Byzantine art and knowledge. As the empire quite literally crumbled away, the culture in Constantinople grew (one only needs to see the Chora Church to truly grasp how vibrant this period was <a href="https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/chora" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/chora" rel="nofollow">https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/chora</a>).</p><p><br /></p><p>The likes of Theodore Metochites (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Metochites" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Metochites" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Metochites</a>) advised Andronikos II personally, creating an environment of real intelectualism. Religious and scholarly debate filled the city with fervor and high stakes debates as losers found themselves being shipped off into exile (see the Hesychast controversy for example <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesychasm#Hesychast_controversy" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesychasm#Hesychast_controversy" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesychasm#Hesychast_controversy</a>). The most beautiful churches and buildings from Byzantium were built or over saw major renovations during this time. Monks worked at a feverish pace to copy classical Greek texts, whose work quite literally saved the most precious literary works known, lost everywhere else in the world during the fall of the Western empire. Scholastic pursuits were at all time high and the Western European Renaissance came as a direct result of this Byzantine explosion in learning.</p><p><br /></p><p>All in all, this is an interesting trachy of an interesting ruler whose greed and ambition incidentally kindled a love for learning and brought the West out of the dark ages some 200 years after his blinding and usurpation of a child...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="The Trachy Enjoyer, post: 7349952, member: 118358"][B]Michael VIII Paleologus and Andronicus II:[/B] 1272-1282 AD, AE Trachy, Thessalonica mint. [I]OAΓIT ΘE-OΔOΡ[/I] / St. Theodore, half-length facing figure, in military dress, holding spear and round shield decorated with eight-rayed star [I]AΔΡ X..M[/I] // Michael and Andronikos, half-length figures, each wearing loros and holding labarum and sword between them; half-length bust of the Archangel Michael above. DOC 212-215; SB 2323.[ATTACH=full]1281949[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1281946[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1281943[/ATTACH] This trachy is one of my favorites, possessing a fun and charming style. It was minted at some point during the 10 year interlude of Andronikos II's elevation to co-emperor with Michael VIII until the eventual death of Michael VIII. The reverse is highly interesting in design, showing Michael VIII and Andronikos II each holding the Labarum over their respective shoulders and together holding up a sword, over all of which the half bust of Archangel Michael watches/blesses. The message of this type was one of a divinely blessed, Christian ruling, success bringing dynasty. About a decade before Michael VIII elevated his son Andronikos II as co emperor, Michael VIII himself stole power. Entrusted to watch over the empire as regent for young John IV Lascaris (himself the son of Theodore II Lascaris), Michael VIII shut the 13 year old boy out of his inheritance and blinded him. The success Michael VIII brought with the recapture of Constantinople among other things has tended to wash out his despicable deeds early in his reign. Michael VIII was a power hungry and greedy man, who put his own ambition above all else. He had the fortune to found the Palaeologan dynasty however, which ruled Byzantium for another 200+ years (ultimately serving as the longest dynasty in the history of the Roman empire). His later descendants glorified his reign to legitimize their own. The Palaeologans oversaw the decline and fall of Byzantium and Michael VIII doesn't escape his share of the blame...but ultimately, the message on this coin came to fruition. Michael VIII established a long lasting dynasty. He brought military success by recapturing the beating heart of the Roman empire and Eastern Christendom, Constantinople. Because of his early feats, the Palaeologans over saw the last and greatest renaissance of Byzantine art and knowledge. As the empire quite literally crumbled away, the culture in Constantinople grew (one only needs to see the Chora Church to truly grasp how vibrant this period was [URL]https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/chora[/URL]). The likes of Theodore Metochites ([URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Metochites[/URL]) advised Andronikos II personally, creating an environment of real intelectualism. Religious and scholarly debate filled the city with fervor and high stakes debates as losers found themselves being shipped off into exile (see the Hesychast controversy for example [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesychasm#Hesychast_controversy[/URL]). The most beautiful churches and buildings from Byzantium were built or over saw major renovations during this time. Monks worked at a feverish pace to copy classical Greek texts, whose work quite literally saved the most precious literary works known, lost everywhere else in the world during the fall of the Western empire. Scholastic pursuits were at all time high and the Western European Renaissance came as a direct result of this Byzantine explosion in learning. All in all, this is an interesting trachy of an interesting ruler whose greed and ambition incidentally kindled a love for learning and brought the West out of the dark ages some 200 years after his blinding and usurpation of a child...[/QUOTE]
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