“Do Thou Nothing without Counsel”: Political Assemblies and the Ideal of Good Government in the Thought of Theodore Palaeologus and Theodore Metochites

Abstract

In the fourteenth century, a mounting crisis was faced by the Byzantine Empire. This study considers the reactions during the reign of Andronicus II of two courtiers, Theodore Palaeologus and Theodore Metochites, who can be argued to be key figures in late medieval political thought. Central to the debate that developed between these individuals was the issue of the appropriateness of introducing in Constantinople “constitutional” reforms modelled upon practices established in the city-states of northern Italy–practices that emphasised the importance of consultative rule as an ideal and insisted upon the role of conciliar or parliamentary institutions.