Monarchia a Bisanzio

Monarchy is not a common term in the historical and political language of Byzantines. Ancient authorities such as Plato, Aristotle, and Polybius with the term “monarchy” generally define the power held by one man, virtually designating either kingship (basileia) or tyranny. Some writers (especially Dio Cassius) employed the term “monarch” with regard to Roman emperors in order to avoid the word “king”, disregarded since the beginning of the Republic. In theology, monarchy has a place in the polemics against dualistic systems: it expresses the primacy of the Father in the Holy Trinity. The most venerable witness of the superiority of the monarchical constitution was Homer, who specifically expanded on the topic at Iliad II 200-206. These verses were extensively commented in the twelfth century by Eustathius of Thessalonica, whose text is presented in the first translation into a modern language.