#rhomania

Video by Nikos Spanatis.

Photos by Scholae Palatinae Byzantine Hoplomachia.

So, I figure I'll put something up about the Byzantines as often as I can. So, without further ado...

The Byzantine Rhomanoi Self-View

The problem with "Byzantine fandom" is that by saying that, we're actually expressing a lack of knowledge of Rhomanion history. You see, if you went back in time to Constantinople and called everything "Byzantine," no one would know what you were talking about. They thought of themselves as Romans - or, in Greek, Rhomanoi. They were Rhomania, and they were the direct successors to the ancient Roman Emperors.

Like this guy.

Anyway, they ran into some trouble in 800 A.D., when the Pope decided to crown this guy Charlemagne the "Holy Roman Emperor." You see, the Rhomanion Emperors in Constantinople believed that they were the Roman Emperors, and to give that title to someone else was a big insult in the medieval world. When the Ottoman Turks finally conquered Constantinople in 1453, it further complicated things. The Rhomanions weren't around any longer to defend their legitimacy as the true Roman Emperors. So, in the 1700s, a German historian decided to write a history glorifying the Holy Roman Empire and pointing our that it was the true Roman Empire. So, he invented a new name for those pesky Emperors in Constantinople.

The first person has chosen to be a noble in the Tumblr Rhomanion Empire. Buzzergirl has chosen to be the Basilissa of the Rhomanion Empire

The Basilissa was traditionally the Empress of the Rhomanion Empire, wife of the Emperor. However, there are numerous cases of the Basilissa being the daughter of the former emperor and becoming the Empress of the Rhomanion Empire in their own right.

So, perhaps some background information is in order. Yesterday, my girlfriend informed me that I'm not a part of any real fandoms on Tumblr. Instead, she said, I'm just a part of the "Byzantine Fandom." So, naturally, I had to make that fandom a reality.

Therefore, I hereby declare the Rhomanion Empire to have an official fandom on Tumblr. I shall by Basileos Autokratōr William I, Senior Augustus of the Roman Empire. Anyone who wants to join the fandom need only send me a message, and I'll give you a Byzantine Imperial title. I'll also post lots of Byzantine things, like pictures, art, and other cool things that people like about everyone's favorite Empire of the Rhomanoi.