Ioannes Kinnamos (John Cinnamus) the historian M / L XII
᾿Ιωάννης Κίνναμος (Ioannes 17001)
(Unspecified)
(null)
Narrative
(2)
Authorship
(15)
Manuel 1
defeating thousands or tens of thousands of armed men reminded him of Phokas or Tzimiskes, and made him suspect flattery; however, he can give later personal testimony that Manuel fought whole Turkish regiments
... ἕως εἰς ὄψιν ἦλθέ μοι τὰ τοῦ πράγματος ἐν μέσοις καὶ αὐτῷ πολεμίοις οὕτω τυχὸν περιειλημμένῳ κἀκ τοῦ σχεδὸν ὁρῶντι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τοῦτον φάλαγξιν ὅλαις ἀντικαθιστάμενον Περσικαῖς. Kinnamos 192.3-193.1
Details of
Ioannes 2
's return from Cilicia go beyond his project, since he was not an eye-witness, nor did he have a reliable informant
᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν ἱστορεῖν ὑπόσχεσιν οἶμαι ὑπερβαίνει τὴν ἡμετέραν, ... ἅτε μηδὲ αὐτοπτήσαντι ταῦτα μηδὲ τὸ πιστὸν ἐντεῦθεν λαβόντι. Kinnamos 20.19-22
Does not approve of meddling in the nature of God; but admires
Manuel 1
, who, hearing that the empress
Maria 63
had miscarried, swore to be childless if wrong, but to have a male child if right;
Alexios 2
was born soon after
φύσιν θεοῦ πολυπραγμονεῖν ἀνθρώπῳ γε ὄντι οὔκουν ἀνέγκλητον. Kinnamos 256.12-257.11
Having discussed vexed problems of Aristotle with
Manuel 1
, he can witness that Manuel solved many in a natural way; he also clarified many difficult points in the scriptures (but this is not the place to discuss that)
ἔγωγέ τοι πολλάκις αὐτῷ τῶν ᾿Αριστοτέλους διαλεξάμενος πολλὰ τῶν πολυζητήτων αὐτοφυῶς ἐπιλυόμενα ἔγνων ... ἅπερ ἐμοὶ ἐνθάδε γεγράψεσθαι ἄπο νόμων ἔδοξεν εἶναι ἱστορικῶν. Kinnamos 290.22-291.7
He has seen
Manuel 1
, in a medical crisis, cutting veins and dispensing drugs to patients
φλέβας εἶδον αὐτὸν ἔγωγε τέμνοντα καὶ φάρμακα νοσοῦσι τεχνιτῶν ἀπορίᾳ παρεχόμενον. Kinnamos 190.11-13
He has so far talked about both continents, but now he will have to concentrate on Asian activities ... claims to have talked of subsidies to
Kilic Arslan 52
(not in our text)
ἤπειρον ἑκατέραν ... ὅσα ἐπὶ ᾿Ασίας ... χρήματα ὥσπερ ἔφην μεγάλα πρὸς βασιλέως κεκομισμένος. Kinnamos 291.8-12
Mention of the king of the Czechs (
Vladislav 17001
) and
Conrad 53
leads to excursus on invalidity of powers of popes and western emperors, addressed probably to the pope (
Alexandros 23
) in his dispute with
Frederick 51
μακρὸς γὰρ ἐξ οὗ χρόνος τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὄνομα ἐν ῾Ρώμῃ ἀπώλετο ... ἅπερ ἐμοὶ διασκοπουμένῳ πολλάκις ἤδη καὶ δακρῦσαι ἐπῆλθεν ... πῶς, ὦ βέλτιστε, καὶ πό´θεν σοι τοῖς ῾Ρωμαίων βασιλεῦσιν εἰς ἱπποκόμους κεχρῆσθαι ἐπῆ. Kinnamos 219.17-220.24
On Brindisi disaster :
Ioannes 17010
and
Alexios 17005
were too inflexible - they should have fought at sea, then retreated with honour; fighting all Sicilian forces led to disaster
... ἀλλ᾿ ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ὑποχωρεῖν ὑφορώμενοι ἀδοξίαν εἰς τὴν τοῦ παναστρατὶ διεφθάρθαι περιπεπτώκασιν ἀτιμίαν. Kinnamos 166.19-169.19
Was amazed that
Manuel 1
was unscathed among dangers of Tzibrelitzemani, through boldness or care of Providence; disapproves, yet compares him to Alexander and hymns power of youth
Τὸ ... πεπραγμένον οὐκ ἐν ἐπαινετέοις αὐτὸς τίθεμαι, Οὔκουν οὐδὲ τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρου τόλμαν ἐπαινεῖν ἔχω .... Kinnamos 51.18-52.6
Wept for the Hungarians in the sack of Zeugminon, slaughtered like lambs
῾Ρωμαῖοι ... ἅτε ἄρνας τοὺς τῇδε κατέθυον ἀνθρώπους. ῞Οτε μοι καὶ δακρῦσαι ἐπῆλθε. Kinnamos 245.18-20
Will tell of Myriokephalon as a battle with heavy losses among aristocrats which was only saved from complete disaster by the extreme courage and skill of
Manuel 1
(not in current text)
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἤδη ἔφην, εἰσέπειτά μοι λελέξεται. Kinnamos 207.2-8
Will write briefly about
Ioannes 2
, on times when he was not alive, but more extensively about
Manuel 1
, for whom he may be the best available historian
κατ᾿ ἐπιτομὴν καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν κεφαλαίῳ ... οὐκ οἶδα εἴ τις ἐμοῦ κάλλιον ἐξιστορῆσαι ἔχει. Kinnamos 5.4-9
Wonders if the list of recovered Apulian places (at Blachernai) is too long, and says he heard Manuel too had complained of this flattery; he does not know whether surplus names were removed
δι᾿ ἅ ποτε καὶ βασιλέως αὐτοῦ δυσχεράναντος ἤκουσα. Εἰ μέντοι καὶ περιῄρηνται, οὐκ ἔχω ἰσχυρίσασθαι. Kinnamos 172.2-6
Would not have believed (had he not been an eye-witness) that
Manuel 1
demanded to be first to climb a siege-tower into Zeugmene but his commanders strongly forbade it
εἰ μὴ παρὼν ἐτύγχανον τῇδε τῶν πραττομένων αὐτόπτης γινόμενος. Kinnamos 241.15-242.2
Wrote the Summary of the achievements of the emperor porphyrogennetos kyr
Ioannes 2
Komnenos of blessed memory, and narrative of the deeds of his late son the emperor porphyrogennetos kyr
Manuel 1
Komnenos ...
᾿Επιτομὴ τῶν κατορθωμάτων τῷ μακαρίτῃ βασιλεῖ καὶ πορφυρογεννήτῳ κυρίῳ ᾿Ιωάννῃ τῷ Κομνηνῷ καὶ ἀφήγησις τῶν πραχθέντων τῷ ἀοιδίμῳ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πορφυρογεννήτῳ κυρῷ Μανουὴλ τῷ Κομνηνῷ ... . Kinnamos 3.1-7
Death
(null)
Description
(1)
Was born after the death of
Ioannes 2
and was still alive at the death of
Manuel 1
ὁ μὲν ἔφθη πρὸ τῆς εἰς τὸν βίον ἡμῶν προόδου τὸ ζῇν ἀπολιπών, ἅτερος δὲ ἤκμασέ τε ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀπῄει τοῦ βίου. Kinnamos 4.12-15
Dignity/Office
(1)
Imperial grammatikos
βασιλικῷ γραμματικῷ. Kinnamos 3.7
Education
(null)
Ethnic label
(null)
Second Name
(1)
Kinnamos
Κίνναμος. Kinnamos 3.7
Kinship
(null)
Language Skill
(null)
Location
(null)
Occupation/Vocation
(null)
Possession
(null)
Religion
(null)
Eunuchs
(null)
Alternative Name
(null)
Uncertain Ident
(1)