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Description
Massacre of the Latin Christians, April 1182 Constantinople
The Story
The Story
Patrikia Iouliana was a famed socialites and influential courtier during the epoch of Kommenian Dynasty in the late 12th century, where wealth, trade, culture and art flourished in the western region of the Byzantine Empire. But beneath her velvet reputation, Iouliana had an unnatural taste for sadistic debauchery and a rather deranged view of her orthodox faith, two qualities which the public rarely speak of, least they faced the consequences.
It was from her skewed views that made her developed a perverse hatred for the "Latins" who roamed around Constantinople like rats looking for their food. Most of these Latins were either Venetians or Genoese, Italians merchant who sought fortune from trading with the Greeks; but to Iouliana, they were all Catholics, vile heretics who perverted the Orthodoxy of Christianity through their misguided crusades and papacy. In order to appease her appetite for their demise, she schemed a few plots here and there to pit the Venetians and Genoese together, causing disturbance within the imperial city. The conflict did cause a lot of friction within the capital and resulted in the removal of Genoese and Venetians under the order of Emperor Manuel I. Unfortunately, her plan backfired since the Italians were too stubborn to leave Constantinople unlike what she had expected. While the Venetian and the Byzantine Empire was at a state of war, the Genoese and the Pisans profited from the conflict, resulting in the growth of the Latin population in the city.
But the whole event turned into her favor again when the emperor died, leaving his infant son Alexios II on the throne, under the regency of the Latin princess, Maria of Antioch. Iouliana began to spread rumors and false accusation against the Latins within the imperial court, which later spread to the general populace causing discontent amongst the people and massive negative impression directed towards the christian Latins. She also made sure that the young emperor was to be dethroned, by giving support to Andronikos I, one of the most successful pretender and contender to the throne. He succeeded in capturing Constantinople and was celebrated by the people for his victory, but before long, the celebration turned into riots directed against the Latins and the massacres shortly after. With the chaos spreading, Iouliana was filled with ecstasy and she too, took part in the massacre and bathed in the blood of the innocents she had been longing to purged from the face of the earth.
The aftermath of the massacre did not go into Iouliana 's favor however, because the butchery and mutilations committed by her was too much even for the guards and the people of Constantinople to stomach upon. In just few weeks, she was arrested, put on trial for her crime and blinded under Andronikos order. It was said that during the trial that she made curses and warned the new emperor and his council against the treachery and dangers of the Latin Christians.
Many dismissed her threat as a rambling of a mad woman and despite the unfortunate event, Constantinople tried to re-establish the relationship with the Latin west and trade soon resumed. Though she was released due to her influence within the court, she committed suicide shortly after. In years following her death, the new emperor Andronikos was dethroned and executed.
Unfortunately, her last warning became a reality when the Crusaders and the Venetians brutally sacked Constantinople just more than 20 years later in their 4th Crusade. Byzantine Empire was split apart and never recovered ever since then to its former glory, paving the way for the Turks of the east in their conquest of the empire.
A part of Project Tartarus that aims to explore the darker side of "Heroines" through fictional figures portrayed with debauchery, cruelty and immorality; all within the context of our History
Image size
2983x4748px 6.39 MB
Make
samsung
Model
SM-N910G
Shutter Speed
1/25 second
Aperture
F/2.2
Focal Length
5 mm
ISO Speed
320
Date Taken
Jul 6, 2016, 2:26:49 AM
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Comments4
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nicely done