In a short answer, yes. Politics has always had its complications no matter the talking point and the past was no exception. Describing something as ‘byzantine’ (which means [a system or situation] being excessively complicated, and typically involving a great deal of administrative detail or characterised by deviousness or underhand procedure) has a lot more meaning than some realise considering the rich history behind this word. I am, of course, talking about the Byzantine Empire. It would be quite understandable if it this point you were asking yourself, what is the Byzantine Empire? This part of history is rarely included in the school curriculum and often the one place you can truly study this empire is at university.
There are other links to the ancient and medieval past in relation to Brexit like the splitting of Europe caused by the Reformation five hundred years ago does seem oddly familiar to what the long drawn out process of the UK trying to leave is doing to relations with the rest of Europe. In addition to this, Dominic Cummings, chief adviser to the Prime Minister, thinks that there is no “better book than Thucydides as training for politics”. This seems to be good advice as Thucydides knew “how unpredictable war is … The longer it goes on, the more of a gamble it becomes” https://app.spectator.co.uk/2019/10/who-advises-dominic-cummings/pugpig_index.html which describes Brexit quite aptly.
First then, it is important for us to look into a brief history of this often-forgotten society. The Byzantine Empire essentially starts in the 3rd Century with the First division of the Roman Empire (then it would have been referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire). This changes with the nominal end of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th Century. It is no surprise then that despite speaking and writing in Greek, they saw themselves as Romans with the Emperor holding the special title of Emperor of the Romans.
The empire went from highs to lows, like the Fourth Crusade in 1204 when the Crusading army instead of gaining control over the holy land and cities again, decided that taking over Constantinople (the capital) was more important. Indeed, this also shows one of the remarkable traits of the Byzantine Empire and that was, even when it really seemed like the end, it would make a comeback which it did fifty-seven years later in 1261. Remarkably, the Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453 when on the 29th May, the new powerhouse that was the Ottoman Empire successfully conquered the city of Constantinople.
Going back to the Fourth Crusade, one of the key reasons for the loss of the city of Constantinople was the incompetence of Emperor Alexios III and the unstable internal politics the Byzantines were suffering from. This only seems all too familiar with David Cameron firstly deciding to have a referendum and then to lose the campaign for the remain vote. Then there is also Theresa May, who after a tearful speech outside No. 10 Downing street announced that she would be resigning. Perhaps you could feel sorry for her but seemingly lack of progress towards a deal and leaving the EU reminds you of the importance of having strong leadership. Granted, this has not been helped by the political parties quite literally splitting apart and that the EU is making it difficult for the UK to negotiate a deal that would make leaving the EU actually worth it as they probably want to use the UK as an example for not leaving.
The past three years and the period before 1204 show their political instability through the regular change of Emperor or Prime Minister. From 1180 to 1204, there were seven emperors. You can understand where the saying ‘byzantine’ has come from because of the often-underhanded nature of Byzantine politics. Unstable politics and civil was also a key reason in the loss of Asia Minor in the 11th Century and the loss of territory in the 14th and 15th century. Furthermore, to stop deposed emperor’s from trying to regain the throne, they would often be mutilated (for example, being blinded) as the Byzantines saw them as ‘incomplete’ and so unfit to rule. Gunther of Paris, who is a contemporary source, gives us a Western perspective on it;
“Greece the scum of scum – a people impious to Greek kings whom it is wont to butcher or blind”
Gunther of Paris, The Capture of Constantinople, trans. A.J. Andrea (Philadelphia, 1997), p. 90.
Thankfully today such practices are long out of fashion, but the Conservative Government has had three leaders and Prime Ministers in three years which is certainly not ideal given what is needed is a strong leader. However, it is not only the Conservatives dealing with problems.
There have been multiple attempts at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and an entirely new political party, The Independent Group for Change, was created although to limited success. It is quite understandable that news articles written on the fiasco that is Brexit often describe it as ‘Byzantine’;
“The United Kingdom is splitting from the European Union’s 28-member trade bloc in a Byzantine process that has consumed more than two years. “
Mark Decambre – MarketWatch ( https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-is-brexit-and-why-is-it-so-complicated-2018-10-17 )
Even now when Brexit seemed to be drawing to some sort of close, a general election is just round the corner which could either allow us to finally make a decision on whether we are actually leaving or somehow make this mess worse than it already is, which would be impressive.
This may seem like a case of the cliché ‘History repeats itself’, but it is more of a comparison from then to now and how politics, in a generic sense, has always been complicated. The Byzantine Empire has given us important things , like the Corpus Juris Civilis, which was the foundation for law for centuries. But most significantly, extra meaning behind the word byzantine which allows it to be the perfect word to describe Brexit, or any political scene in a mess, because of its heritage and history.
Ancient History and me 