ABSTRACT
During the Komnenian period, the economy of the Byzantine Empire was radically transformed as a result of the integration of the Mediterranean within expanding global networks of trade. Shifts in manufacturing, distribution, and finance – together with increased urbanisation and the migration of rural populations – created unprecedented opportunity for the accumulation of wealth. But they also destabilised the traditional structures of society, resulting in new groups of people who were needy, destitute, and disenfranchised. This study looks at the ways in which the Byzantine church and state responded to these challenges. It particularly considers changes in the understanding of the concepts of charity and justice. The geographic focus is on the western imperial provinces such as ‘Hellas and the Peloponnese’.
