Bureau of Barbarians

Bureau of Barbarians

The Bureau of Barbarians, or "Skrinion Barbaron", was a ministry of the government in the Eastern Roman, or "Byzantine", Empire. Begun as an Office of Protocol it became what is generally considered to be the first centralized foreign intelligence gathering agency (somewhat comparable to the modern Russian SVR or the British MI6) in world history. The ministry's superficial role was always a diplomatic one, managing foreign relations and entertaining foreign dignitaries, but its primary purpose was to gather intelligence regarding foreign kingdoms and their rulers as a means to gain their alliances and/or undermine them as the need arose. Its role can be seen as part of the larger Roman/Byzantine philosophy that diplomacy was simply a more sophisticated form of warfare by which the emperors attempted to avoid armed conflict in favor of political manipulation wherever possible.

References

*cite journal|last=Antonucci|first=Michael|year=1993|month=February|title=War by Other Means: The Legacy of Byzantium|journal=History Today|volume=43|issue=2|pages=11–13|issn=0018-2753|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4706/is_199302/ai_n17277331|accessdate=2007-05-21
* cite book |last= Eliopoulos|first= Nicholas |pages= 222| chapter= The Double-Headed Eagle
title= Oneness of Politics and Religion|edition= 1st edition |year= 2002 |publisher= Writers Club Press |language= English|id= ISBN 0595240542
* cite book |last= Hill|first= David |pages= 481| chapter= The Conflict of the Empire and the Papacy
title= A History of Diplomacy in the International Development of Europe, Volume I: The Struggle for Universal Empire|edition= 1st edition |year= 1905 |publisher= Longmans, Green, and Co. |language= English|id= ISBN 9780722222027
* cite book |last= Hitchens|first= Marilynn |pages= 418| chapter= The Byzantine Empire and the Kievan State
title= How to Prepare for SAT II|edition= 2nd edition |year= 2001 |publisher= Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated |language= English|id= ISBN 9780764113857
* Barros-Van Buren, Mario, " [http://www.cooperaciondescentralizada.gov.cl/escuela/1513/article-68741.html El sentido profesional de la diplomacia] ", Escuela Virtual: Diplomacia Derecho y Práctica, Cooperacion Descentralizada Chile, retrieved 7 Jan. 2008.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Byzantine diplomacy — concerns the principles and methods, the mechanisms the ideals and techniques that the Byzantine empire espoused and used in order to negotiate with the other states and to promote the goals of its foreign policy. Dimitri Obolensky asserts that… …   Wikipedia

  • Byzantine Empire — This article is about the medieval Roman empire. For other uses, see Byzantine (disambiguation). Roman Empire Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Ῥωμανία Basileia Rhōmaiōn, Rhōmanía Imperium Romanum, Romania …   Wikipedia

  • Magister officiorum — The insignia of the Eastern magister officiorum as displayed in the Notitia Dignitatum: the codicil of his office on a stand, shields with the emblems of the Scholae regiments, and assorted arms and armour attesting the office s control of the… …   Wikipedia

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

  • History of foreign relations of the People's Republic of China — Main article: Foreign relations of the People s Republic of China Since the early 1980s China has pursued a highly independent foreign policy, formally disavowing too close a relationship with any country or region. The stated goals of this… …   Wikipedia

  • Tanka people — Total population 4,569,000 [1] Regions with significant populations …   Wikipedia

  • Boucau Tarnos stade — Pour les articles homonymes, voir BTS. Infobox club sportif Boucau Tarnos stade …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ancient Rome — ▪ ancient state, Europe, Africa, and Asia Introduction       the state centred on the city of Rome. This article discusses the period from the founding of the city and the regal period, which began in 753 BC, through the events leading to the… …   Universalium

  • Anchorage, Alaska — Anchorage redirects here. For other uses, see Anchorage (disambiguation). Anchorage   Unified Borough and City   Municipality of Anchorage …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”