Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Part I: Dissent and Consent 1. Voices of Dissent: Preaching and Negotiating Authority Organization of the ecclesiastics' group Major political and social themes in the ecclesiastics' writings 2. Voices of Consent: Imperial Rhetoricians, Theatra, and Patronage Theatra and imperial involvement Profile and organization of the rhetoricians Connections among the members of the literary court The rhetorical landscape in the late Palaiologan period Main themes in the rhetoricians' writings Part II: Other Voices, Other Approaches: Manuel II's Political Writings Introduction 3. The deliberative voice: The Dialogue with the Empress Mother on Marriage Contents and structure Genre Constructing dialogic authority 4. The Didactic Voice: the Foundations of Imperial Conduct Context of production Contents and structure Genre Authorial voice 5. The didactic voice: The Orations (Seven ethical-political orations) Introduction The dramatic setting The contents of the Orations Major themes in the Orations The contents and form of the orations Between teaching and preaching: constructing the genre of the Orations Authorial voice: teaching the son and admonishing the emperor 6. The narrative voice: The Funeral Oration on Brother Theodore, Despot of Morea Contexts of production The rhetorical template and the compositional structure of the Funeral oration The narrator and the narrative Authorial voice 7. Towards a Renewed Vision of Imperial Authority Society and social "classes" Enemies and allies Markers of Byzantine Identity Renewal of imperial ideology in Manuel's texts Manuel II's Imperial vision and Style of government Appendices Bibiliography Index.