Title:On Romanos and HisNovelPromulgated in 934

Author: Yin Zhonghai, Ph. D. Candidate, Faculty of History and Culture, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China, 130024; Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economy, Nanchang, China, 330013.

Abstract: In the “Golden Age” of Byzantium, one of the main issues for the government was to reduce the conflict between the “powerful” and the “poor” to prevent the centralization of arable land into the “powerful”. As a result, severalNovelswere promulgated by the emperors. Romanos, one of the concerned Emperors, promulgatedNovelsin 922 and 934. The 934Novelwas not a simple supplement to the earlier one. Rather, it was designed to adjust the previous legislations promulgated by the other emperors. In addition, the 934Novel contains other important terms including a new definition of the powerful. To understand the real meaning of thisNovel, it is necessary to analyze its social backgrounds and the long- term history of the Byzantium.

Key Words: Romanos; Land legislation;Novelin 934