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Why white supremacists and QAnon enthusiasts are obsessed – but very wrong – about the Byzantine Empire
Inspiration for a crowd of angry white men? From Charlottesville to the Capitol, medieval imagery has been repeatedly displayed in far-right rallies and riots in recent years. Exhibitions of crossed shields and tattoos derived from Nordic and Celtic symbols do not surprise medieval historians like me, who have long documented the appropriation of the Middle Ages by today’s extreme right. But in the midst of all the expected Viking images and nods to the Crusaders, there is another dormant “medievalism” that has not yet been fully recognized in reports on extreme right and conspiracy theorists: the Byzantine Empire. Byzantium – or more properly, the medieval Roman Empire – controlled much of the Mediterranean at the height of its territorial dominance in the middle of the sixth century. Centered in modern day Istanbul from 330 to 1453 AD, its capital, Constantinople, was a thriving intellectual, political and military power. One of its greatest achievements, the church of Hagia Sophia, is a testament to the architectural and artistic prowess of the empire. Hagia Sofia is a testament to the achievements of Byzantium. Salvator Barki / Getty Images But in the Western world, the Byzantine Empire has been largely neglected and overlooked. High school students in the United States probably know little about the empire. And nowadays, the word “Byzantine” has come to mean simply complicated, secret and bureaucratic. This reduction in their status is not an entirely new process. As early as 1776, English historian Edward Gibbon was disparagingly referring to the inhabitants of the empire as “the servile and effeminate Greeks of Byzantium”. A ‘New Byzantium’ Despite this modern disdain for Byzantium in the West, it has recently served as an inspiration for various factions of the far right. In September 2017, Jason Kessler, an American neo-Nazi who helped organize the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, opened a new supremacist group called the “The New Byzantium” project. Described by Kessler as “the leading organization for pro-white defense in the 21st century,” The New Byzantium is based on the misrepresentation of the white supremacist leader. Its premise is that when Rome fell, the Byzantine Empire preserved a white-European civilization. This is not true. In reality, the empire was made up of diverse peoples who roamed the streets of their capital, coming from places as far away as Nubia, Ethiopia, Syria and North Africa. Contemporary sources have observed – sometimes with disdain – the racial and ethnic diversity of Constantinople and the emperors of the empire. But Kessler’s “New Byzantium” aims to preserve white rule after what he calls “the inevitable collapse of the American Empire”. The organization has been operating under the radar since 2017, with little online presence. Kessler’s original “deep state” is not the only one to take over the empire. Through my research, I have monitored Byzantium references on online forums. Mentions of Byzantium are spread across message boards frequented by both white supremacists and QAnon enthusiasts – who launch conspiracy theories about a deep conspiracy of Satan-worshiping pedophiles and blood drinkers who rule the world. In 8kun and other online platforms I reviewed, the Byzantine Empire is discussed as continuing Rome’s legacy after being, in its understanding, “destroyed by the Jews” or being the only true empire, with Rome being merely a historical myth created for degrade the power and importance of Byzantium. This last story comes up in a QAnon topic about “Cooking” – that is, the connection and weaving of drops (messages) by the enigmatic Q. One post states: “It all makes sense when you learn that the books of the Bible are plagiarized copies of the Byzantium chronology, and also of the mythical Roman Empire, which never existed in Italy, but was in fact centered in Constantinople. ”Other QAnon commentators on forums and Twitter speak of the“ exiled throne of Byzantium ”, noting:“ the Empire it never left, it just became hidden “. They exclaim” Viva Byzantium “and call for a” return to Byzantium “to save people from Satanists. Strangely, while some consider the Byzantine Empire to be the vanguard of white supremacy, a smaller group of supremacy conspiracy theorists see it as “the original Deep State.” In some interpretations, Byzantium is, through some nebulous illuminated connections, the origins of the “deep state” – the myth of a subterranean conspiracy of elites who rule the world in secret. It has persisted in secrecy since the fall of Constantinople, either by negotiating eunuchs in the underground market or by preserving whiteness and Christianity, depending on the negative or positive view of the thread on the empire. Reconquest of Hagia Sophia For many on the far right, the conversation about Byzantium is disguised as Islamophobia – both online and in tragic real-life events. A white supremacist who killed more than 50 believers in mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019 protested the Turks and the conquest of Constantinople in a 74-page manifesto. “We are going to Constantinople and we will destroy all the mosques and minarets in the city. Hagia Sophia will be free of minarets and Constantinople will again be owned by Christians by right, ”wrote the sniper. In all QAnon message boards, the reconquest of Hagia Sophia is emblematic of the destruction of Islam and the restoration of a mythical white Byzantium. One post said, “When we free Constantinople and Hagia Sophia, maybe we can talk.” ‘Third Rome’ This “reconquest” of Constantinople was even linked in some online posts to the presidency of Donald Trump, with images circulating online apparently prophesying that this would happen during his term. In one image, Trump is seen congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin “for the resumption of Constantinople” and greeting what was supposed to be the Hagia Sophia, although in fact it is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Putin himself is not averse to resorting to Byzantium symbolism. The Russian state has long tried to position itself as the legitimate successor to the Byzantine Empire, with Moscow as the “Third Rome”. This is part of a religious and political doctrine linked to Russian territorial expansion that can be traced back to the end of the 15th century. The far-right appropriation of Byzantium in the United States seems to be influenced by this Russian interpretation. In fact, Russian proponents of the “Third Rome” doctrine have been cited as influences by prominent figures on the American right. No matter the source of the recent interest in Byzantium on the part of America’s white supremacy and conspiracy theorists, one thing is clear: it is based on a very distorted idea of the Byzantine Empire that emerged from the tense place of the empire in our stories, trapped among ancient and medieval, spirituality and bureaucracy. [Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]This article has been republished from The Conversation, a non-profit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Roland Betancourt, University of California, Irvine. Read more: Why Hagia Sophia remains a powerful symbol of spiritual and political authoritySacred violence is not yet ancient history – beating it will result in human action, not divine intervention Roland Betancourt does not work for, consult, own shares or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article and did not disclose relevant affiliations other than its academic nomination.