Preface and Introduction

To The Most illustrious Basiliea, beloved Consort of his Imperial Eminence and Heir to the Must August Throne, Constantine, son of Constantine: Helga Von Dunklebach

It is with great trepidation and enthusiasm that I approach you with this letter. I am the pre-eminent scholar of The Imperial Academy of Constantinople, and the foremost “Teacher of Teachers,” but you may think of me as your humble Scholastikos. It is the esteemed pleasure of my colleagues that I be made your tutor, and educate you on the history of this great kingdom that you have married into.

It seems that your attempt to commission a crucifix for your chambers, has caused some contention with the Imperial court. While painting grotesque caricatures you call “icons” may be acceptable in Frankish lands, reigniting the iconomachy from inside your bedroom is likely not the most strategically sound plan. May I please your imperial highness with a perhaps more suitable commission for your role as Patroness of Learning? I am including as part of this letter a copy of a work known as “The Narcissists.” It is a comic dialogue favored by the court and frequently attributed by the Imperial Court to the great Athenian comic despite all evidence to the contrary. We call him Aristophanes, and his works form the corpus of instruction we give to our children. Now I've heard some say that it is fitting that a work by Pseudo-Aristophanes be used to educate a Pseudo-Hellenic Monarch, but the real reason it is fitting, is because of its relevance to our current circumstances. 

I understand this new culture is difficult, so I advise you to read my message carefully. Whatever quibbles your humble teacher may have with this text in regards to literary merit or authenticity, its relevance to current circumstances are highly valuable. So treat this text as a work of Cultural education, rather than a literary one.