Angeliki Laiou
Encyclopedia
Angeliki Laiou was a Greek
Byzantinist.
on 6 April 1941 to a Pontic
family, refugees
from the Black Sea
coast of modern Turkey
. She studied at the Athens College
and continued her studies in the Philosophy School of the University of Athens (1958–59), where she studied under the Greek Byzantinist Dionysios Zakythinos
, who awakened her interest in the Byzantine Empire
. She moved to Brandeis University
from where she graduated with her BA in 1961, and completed a post-graduate course and received her PhD from Harvard in 1966, under the supervision of Robert Lee Wolff, one of the leading historians of the Crusades
. Her doctoral thesis became the basis for her first book, published in 1972 as Constantinople and the Latins: The Foreign Policy of Andronicus II, 1282–1328.
In 1962, she went to lecture at the University of Louisiana
, before returning to Harvard, where she stayed from 1966 to 1972, first as instructor and then as assistant professor. She then moved to Brandeis, where she remained until 1981, becoming distinguished professor. In 1981, she returned to Harvard to occupy the prestigious Dumbarton Oaks Professorship of Byzantine Studies, a post she held until her death. In 1985–88, she served as the head of Harvard's History Department—the first woman to head a department at Harvard—and from 1989 until 1998 she headed the distinguished Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, DC—again the first woman to do so.
With her Laiou pioneered the study of Byzantine and wider medieval society, and especially the role of women. Her article on The role of women in Byzantine society, published in the Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik in 1981, "opened a new field for scholars of Byzantium". Her works on Peasant Society in the Late Byzantine Empire (1977) and Mariage, Amour et Parenté à Byzance Aux XIe-XIIIe Siècles (1992) were among the first studies in their field. During her last years, she presided over the compilation of the three-volume Economic History of Byzantium (2002), a definitive work in this until then rather neglected field, followed up a few years later by The Byzantine Economy (2007), her last book.
In her native Greece, she was honoured by being included into the Academy of Athens
in 1998, only the second woman after the writer Galateia Saranti, and by being decorated with the Commander class of the Order of Honour. In the April 2000 elections, she was elected as a member of the Hellenic Parliament
on the list of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
. In May 2000, she was also named as Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs charged with relations with the Greek diaspora
. Disappointed with the realities of the job, she resigned the post six months later to resume her academic activities, and resigned her Parliament seat as well in 2002. Laiou was also a corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
, the Austrian Academy of Sciences
, a foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
, a member of the Medieval Academy of America
and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, and an honorary professor at Nankai University
.
Diagnosed with thyroid cancer
in September 2008, she died in Boston on 11 December 2008. She was married to Stavros Thomadakis
, a former chairman of the Greek Capital Market Commission, whom she later divorced. She is survived by a son, Vassilis Thomadakis.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Byzantinist.
Life
Laiou was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
on 6 April 1941 to a Pontic
Pontic Greeks
The Pontians are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea...
family, refugees
Greek refugees
Greek refugees is a collective term used to refer to the Greeks from Asia Minor who were evacuated or relocated in Greece following the Treaty of Lausanne and the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey...
from the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast of modern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. She studied at the Athens College
Athens College
Athens College is a co-educational private independent school in Psychiko, Greece, a suburb of Athens, part of the Hellenic-American Educational Foundation which also includes Psychiko College, although both schools are usually referred to as "Athens College"...
and continued her studies in the Philosophy School of the University of Athens (1958–59), where she studied under the Greek Byzantinist Dionysios Zakythinos
Dionysios Zakythinos
Dionysios A. Zakythinos or Zakythenos was a leading Greek Byzantinist.Zakythinos was born in Kefalonia in 1905. After graduating from the University of Athens in 1927, he went to the Sorbonne, which at the time was a major center of Byzantine studies with scholars like Charles Diehl and Ferdinand...
, who awakened her interest in the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. She moved to Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
from where she graduated with her BA in 1961, and completed a post-graduate course and received her PhD from Harvard in 1966, under the supervision of Robert Lee Wolff, one of the leading historians of the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. Her doctoral thesis became the basis for her first book, published in 1972 as Constantinople and the Latins: The Foreign Policy of Andronicus II, 1282–1328.
In 1962, she went to lecture at the University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana may refer to:* University of Louisiana System, public multi-campus university system** Northwestern State University of Louisiana...
, before returning to Harvard, where she stayed from 1966 to 1972, first as instructor and then as assistant professor. She then moved to Brandeis, where she remained until 1981, becoming distinguished professor. In 1981, she returned to Harvard to occupy the prestigious Dumbarton Oaks Professorship of Byzantine Studies, a post she held until her death. In 1985–88, she served as the head of Harvard's History Department—the first woman to head a department at Harvard—and from 1989 until 1998 she headed the distinguished Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, DC—again the first woman to do so.
With her Laiou pioneered the study of Byzantine and wider medieval society, and especially the role of women. Her article on The role of women in Byzantine society, published in the Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik in 1981, "opened a new field for scholars of Byzantium". Her works on Peasant Society in the Late Byzantine Empire (1977) and Mariage, Amour et Parenté à Byzance Aux XIe-XIIIe Siècles (1992) were among the first studies in their field. During her last years, she presided over the compilation of the three-volume Economic History of Byzantium (2002), a definitive work in this until then rather neglected field, followed up a few years later by The Byzantine Economy (2007), her last book.
In her native Greece, she was honoured by being included into the Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens (modern)
The Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education...
in 1998, only the second woman after the writer Galateia Saranti, and by being decorated with the Commander class of the Order of Honour. In the April 2000 elections, she was elected as a member of the Hellenic Parliament
Hellenic Parliament
The Hellenic Parliament , also the Parliament of the Hellenes, is the Parliament of Greece, located in the Parliament House , overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece....
on the list of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
. In May 2000, she was also named as Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs charged with relations with the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Disappointed with the realities of the job, she resigned the post six months later to resume her academic activities, and resigned her Parliament seat as well in 2002. Laiou was also a corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
, the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
, a foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
, a member of the Medieval Academy of America
Medieval Academy of America
The Medieval Academy of America is the largest organization in the United States promoting excellence in the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, and an honorary professor at Nankai University
Nankai University
Nankai University , commonly known as Nankai, is a public research university based in Tianjin on mainland China. Founded in 1919 by educators Zhang Boling and Yan Fansun , Nankai University is a member of the Nankai serial schools. It is the alma mater of former Chinese Premier and key historical...
.
Diagnosed with thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer
Thyroid neoplasm is a neoplasm or tumor of the thyroid. It can be a benign tumor such as thyroid adenoma, or it can be a malignant neoplasm , such as papillary, follicular, medullary or anaplastic thyroid cancer. Most patients are 25 to 65 years of age when first diagnosed; women are more affected...
in September 2008, she died in Boston on 11 December 2008. She was married to Stavros Thomadakis
Stavros Thomadakis
Stavros Thomadakis is a Greek economist who served as chairman of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, Professor of Finance at the University of Athens and chairman of the Public Interest Oversight Board.-Academic career:...
, a former chairman of the Greek Capital Market Commission, whom she later divorced. She is survived by a son, Vassilis Thomadakis.