Why is ‘Byzantine’ used to describe excessive bureaucracy? Was Byzantium really an administrative mess?
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Just want to add to the other comments that the Byzantine imperial court also had an extremely complex and strict system of social protocol all focused on the emperor. In similar fashion to how things functioned at Versailles in the 17th and 18th centuries, court life revolved around the emperor and physical access to him. So imagine a system in which those close to the emperor wanted and *needed* to stay close and all jostled to maintain their own access while simultaneously trying to push and keep others out.
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