The Unforgettable Insults: How an Italian Bishop Ridiculed Byzantium

The Unforgettable Insults: How an Italian Bishop Ridiculed Byzantium

Digital representation of Liutprand of Cremona, the 10th-century Italian bishop, during his visit to the magnificent court of the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas. Credit: Greek Reporter archive Of all the diplomatic reports ever filed, few have been as intentionally provocative and genuinely hilarious, as the one written by Liutprand of Cremona, a 10th-century Italian bishop who traveled to the heart of the Byzantine Empire and roasted th…