Reframing Medieval Anatolia, Caucasia, and the Aegean: Narratives, States, and Cities. Medieval Worlds|Urban Agencies: Reframing Anatolian and Caucasian Cities (13th-14th Centuries) & Movement and Mobility in the Medieval Mediterranean: Changing Perspectives from Late Antiquity to the Long-Twelfth Century, II - Volume 14. 2021 medieval worlds Volume 14. 2021|

There is no single totalising modern historiographical narrative for thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Anatolia, Caucasia, and the Aegean. The modern narration of this past is constituted by a collage of narratives, each of which is centred on specific state projects. This article sketches the limitations of the statist common sense that has framed the modern narration of this period, with specific reference to the two most prominent narratives, the decline of Byzantium and the rise of the Ottomans. It then outlines in broad terms the heuristic potential in replacing the state with the city as the foundational unit of analysis for the study of medieval Anatolia, Caucasia, and the Aegean. This approach is intended to build on the theoretical groundwork laid by the pioneers of a holistic medieval Anatolian studies and the increasing number and quality of studies centred on urban centres. The study finishes with a case study, examining the manner in which the failed siege of Attaleia/Antalya/Satalia in 1206 and the successful conquest of the city in 1207 have been integrated into and made meaningful within state-centric reconstructions of the history of the early thirteenth century. In particular, it demonstrates how the centring of these states emphasises elite male characters and obscures the roles played by the city’s population. This article is intended to set out a broad framework for the other, more fine-grained contributions to this thematic section