John Tzetzes, (c. 1110-1180) was a Byzantine poet and grammarian, known to have lived at Constantinople during the 12th century. Events December 4 - First Crusade: The Crusaders conquer Sidon. ... Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... For the surname, see Grammer. ... Map of Constantinople. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...

Tzetzes was described as vain, seems to have resented any attempt at rivalry, and violently attacked his fellow grammarians. Owing to a lack of written material, he was obliged to trust to his memory; therefore caution has to be exercised in reading his work. However, he was learned, and made a great contribution to the furtherance of the study of ancient Greek literature. // Main article: Ancient Greek literature Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in Ancient Greek from the oldest surviving written works in the Greek language until the 4th century and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. ...

The most important of his many works is considered to be the Book of Histories, usually called Chiliades ("thousands") from the arbitrary division by its first editor (N Gerbel, 1546) into books each containing 1000 lines (it actually consists of 12,674 lines of "political" verse). It is a collection of literary, historical, theological and antiquarian miscellanies, whose chief value consists in the fact that it to some extent makes up for the loss of works which were accessible to Tzetzes. The whole production suffers from an unnecessary display of learning, the total number of authors quoted being more than 400. The author subsequently brought out a revised edition with marginal notes in prose and verse (ed. T Kiessling, 1826; on the sources see C Harder, De J. T. historiarum fontibus quaestiones selectae, diss., Kiel, 1886). The Chiliades (more properly, the Book of Histories) is a work of the 12th century by John Tzetzes, a Byzantine grammarian. ... // Events Spanish conquest of Yucatan Peace between England and France Foundation of Trinity College, Cambridge by Henry VIII of England Katharina von Bora flees to Magdeburg Science Architecture Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. ...

A collection of 107 Letters addressed partly to fictitious personages, and partly to the great men and women of the writer's time, contain a considerable amount of biographical details.

Tzetzes supplemented Homer's Iliad by a work that begins with the birth of Paris and continues the tale to the returns of the Achaeans home. Homer (Greek: , Hómēros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos (rhapsode) traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ... It has been suggested that Deception of Zeus be merged into this article or section. ...

The Homeric Allegories, dedicated to the empress Irene, in "political" verse, are two didactic poems in which Homer and the Homeric theology are explained on euphemistic principles (ed. P Matranga, in his Anecdota graeca, i. 1850).

Tzetzes also wrote commentaries on a number of Greek authors, the most important of which is that on the Cassandra or Alexandra of Lycophron (ed. KO Müller, 1811), in the production of which his brother Isaac is generally associated with him. Mention may also be made of a dramatic sketch in iambic verse, in which the caprices of fortune and the wretched lot of the learned are described; and of an iambic poem on the death of the emperor Manuel, noticeable for introducing at the beginning of each line the last word of the line preceding it1 (both in Matranga, An. gr.) Lycophron was a Greek poet and grammarian. ... Karl Otfried Müller (August 28, 1797–August 1, 1840), was a German scholar and Philodorian. ...

For the other works of Tzetzes see JA Fabricius, Bibliotheca graeca (ed. Harles), xi. 228, and Karl Krumbacher, Geschichte der byz. Litt. (2nd ed., 1897); monograph by G. Hart, "De Tzetzarum nomine, vitis, scriptis," in Jahn's Jahrbucher fur classische Philologie. Supplementband xii. (Leipzig, 1881). Johann Albert Fabricius (November 11, 1668 - April 30, 1736), was a German classical scholar and bibliographer. ... Gottlieb Christoph Harless (originally Harles) (June 21, 1738 - November 2, 1815), was a German classical scholar and bibliographer. ... Karl Krumbacher (September 23, 1856 - December 12, 1909), German Byzantine scholar, was born at Kurnach in Bavaria. ...

Reference

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.