Charsianon
Charsianon Χαρσιανόν, θέμα Χαρσιανοῦ | |
---|---|
Theme of the Byzantine Empire | |
863/873 – ca. 1072/3 | |
Map of the Theme of Charsianon within the Byzantine Empire in 1000 AD. | |
Capital | Charsianon (at first), Caesarea |
Area | |
• Coordinates | 39°44′25″N 35°50′10″E / 39.740217°N 35.836142°E |
Historical era | Middle Ages |
• Establishment as a theme | 863–873 |
• Fall to the Seljuks | after ca. 1072/3 |
Charsianon (
).History
The fortress of Charsianon (Greek: Χαρσιανόν κάστρον, Charsianon kastron;
Arabic: Qal'e-i Ḥarsanōs) is first mentioned in 638, during the first wave of the Muslim conquests, and was allegedly named after a general of Justinian I named Charsios.[1] The fortress is now identified with the ruins of Muşalikalesi (Muşali Kale of old) in the Akdağmadeni district in Yozgat Province.[2]
The
tourma).[3]
In the early 9th century, the fortress became the centre of a kleisoura, a separately administered fortified frontier district. Sometime between 863 and 873, it was raised to the status of a full theme, augmented by territory from the neighbouring Bucellarian, Armeniac and Cappadocian themes.[1][4] It ranked in the middle tier of themes, with its governing strategos receiving an annual salary of 20 pounds of gold and commanding, according to Arab sources, 4,000 men and four fortresses.[1]
In the 10th century, the theme of Charsianon became a major stronghold of the landed military aristocracy, with the great clans of
Seljuk Turks following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 and given to Danishmendids.[1] Gagik II is attested as the last doux of Charsianon in 1072–1073.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e ODB, "Charsianon" (C. Foss), p. 415.
- ^ Honigmann 1935, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Honigmann 1935, p. 50.
- ^ a b McGeer, Nesbitt & Oikonomides 2001, p. 107.
Sources
- Honigmann, Ernst (1935). Byzance et les Arabes, Tome III: Die Ostgrenze des Byzantinischen Reiches von 363 bis 1071 nach griechischen, arabischen, syrischen und armenischen Quellen. Corpus Bruxellense Historiae Byzantinae (in German). Brussels: Éditions de l'Institut de philologie et d'histoire orientales. OCLC 6934222.
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Leveniotis, Georgios Athanasios (2007). Η πολιτική κατάρρευση του Βυζαντίου στην Ανατολή: το ανατολικό σύνορο και η κεντρική Μικρά Ασία κατά το β' ήμισυ του 11ου αι [The Political Collapse of Byzantium in the East: The Eastern Frontier and Central Asia Minor During the Second Half of the 11th Century] (PhD thesis) (in Greek). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. hdl:10442/hedi/19246.
- McGeer, Eric; Nesbitt, John W.; ISBN 0-88402-282-X.
- Potache, Dejanira (1995). "Le thème et la forteresse, de Charsianon: recherches dans la région d'Akdagmadeni". In ISBN 9782859448325.