Doukas
Doukas Δούκας Doukid dynasty | |
---|---|
Komnenodoukas | |
Deposition | 1081 |
The House of Doukas (pl. Doukai; Greek: Δούκας, pl. Δούκαι, feminine form Doukaina; Δούκαινα), Latinized as Ducas,[a][b] was a Byzantine Greek noble family, whose branches provided several notable generals and rulers to the Byzantine Empire in the 9th–11th centuries. A maternally-descended line, the Komnenodoukai, founded the Despotate of Epirus in the 13th century, with another branch ruling over Thessaly.
The continuity of descent amongst the various branches of the original, middle Byzantine family is not clear, and historians generally recognize several distinct groups of Doukai based on their occurrence in the contemporary sources. Polemis, who compiled the only overview work on the bearers of the Doukas name, in view of this lack of genealogical continuity "it would be a mistake to view the groups of people designated by the cognomen of Doukas as forming one large family".[1]
History
Origins
Nothing is known for certain about the family's origin. Later tradition, mentioned by the historian
Doukai of the early 10th century
The first representative of the family appears in the mid-9th century, during the regency of Empress
The first branch of the family to achieve prominence was in the early 10th century (they are usually referred to with the archaic form Doux rather than Doukas in the sources), with Andronikos Doukas and his son Constantine Doukas. Both were senior generals during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912). In circa 904, Andronikos engaged in an unsuccessful rebellion and was forced to flee to Baghdad where he was killed circa 910. Constantine managed to escape and was restored to high office, becoming Domestic of the Schools. He was killed, however, along with his son Gregory and nephew Michael, in an unsuccessful coup in June 913.[8][9][10] These deaths, along with the castration and exile of Constantine's younger son Stephen and the death of a Nicholas Doukas (of uncertain relation to the others) at the Battle of Katasyrtai in 917, mark the end of the first group of Doukai recorded in Byzantine sources. It is likely, as the 12th-century historian Zonaras records, that the Doukai line died out, and that the later bearers of the name were descendants through the female line only.[6][8][11]
Lydoi-Doukai under Basil II
Towards the end of the 10th century, there appeared a second family, sometimes known as Lydoi ("the Lydians", likely indicating their origin). Its members were Andronikos Doux Lydos and his sons, Christopher and Bardas, the latter known by the sobriquet Mongos ("hoarse"). It is unclear whether the doux in Andronikos's name is a surname or a military rank; some scholars consider them as belonging to the Doukas clan, although the exact relation, if any, with the earlier Doukai is impossible to ascertain. The family was involved in the 976–979 rebellion of Bardas Skleros against Emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025), but the sons were later pardoned and resumed their careers. Bardas the Mongos is attested as late as 1017, when he led a military expedition against the Khazars.[6][12][13]
Doukas imperial dynasty
The third group of the family, the Doukai of the 11th century, was the more numerous and distinguished one, providing several generals and governors, and founding the Doukid dynasty which ruled Byzantium from 1059 to 1081. These Doukai seem to have come from Paphlagonia, and were exceedingly wealthy, possessing extensive estates in Anatolia. Again, the relationship of this group with the Doukai of the 9th and 10th centuries is unclear; the contemporary writers Michael Psellos and Nicholas Kallikles affirm such a relationship, but Zonaras openly questioned it.[6][14][15]
The most famous members of this group were the dynasty's founder, Emperor Constantine X Doukas (r. 1059–1067), his brother John Doukas, katepano and later Caesar, Constantine's son Michael VII Doukas (r. 1071–1078), Michael's younger brothers, Konstantios and Andronikos Doukas, Michael's son and co-emperor Constantine Doukas and John's son, the general Andronikos Doukas.[6][14]
During this period, the family intermarried with other aristocratic clans: before becoming emperor, Constantine X had married into the powerful
Under the Komnenoi
Their association with the Komnenoi helped ensure the continued prominence and prestige of the Doukas name at the apex of the Byzantine aristocracy into the
During the 12th century, the prestige of the Doukas name meant that it was often taken as a second surname by members of other families, even if remotely (and usually
Later branches
In this way, mingled with other noble families or adopted de novo even by humble families unrelated to the original lineage,
The name spread far and wide across the Greek-speaking world as well as in
Family tree of the House of Doukas
Vasileios Argyros | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(daughter) ∞ Constantine Diogenes | Andronikos Doukas HOUSE OF DOUKAS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romanos IV Diogenes Emperor of Romans | Eudokia Makrembolitissa | Constantine X Emperor of Romans (1059-1067) | John caesar ∞ Irene Pegonitissa | Sophia | Manuel Erotikos from Comne HOUSE OF KOMNENOS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andronikos domestikos of Scholon of East ∞ Maria of Bulgaria | Isaac I Komnenos Emperor of Romans (1057-1059) | John Komnenos domestikos ton Scholon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Constantine co-emperor | Constantine sebastos | Michael protostrator | John megas doux | Anna ∞ George Palaiologos general | Irene | Alexios I Komnenos Emperor of Romans (1081-1118) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Irene ∞ Gregory Kamateros logothetes ton Sekreton | Alexios Palaiologos megas doux ∞ Anna Komnene Doukaina | Theodora Komnene ∞ Constantine Angelos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgios Palaiologos megas eteriarhes | Andronikos Angelos general | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexios despot ∞ Irene Angelina | Alexios III Angelos Emperor of Romans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ pl. Ducae, feminine from Ducaena
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 1–2.
- ^ Polemis 1968, p. 3.
- ^ a b Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 2.
- ^ Polemis 1968, p. 4.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 5–6.
- ^ a b c d e f g ODB, "Doukas" (A. Kazhdan, A. Cutler), pp. 655–656.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 2, 16.
- ^ a b Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 3.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 2, 6–7, 16–25.
- ^ ODB, "Doukas" (A. Kazhdan, A. Cutler), pp. 655–656; "Doukas, Constantine" (A. Kazhdan, A. Cutler), p. 657.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 2, 6–8, 25–26.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 2, 8, 26–27.
- ^ Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 4.
- ^ a b Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 5.1.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 8–11.
- ^ Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 5.2.
- ^ Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 5.4.
- ^ Polemis 1968, p. 10.
- ^ ODB, "Doukas" (A. Kazhdan, A. Cutler), pp. 655–656; "Doukas, Con stantine" (C. M. Brand), pp. 657–658.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 10–11, 189.
- ^ Krsmanović 2003, Chapter 6.
- ^ Polemis 1968, p. 189.
- ^ cf. Polemis 1968, pp. 80–199.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 85–100.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 107ff.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 198–199.
- ^ Polemis 1968, p. 123.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 202–203.
- ^ Polemis 1968, pp. 202–211.
Sources
- Cheynet, Jean-Claude (1996). Pouvoir et Contestations à Byzance (963–1210) (in French). Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne. ISBN 978-2-85944-168-5.
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Krsmanović, Bojana (11 September 2003). "Doukas family". Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor. Athens: Foundation of the Hellenic World. Retrieved 2012-04-17. "Μεγάλη διαδικτυακή εγκυκλοπαίδεια της Μικράς Ασίας". Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- Polemis, Demetrios I. (1968). The Doukai: A Contribution to Byzantine Prosopography. London: The Athlone Press. OCLC 299868377.