Manuel Erotikos Komnenos
Manuel Erotikos Komnenos | |
---|---|
Native name | Μανουήλ Ἐρωτικός Κομνηνός |
Born | 955/960 |
Died | 1020 |
Battles/wars | Rebellions of Bardas Skleros |
Relations | Isaac I Komnenos, John Komnenos (sons) |
Manuel Erotikos Komnenos (
Biography
Nothing is known of Manuel's early life. From the fact that he was militarily active in 978, and given that he was able to have children as late as c. 1015, a date of birth of c. 955/960 has been suggested and generally accepted by modern scholars.[1][2] His parents' identity is obscure: as Manuel's own firstborn son was named Isaac (Isaakios), the Greek scholar Konstantinos Varzos considered it likely that his father had the same name, since according to Greek custom the eldest male child is named after its paternal grandfather. Nothing is known otherwise about his life and career. According to Varzos, Manuel inherited his surname of "Komnenos" from his father, while his equally obscure mother was an unnamed lady of the Erotikos family, possibly related to the 11th-century rebel Theophilos Erotikos.[3] The French scholar Jean-Claude Cheynet, on the other hand, proposed that Manuel was a member of the Erotikos family, and that he was the first to have changed the surname to Komnenos.[2] Modern scholarship commonly accepts Michael Psellos' comment that the family originated from the village of Komne in Thrace.[4][5] Varzos also considers Manuel a brother of the protospatharios Nikephoros Komnenos, who was named governor of the Armenian region of Vaspurakan soon after its annexation in 1021, but although possible, such a relationship cannot be proven.[2][4][6]
Manuel is mentioned for the first time in 978, when he led the defence of
Manuel owned lands in Kastamon, on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, inherited after his death by his eldest son,[2] and which became the stronghold of the family in the 11th century.[4][7] Manuel Erotikos Komnenos died probably around 1020. At that time, his children were still young, so he entrusted them to the care of Emperor Basil II.[2][8]
Family
Manuel's wife is virtually unknown. She was likely named Maria, as were two of her granddaughters, and probably died c. 1015.[8] They had two sons and one daughter:[8]
- Isaac I Komnenos (c. 1007 – 1061), married Catherine of Bulgaria, daughter of the last Bulgarian Tsar, and a distinguished general. He became emperor in 1057 at the head of a cabal of Anatolian generals, but resigned in 1059 and retired to a monastery.[9]
- an unnamed daughter (born c. 1012), married
- John Komnenos (c. 1015 – 12 July 1067), married Anna Dalassene, and served during his brother's reign as Domestic of the Schools. He fathered several children who also became senior military leaders. His third son, Alexios I Komnenos, became emperor in 1081, founding the Komnenian dynasty.[4][11]
References
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 38.
- ^ a b c d e f g h PmbZ, Manuel Erotikos bzw. Komnenos (#24885).
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 37–38.
- ^ a b c d ODB, "Komnenos" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 1143–1144.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 25.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 25–26.
- ^ a b c Varzos 1984, p. 39.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 41–47.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 47–49.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 49–57.
Sources
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Koytcheva, Elena (2014). "The Forefather of the Komnenian Dynasty. His Name and Career". In Schwarcz, Andreas; Soustal, Peter; Tcholakova, Antoaneta (eds.). Das mittelalterliche Bulgarien, Byzanz und Europa. Vienna: LIT Verlag. pp. 89–100. ISBN 978-3-643-50591-0.
- Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
- Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. A. Thessaloniki: OCLC 834784634.