Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos
Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Νικηφόρος Φωκᾶς |
| Born | 965 |
| Died | 15 August 1022 (aged 56–57) |
| Noble family | Phokas |
| Father | Bardas Phokas the Younger |
| Occupation | Aristocrat and magnate |
Nikephoros Phokas (
Life
Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos was a son of the general Bardas Phokas the Younger, and had one older brother, Leo.[1] In spring 970, following the murder of Barytrachelos's great-uncle Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas by John I Tzimiskes, his father tried to raise a rebellion against the new regime in the family's base at Cappadocia. Tzimiskes dispatched his lieutenant Bardas Skleros against Bardas Phokas. Skleros was able to lure away many of Phokas' supporters, until he was forced to surrender.[2][3] Although not explicitly mentioned in the sources, Nikephoros probably shared his father's fortune, being exiled to the Aegean island of Chios with the rest of his family.[1]
Role in the revolts of Bardas Phokas and Bardas Skleros
In 978, after Tzimiskes's death and the rise of
In 987, however, Bardas Skleros was released from Baghdad and tried to raise another revolt. He contacted Bardas Phokas for a common undertaking against Basil II, but Phokas deceived and imprisoned Skleros, before finally launching his own uprising by proclaiming himself emperor in August/September 987.[6][7] It is here that Nikephoros is named for the first time in the sources: his father sent him to David III of Tao to secure military aid, and to confront the loyalist general Gregory Taronites, who had landed in the Phokades's rear at Trebizond and had raised an army of Armenians in the eastern provinces. Nikephoros secured 1,000 Georgian soldiers from David and defeated Taronites, but soon after that news reached him of the death of his father at the Battle of Abydos on 13 April 989. Bardas Phokas's demise led to the immediate collapse of the rebellion: the Georgians returned to their country, and Nikephoros's troops dispersed to their homes.[1][8] Nikephoros fled to the fortress of Tyropoion, where his mother resided and where the imprisoned Bardas Skleros was held. Along with his brother Leo, Nikephoros now supported Skleros's candidacy as emperor, but the latter, old and weary, preferred to give up the struggle and submit to the emperor in exchange for leniency. Like Bardas Skleros, Nikephoros received a pardon, and was allowed to retain his privileges. Leo on the other hand tried to resist from his base at Antioch, but the city's inhabitants surrendered him to Basil.[1][9][10]
Rebellion with Nikephoros Xiphias and death
Nothing is heard of Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos until the summer of 1022, when he conspired with the general
The rebellion of the two men was particularly threatening to the emperor, as it took control over Cappadocia and threatened to cut off his rear and leave him stranded between two enemies. Indeed, the conspirators are said to have been in contact with George I for that purpose.
Following the death of Phokas, the rebellion collapsed, and Xiphias was arrested and forced to become a monk.[14] Released from the threat to his rear, Basil II swiftly and decisively defeated George I, and imposed his terms on him.[12] The other supporters of the uprising were imprisoned and released in 1025, after the death of Basil II and the succession of his younger brother, Constantine VIII.[1][15] In 1026, however, Constantine VIII accused the last surviving member of the once great family, Bardas Phokas (a son of Nikephoros Barytrachelos),[16] of plotting against the throne, and had him blinded.[17][18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k PmbZ, Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos (#25675).
- ^ Treadgold 1997, pp. 507–508.
- ^ Whittow 1996, pp. 354–355.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, pp. 514–516.
- ^ Whittow 1996, pp. 363–365.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, p. 517.
- ^ Whittow 1996, pp. 370–371.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, p. 518.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, pp. 518–519.
- ^ Whittow 1996, p. 373.
- ^ a b Cheynet 1990, pp. 36–37.
- ^ a b Treadgold 1997, p. 530.
- ^ a b Cheynet 1990, pp. 36–37, 333.
- ^ Cheynet 1990, pp. 37, 333.
- ^ Cheynet 1990, p. 37.
- ^ "Bardas 103". Prosopography of the Byzantine World.
- ^ Cheynet 1990, pp. 39, 333.
- ^ ODB, "Phokas" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 1665–1666.
Sources
- Cheynet, Jean-Claude (1990). Pouvoir et Contestations à Byzance (963–1210) (in French). Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne. ISBN 978-2-85944-168-5.
- ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
- Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Zielke, Beate; Pratsch, Thomas, eds. (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). De Gruyter.
- Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.
- Whittow, Mark (1996). The Making of Byzantium, 600–1025. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-20496-4.