Theophylact Botaneiates
Theophylact Botaneiates (
Life
Theophylact Botaneiates is only mentioned in the history of John Skylitzes for the year 1014, during Emperor Basil II's wars against Bulgaria. In that year, or shortly before, he was appointed governor (doux) of Thessalonica as successor to David Arianites.[1] In that year, Emperor Basil II was assaulting the Bulgarian positions in the pass of Klyuch (Kleidion in Greek). To distract his attention, the Bulgarian tsar Samuel sent a large army under Nestoritsa towards Thessalonica. Botaneiates and his son Michael met the Bulgarians and defeated them in the vicinity of the city, after which he joined the main imperial army.[1][2]
After the Byzantine victory in the subsequent
According to Skylitzes, the death of Botaneiates alongside most of his men greatly disheartened Basil, so that the emperor, despite his victory at Kleidion, halted his campaign and turned back to his base, Mosynopolis. It was only after reaching Mosynopolis and learning of Samuel's death that he turned back and continued his campaign.[5]
References
- ^ a b c PmbZ, Theophylaktos Botaneiates (#28251).
- ^ Zlatarski 1971, pp. 732–734.
- ^ Zlatarski 1971, p. 738.
- ^ PmbZ, Michael Botaneiates (#25357).
- ^ Holmes 2005, p. 26.
Sources
- Holmes, Catherine (2005). Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976–1025). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-927968-5.
- 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.
- Zlatarski, Vasil (1971) [1927]. История на българската държава през средните векове. Том I. История на Първото българско царство, Част II. От славянизацията на държавата до падането на Първото царство (852—1018) [History of Bulgaria in the Middle Ages. Vol. 1. History of the First Bulgarian Empire, Part 2.From the Slavicization of the state to the fall of the First Empire (852—1018)]. Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo. OCLC 67080314.