Bardas Phocas the Elder

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Bardas Phokas the Elder ( Middle Greek Βάρδας Φωκᾶς ; * around 878; † around 969) was a Byzantine general who was initially in the shadow of his older brother Leon Phokas , who proved himself in several campaigns in the first half of the 10th century and as Domestikos ton scholon was at the top of the military hierarchy from 944 to 953. He was the father of Nikephorus II. Phokas, who ruled the Byzantine Empire as emperor from 963 to 969 and gave him the title of Kaisar .

origin

Bardas Phokas came from the Byzantine magnate family of the Phokadai, who were among the most distinguished representatives of the Byzantine military nobility and owned extensive land in Anatolia. Bardas was a son of Nikephoros Phokas "the Elder" (* c. 855, † c. 896), who himself was a famous general who had distinguished himself as a general in Italy by being Taranto and one in the years 885 to 886 Much of Calabria was conquered and finally rose to Domestikos ton scholon, that is, commander in chief of the Byzantine troops in the east. The name and origin of his mother are not known.

Life

Fight against the Bulgarians

Bulgaria at the time of its greatest expansion under Tsar Simeon I.

As the son of a famous general, Bardas, like his older brother Leon, chose a military career, but was long in the shadow of his brother. This was the favorite of the widow of Emperor Leo VI. "The wise" (886-912) from the Macedonian dynasty , Zoe Karbonopsina (Zoe "with the jet black eyes") - who in the years 914 to 919 for her underage son, Emperor Constantine VII. Porphyrogennetos (913-959), who Exercised reign over the Byzantine Empire. Leon Phokas therefore had a decisive influence at court and, as Domestikos ton, was scholon at the top of the military hierarchy.

The first major military operation of the Bardas Phokas took place as a general under the command of his brother Leo against the Bulgarians . Relations with Bulgaria had already deteriorated under Emperor Alexander (912–913), the brother of Emperor Leo VI, because he refused to pay Tsar Simeon I the agreed annual tribute. After the death of Emperor Alexander, the Empress widow Zoe, who had taken over the reign of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nikolaos I Mystikos in 914, exacerbated the situation by terminating the existing peace treaty with the Bulgarians, the title of Tsar from King Simeon I (893 -927) and canceled the planned marriage between the two dynasties. Tsar Simeon I "the Great" (913–927) was now determined to destroy Byzantium and to take over the Byzantine imperial crown himself. In a quick campaign in 914/15 he succeeded in conquering the Byzantine provinces of Macedonia , Thessaloniki and Durazzo .

The Battle of Anchialus on August 20, 917
The Bulgarian victory at Anchialos , Madrid Skylitzes.

The command of the troops that were to carry out the Byzantine counterattack on Bulgarian territory was transferred to the brother of Bardas Phokas, Magistros Leon Phokas as the Domestikos ton scholon, whom Bardas accompanied as a general. However, the Byzantine army was surprised by the troops of Tsar Simeon I on August 20, 917, whereupon one of the greatest battles of the time broke out in the mouth of the Acheloos River into the Black Sea . It was the Battle of Anchialos on August 20, 917, in which 30,000 to 60,000 men faced each other. The Byzantine troops were defeated because of the lack of coordination between the naval commander Romanos Lekapenos , who transport the Petschenegian auxiliary troops across the Danube, and General Johannes Bogas, who was supposed to lead them to the Danube. Leo and his brother Bardas were only able to flee to Mesembria (now Nessebar in Bulgaria) on the coast of the Black Sea. The Byzantine historian Leon Diakonos (* c. 950, † 1000) remarked that 75 years after this catastrophe, the fields on the banks of the Archeloos were littered with the bones of the slain Byzantine soldiers. Tsar Simeon's troops advanced as far as near Constantinople. There Leo Phokas - and probably his brother Bardas - opposed him with a new army, but he was defeated again at Katasyrtai / Katasurtas, near Constantinople, and could only save himself by fleeing. Empress Zoe was therefore forced to make considerable concessions to conclude a new peace treaty, whereupon Tsar Simeon assumed the title of "Tsar of the Bulgarians and the Rhomeans" (= Eastern Romans / Byzantines).

Overthrow of the brother Leon Phokas

This defeat against the Bulgarians weakened the reign of Empress Zoe. At the same time, however, rumors arose that Leon Phokas could try with their help to usurp power and oust the young emperor Constantine VII . The emperor's educator wanted to forestall this by connecting himself with the commander of the fleet, Romanos Lekapenos, and persuading the young emperor to replace his mother with the patriarch of Constantinople , Nikolaos I Mysticos (901-907 and 912-925) again Appoint regents. This then dismissed Leo Phokas as Domestikos and therefore withdrew his power base.

Leon first tried to stay in power through an alliance with Romanos Lekapenos, but he had his own plans. On March 25, 919 he gained access to the imperial palace, occupied it, was appointed commander of the bodyguard, married his daughter Helena Lekapene to the young emperor Constantine VII in 919 and took the title of "Basileopator" (father of the emperor ) on. Romanos was thus de facto lord of the Byzantine Empire and in 920 assumed the title of co-emperor. Leon Phokas then tried to come to power himself through a revolt with the support of his brother Bardas, but was abandoned by his troops, had to flee, was captured in Lycaonia and finally blinded. When a plot by his friends was exposed a few months later, Leo was sentenced to shame on a donkey ride through the streets of Constantinople. His further fate is unknown.

The fall of his older brother also ended the career of Bardas Phokas, who disappeared from the political stage for a long time.

Defense against the Kiev fleet

Subject division around 950

Only many years later is Bardas mentioned again in a leading military role. In 941 he appears as governor of the Thema (military province) Armeniakon , which was located in northeastern Anatolia on the Black Sea and roughly corresponded to the ancient province of Paphlagonia .

At this time Igor , son of Rurik , Grand Duke of Kiev (912-945) appeared with a large fleet off Constantinople, but could not do anything against its walls, which is why he devastated the surrounding area.

Igor of Russia (fantasy picture)

However, this fleet was captured by a hastily assembled Byzantine armada on June 11, 941 at the northern end of the Bosphorus and, despite massive numerical inferiority, put to flight by the Byzantines by using the " Greek Fire ", which was completely unknown to the Russians . The largely undamaged remainder of the Kiev fleet then sailed along the Black Sea coast and vented their anger on the local Byzantine population with unheard of cruelty. Bardas Phokas hurried up with quickly recruited local troops, involved the looters in combat and diverted the Kiev fleet until the main Byzantine army under Johannes Kurukas and the Byzantine fleet arrived, which the Russian squadron circled from the sea and through the Greek fire completely destroyed.

Domestikos ton scholon 944 - 953

The basis for the further rise of the house of Phokas was the brilliant military successes of the eldest son of Bardas, Nikephoros Phokas . He succeeded in defeating the expansive emir of Aleppo from the house of the Hamdanids , Ali Saif ad-Daula (945–967), and even conquering his capital Aleppo after a long siege. These successes prevented the permanent threat to the eastern border of the empire from Islamic expansion and created the basis for the subsequent expansion of the Byzantine Empire into the east.

A chance for the house of Phokadai to gain power came after the collapse of the rule of the usurper, Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos - who was overthrown in 944 by his own sons, who feared that the repentant ruler could not take power to them , but to the displaced legitimate Emperor Constantine VII from the Macedonian dynasty . This coup was initially successful, but failed due to the bitter resistance of the population, who ultimately helped the legitimate emperor, Constantine VII Porphyrogennetus to the throne.

For the Phokas family, who were among the bitter enemies of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos, this change of government brought a decisive increase in power. Emperor Constantine VII deposed Johannes Kurukas as Domestikos ton scholon and transferred his supreme command of the troops in the east of the empire to Bardas Pokas, who thus reached the highest level of the military hierarchy. At the same time, his sons Nikephoros Phokas and Leo Phokas “the younger” were appointed as military governors in the important provinces of Anatolia and Cappadocia.

Bardas Pholas retained this important military function until 953, with the focus of military efforts in the east of the empire. In 949 an expedition took place against the important island of Crete , which was under Saracen control, but failed because of the inability of the commander of the fleet, Konstantinos Gongylas.

The battles against the Saracens proceeded with varying degrees of success . In 949, Bardas succeeded in winning several victories against Saif ad-Daula, conquering the city of Germanikeia (now Kahramanmaraş in Turkey) on the south coast of Anatolia and crossing the Euphrates in 952 . Shortly afterwards the tide turned, Saif ad-Daula recaptured Germanikeia, penetrated into the territory of the Reich, whereby Bardas suffered a severe wound in the face in a battle in 953 and his son Konstantin Phokas was taken prisoner. Because of his injury, Bardas resigned as Domestikos and renounced the high command of the Eastern Army in 954 in favor of his eldest son Nikephoros Phokas.

Father of the emperor Nikephorus II.

Despite the submission of his command, Bardas Phokas still had the opportunity to play at least a protocol role during the reign of Emperor Constantine VII, for example when visiting the embassies of the Umayyad Caliph, Abd al-Rahman III. , that of the western emperor or when visiting the Russian Grand Duchess Olga - the widow of Grand Duke Igor , who was fought by Bardas , who was baptized in Constantinople in 955 and stayed at the imperial court for a long time in the autumn of 957.

Olga speaks to Constantine VII.

Emperor Constantine VII, the patron of the Phokas family, who was also a remarkable scholar and writer, who among other things had written a guide for his son for the exercise of rule: "De Administrando Imperio", died on November 9, 959 in Constantinople . He was followed by his son Romanus II as Emperor of Byzantium (959–963). Since he died very soon, his widow, Empress Theophano (* around 941; † 976) took over the reign of her underage sons, the future emperors Basil II (* 958; † 1025) and Constantine VIII ( * c. 960, † 1028).

Bearing in mind that her reign would be little permanent without the support of a respected general, she chose from the three most important generals of the empire - the two sons of Bardas Phokas, Nicholas II and Leo Phokas and Johannes Kurukas - Nicholas II Phocas as Support their reign.

Nikephoros Phokas arrived in Constantinople in April 963, but there he found himself facing the bitter hostility of the highly intelligent and scheming eunuch Joseph Bringas . He had exercised the supreme command of the fleet under Emperor Constantine VII and, as Parakoimomenos (for example: Chamberlain), gained decisive influence on the government under Emperor Romanos II. He feared for his position, not entirely unjustly, and therefore declared that Nikephorus was a public danger and should therefore be arrested.

As a successful general, however, Nikephorus prevailed, was not arrested, but honored for his victories with a triumphal procession and again entrusted by the Senate with the supreme command in the east. He left to join his troops in Anatolia, but had agreed with Empress Theophano that he should be proclaimed co-emperor. Bringas tried to prevent this. He invited rival generals to oppose this and took Nikephorus' father, Bardas Phokas, over eighty years old, hostage. However, this attempt was also in vain, as the troops lifted Nikephoros on July 3, 963 in Anatolia and proclaimed him Emperor of the Roman people with the name Nikephorus II .

In Constantinople, Bardas Phokas managed - despite his considerable age - to escape his guards and find asylum in the Hagia Sophia . Bringas sent soldiers to recapture Bardas in the church, but these were pushed back by the indignant crowd who valued the deserving general. A speech by the Bringas in Hagia Sophia was also unsuccessful. Eventually Bringas found a way to lure the old general out of the church by appearing with the two child emperors at Hagia Sophia and threatening that they would pay with their lives for any further resistance by the Bardas. Bardas therefore went out of Hagia Sophia with him. When the people returned to church in the afternoon and could no longer find Bardas, they swarmed under the patriarch's leadership to look for him. He was found intact in the palace and brought back to Hagia Sophia in triumph. When Bringas appeared there with soldiers, a furious popular uprising broke out. Bringas was driven out of the city and his palace burned down, whereupon the mob used the opportunity to pillage the city for weeks and destroy half of Constantinople.

On August 14, 963, Bardas Phokas had the satisfaction of being there when his son Nikephoros Phokas made his ceremonial entry into Constantinople, broke the resistance of the Bringas in a bloody street fight and on August 16, 963 and in the Hagia Sophia of the Patriarch of Constantinople , Polyeuktus (956–970) in the presence of the two child emperors when Nikephorus II was crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Appointment as Caesar

As a thank you, Emperor Nikephorus gave his aged father the title of Caesar , which was the highest in the Byzantine hierarchy after the title of emperor. Bringas was treated graciously and banished to his native Paphlagonia . The emperor appointed his brother Leo Phokas as Kuropalates (about: imperial chief steward), entrusted the civil administration to the eunuch Basileios Lakapenos (an illegitimate son of the emperor Romanos I ) and confirmed his nephew, Johannes Tzimiskes - the later emperor of Byzantium - as commander-in-chief of the land forces and the army in Anatolia. Little did he know at the time that he would murder him - in cooperation with his own wife Theophanu in 969, that is, six years later.

Marriage of his son Nikephorus II.

On September 20, 963, Bardas had the pleasure of being able to take part in the solemn wedding of his son Nikephorus II to the Empress Theophano in the Palatine Chapel of the “Nea” - the New Palace, which legitimized the power of his house in the eyes of the world . The joy, however, was not entirely untroubled, as the Patriarch of Constantinople Polyeuctus forbade Emperor Nikephorus II to kiss the Holy Altar as long as he had not repented for entering into a second marriage (which is not desired in the Orthodox Church). At the same time he found out that Nikephorus was godfather of one or more children of Theophano, therefore was in a forbidden spiritual relationship to Theodora, therefore demanded that Nikephorus should separate from Theodora.

In the opinion of helping his son Emperor Nikephorus II by doing this, Bardas Phokas testified that Nikephorus had not acted as a godparent for any of the children of Theodoras. He could not have known that he had thereby set the course for the murder of his son Emperor Nikephoros II, which Theodora had carried out together with her lover, the later Emperor Johannes Tzimiskes, on the night of December 10th, 969. Tzimiskes followed as John I as Emperor of Byzantium (969–976) while Theophanu was banished to the monastery.

Meeting with Liutprand from Cremona

On June 4, 968, an embassy from Emperor Otto II arrived in Constantinople, under the direction of Bishop Liutprand of Cremona , to order a "purple-born" - that is, born in the red porphyry hall of the imperial palace intended for imperial births - for him. To find a Byzantine princess as wife. In the report on his diplomatic mission, which is worth reading, Liutprand also describes his encounter with Bardas Phokas, the aged father of the emperor Nikephoros II, at a meal with the emperor. :

“His (Emperor Nikephorus II.) Father sat with him, who - it seemed to me - was one hundred and fifty years old. The Greeks sang hymns of praise to him as to his son, wishing that God would multiply his years. From this we can see how stupid the Greeks are, how satisfied with such fame, how flattering, how greedy they are. Because not an old man but a completely emaciated old man they want something that they know for sure that nature will not give him himself. And the emaciated old man is still happy that this is desired for him, although he knows that even God will not give it to him and that even if he did it, it would not be for his benefit but to his disadvantage. "

Little did Liutprand know at the time that he was describing the great-grandfather of the future Roman Empress Theophano Skleraina, whom he would eventually bring to Germany instead of the “purple-born” daughter of Emperor Romanos II as the bride for his master, Emperor Otto II.

Bardas Phokas died after a full life, a year after the visit of the imperial embassy of the Liutprand of Cremona, at the age of ninety in the year 969 in Constantinople.

Marriage and offspring

Bardas Phokas was married to a sister of Manuel Maleinos who was not known by name. He was a monk, founder and abbot of the Kymnias monastery on Mount Olmyp in Bithynia (today Uludağ ) - mountains in the Turkish province of Bursa and is venerated as a saint of the Orthodox Church , † 961/62. She was a daughter of Eudokimus Maleinos (* c. 865, † c. 915) and Anastaso Adralestina (* c. 870,), a daughter of Adralestus, who was Domesikos ton scholon in 920/21. The Maleinos were a magnate family of Greek origin who had extensive possessions in Cappadocia and whose members had exercised high command and administrative functions since the 9th century. Children:

Nikephorus II Phocas

According to Christian Settipani, Bardas Phokas had three sons and three daughters:

  • Nikephorus II. Phocas (* 912 in Constantinople, † 969), Emperor of Byzantium (963–969) ⚭ 1.) Ne, ⚭ 2.) Theophanu , widow of Emperor Romanos II., Mother of the later emperors Basilius II. And Constantine VIII. And Princess Anna, who married the Grand Duke Vladimir I "the great" of Kiev.
    • Ne Phokaina (from 1st marriage) ⚭ Michael Botaneiates (* c. 945), Protonotarios. His great-grandson Nikephorus III. Botaneiates was Emperor of Byzantium (1078-1081). About his niece, who c. In 1065 Géza I, King of Hungary (1074–1077) married, there are still thriving descendants today.
  • Leon Phokas (c. 915, † n. 970), 963 Kuropalates (about: Obersthofmeister ), 969 Domestikos ton scholon, ⚭ Ne
  • Konstantinos Phokas (* 915/20, † c. 959), strategist on the subject of Seleukeia
  • Ne Phokaina ⚭ Theodulos Parsakuntenos
  • Ne Phokaina ⚭ (Romanos) Kurukas (* c. 900), Dux (governor) of Mesopotamia
  • Ne Phokaina (* c. 908), ⚭ N Diogenes (* c. 900, † n. 944), 944 Strategos (military governor)
    • Diogenes Adralestus († after 970)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006.
  2. ^ Theophanes Continuatus ( Memento of July 13, 2001 in the Internet Archive ), p. 388.
  3. ^ Theophanes Continuatus, p. 388.
  4. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 215.
  5. ↑ Steven Runciman: The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign. 1929, pp. 60-61.
  6. ↑ John Julis Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, pp. 294-295.
  7. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 232.
  8. ↑ John Julis Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 301.
  9. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 235.
  10. ↑ John Julis Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 306.
  11. ↑ John Julis Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 313.
  12. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 315.
  13. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 236.
  14. ↑ John Julis Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 316.
  15. ^ Luitprand of Cremona, section 455
  16. ^ Christian Settipani: Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. 2006, p. 87.
personal data
SURNAME Bardas Phocas the Elder
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bardas Phocas; Βάρδας Φωκᾶς (Middle Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Byzantine general and emperor (Caesar)
DATE OF BIRTH at 878
DATE OF DEATH around 969
Place of death Constantinople