Cappadocia (Byzantine theme)

Cappadocia in Byzantium

The theme of Cappadocia ( Greek  θέμα Καππαδοκίας ) was a Byzantine theme that included the region of the same name between the early 9th and late 11th centuries .

location

The theme covered most of the late ancient Roman province of Cappadocia Secunda and parts of Cappadocia Prima . In the early 10th century it became the topic of buccellarians in the northwest , for example along Lake Tuz and Mokisos ; the theme of the Armeniaks and later of Charsianon in the north beyond the Halys , and in the north-east through Caesarea and the fortress Rodentos; the south by the Taurus Mountains and the Caliphate belonging Cilicia ; limited to the east by the theme of the Anatolics .

history

Located directly north of the Cilician Gate , the main Arab route of incursion into Asia Minor , Cappadocia suffered greatly from repeated Arab attacks, which resulted in destruction and depopulation. The cities of Tyana, Heraklea Kybistra and Faustinopolis were all devastated by the Arabs in the early 9th century. Only Kybistra was rebuilt, the population of the other two cities fled to the fortresses of Nigde and Loulon.

Originally, the later theme was a tourma (sub-unit) of the Anatolicon theme . In order to counteract the constant Arab raids, it was later raised to a border mark (so-called Kleisoura ) and finally to a separate topic. Cappadocia is mentioned as such for the first time in 830. According to the Arab geographers Ibn Khordadbeh and Ibn al-Faqih , the subject was secured in the 9th century by more than twenty fortresses and cities and had a garrison of 4,000 men. In Cappadocia there were also three imperial aplekta , which were the thematic armies in times of war as a meeting point: Koloneia , Caesarea and Bathys Ryax. His strategos , whose seat was likely the fortress of Koron (and later perhaps Tyana ), received an annual income of 20 pounds of gold and usually held the title of Protospatharios , some were also promoted to Patrikios .

Throughout the 9th century the subject was the target of Arab attacks; an Arab army held Loulon, one of the most important fortresses guarding the north entrance of the Cilician Gate , between 833 and 879. After the great Byzantine victory at the Battle of Lalakaon in 863 and the destruction of the Paulician state of Tephrike in 872 (or 878) the situation improved. In 897 an Arab army was able to capture the capital of the theme, the Koron fortress.

Under Emperor Leo VI. (ruled 886-912) parts of the eastern area of ​​the subject, the bandon of Nyssa, in which Caesarea was located, and the tourma of Kase were given to the Charsianon . In return, the topic was extended in the west to Lake Tuz . This area formed the seven banda of the new tourma of commas.

The fall of Melitenes in 934 and the conquests of Johannes Kourkouas relieved the subject. In the 10th century, the depopulated region was settled by Armenians and Syrian Christians . Cappadocia became the power base of the military nobility of Asia Minor - especially the Phocas and Maleinos families - whose extensive estates, great wealth and prestige in the military enabled them to rival the imperial administration, which led to several revolts in the 10th century. The power base of these families was stripped from them when Emperor Basil II expropriated their property.

In the 11th century, Armenians settled in the topic on a large scale. The first Seljuk raids began around 1050 and increased over the next two decades. After the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, almost all of Cappadocia was lost to the Seljuks. A toparch of Cappadocia and Choma appears in the sources until 1081.

literature

• Alexander Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . 3 volumes. Oxford / New York 1991.
• John W. Nesbitt, Eric McGeer, Nicolas Oikonomides (Eds.): Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. Volume 4: The East. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington DC 2001, ISBN 0-88402-282-X .
• A. Pertusi: Constantino Porfirogenito: De Thematibus. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Rome 1952.
• Warren T. Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. Stanford University Press, Stanford 1995, ISBN 0-8047-3163-2 .

Web links

• Sofia Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα . In: Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor. Foundation of the Hellenic World.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Kazhdan: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 1991, pp. 378-379.
2. ↑ Pertusi: Constantino Porfirogenito: De Thematibus. 1952, p. 121; Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα. 2003, ( Chapter 2 ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )).
3. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, p. 209.
4. ↑ Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα. 2003, ( Chapter 4.2 ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )).
5. Jump up ↑ McGeer, Nesbitt, Oikonomides: Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 2001, p. 116.
6. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, pp. 32, 65.
7. ↑ Pertusi: Constantino Porfirogenito: De Thematibus. 1952, pp. 120-121; Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, pp. 67, 130, 134.
8. ↑ Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα. 2003, ( Chapter 4.1 ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )).
9. ↑ Pertusi: Constantino Porfirogenito: De Thematibus. 1952, p. 122.
10. ↑ Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα. 2003, ( Chapter 3 ( Memento from July 21, 2011 on the Internet Archive )).
11. ↑ Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα. 2003, ( Chapter 4.2 ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) and Chapter 5 ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )).
12. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, p. 77; Gyftopoulou: Ανατολικών Θέμα. 2003, ( Chapter 4.3 ( Memento from July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )).