Karbeas

Karbeas ( Middle Greek Καρβέας ; † 863 ), also Karbaias , was a Byzantine general , rebel and leader of the Paulikians .

Life

Under Emperor Theophilos , Karbeas served as protomandator (chief of staff) in the Byzantine theme of Anatolicon . After the death of the emperor, his widow Theodora II ordered the forcible conversion of the heretical religious community of the Paulikians to orthodoxy in 843 . More than 100,000 followers of the sect who refused to renounce their beliefs were cruelly executed, including Karbeas' father, who was impaled .

5000 religionists Karbeas fled to 844 on Arab territory , called the city Tephrike topic Armeniac Theme to the center of an independent Byzantine Paulikianerstaates and recognized the Abbasid caliphs as patron. In alliance with the Islamic emir of Melitene , Omar al-Aqta , Karbeas defeated the imperial troops, which were under the command of Michael III. and Emperor Bardas besieged Samosata , and undertook counter-attacks, which led the Paulikian troops to the shores of the Aegean Sea . At times Karbeas dominated the whole Armeniacon and the subject of Koloneia . In alliance with Omar, the Paulikians threatened to gain sovereignty over Anatolicon as well. In the summer of 863 the allies plundered several cities in Cappadocia , the Arabs even continued their raid as far as the Black Sea .

After the fall of the city of Amisus , Michael III. the formation of an army of 50,000 men under the command of his uncle Petronas . On September 3, 863, this enormous armed force was able to devastate the Paulikians and their Arab allies in the battle of the Lalakaon . Karbeas was also very likely to be killed in these fighting. His nephew Chrysocheir followed him as leader of the Paulikians , who continued the resistance against Byzantium until his death in the battle of Bathys Ryax (872).

swell

• At-Tabarī 147; 167
• Joseph Genesios 4: 13-15
• Konstantin Porphyrogennetos , De Thematibus 10, 8
• Petros Sikeliotes 184-185
• Johannes Skylitzes 93; 98-99
• Theophanes Continuatus 4, 16 and 23
• Johannes Zonaras 16, 3

literature

• George L. Huxley: The Emperor Michael III and the battle of Bishop's Meadow (AD 863). In: Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies. Vol. 16, No. 4, 1975, ISSN  0017-3916 , pp. 443-450, online .
• Alexander P. Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . Volume 2. Oxford University Press, New York NY 1991, ISBN 0-19-504652-8 , p. 1107.
• Ralph-Johannes Lilie , Claudia Ludwig, Thomas Pratsch, Ilse Rochow, Beate Zielke: Prosopography of the Middle Byzantine Period . 1st department: (641-867). Volume 2: Georgios (# 2183) - Leon (# 4270). Created after preliminary work by F. Winkelmann . Published by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. De Gruyter, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-11-016672-0 , pp. 455-456 No. 3625.
• Warren Treadgold : A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA 1997, ISBN 0-8047-2630-2 , pp. 448-454.
• Alexander A. Vasiliev : Byzance et les Arabes. Volume 1: La dynastie d'Amorium. (820-867) (= Corpus Bruxellense Historiae Byzantinae. Vol. 1, ZDB -ID 2197364-7 ). Éditions de l'Institut de Philologie et d'Histoire Orientales, Brussels 1935, pp. 231, 233.