Leon Phocas the Younger

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Leon Phokas ( Middle Greek Λέων ὁ Φωκᾶς ; * 915/920; † after 971), called to distinguish himself from his uncle of the same name the Younger , was a prominent Byzantine general who, together with his brother Nikephoros Phokas, was successful in the east of the empire against the advance of Islamic caliphate fought. After his brother's accession to the throne as Emperor Nikephoros II (963-969), he was appointed Kuropalates (about Supreme Courtmaster) and Logothetes tou dromu (about: leading minister) and acted as his most important advisor during his reign. After the murder of his brother by his nephew John I , who succeeded him as Emperor of Byzantium in 969 , he was banished. He tried twice to regain power for his house, but failed and died blinded in exile. Through his granddaughter Theophano Skleraina (* around 955/60; † June 15, 991 ), the wife of the Roman-German Emperor Otto II , he left permanent descendants in Europe.

origin

Leon Phokas came from the Byzantine Cappadocian magnate family of the Phokadai, who were one of the most influential families in the empire in the 10th century and reached the height of their power with the reign of Leon's brother, Emperor Nikephorus II. Leon's father, Bardas Phokas the Elder (* around 878, † around 969), was a famous general who, as Domestikos ton scholon, was at the top of the military hierarchy from 945 - 955 and was supported by his son, Emperor Nikephoros II. Phokas, in 963 was awarded the title Kaisar .

Michael Maleinos (icon around 1630)

His mother, whose first name is unknown, came from the Maleinoi magnate family, who were wealthy in Cappadocia . She was the sister of Michael Maleïnos (* 894, † 961), known as an influential monk, hermit, founder and abbot of Kymnias monastery on Mount Olympus in Bithynia , today Uludağ whose veneration as a saint of the Orthodox Church through the family Romanov found widespread use in Russia . Her parents were the strategos (military governor) Eudokimos Maleinos and his wife Anastaso Adralestina. Through his unknown sister, the wife of Romanos Kurkuas, Leon Phokas was an uncle of the successor - and murderer - of his brother, Emperor Johannes Tzimiskes (969-976).

Life

General of the emperors Constantine VII and Romanos II.

Byzantium and Europe around the year 1000

Leon Phokas followed the family tradition and took up the military career. However, this was slowed down by the fact that the Phokas family was one of the declared opponents of Emperor Romanos I. Lekapenos (920-944). His overthrow - by his own sons - brought the ousted Emperor Constantine VII from the Macedonian dynasty to power in 944, who appointed Leon in 944 as strategos (military governor) of the Thema (military province) of Cappadocia , where his mother's family had a leading influence . At the same time, his older brother Nikephorus was appointed Domestikos ton scholon (about: commander in chief of the imperial troops) in the east. Later Leon was given the strategically important function of strategos for the topic of Anatolia . Leon's military career reached a climax when he was appointed Domestikos ton scholon in the west by Emperor Romanos II (959–963) of the Macedonian dynasty , that is, commander in chief of the Byzantine troops in the west of the empire. Since his brother Nikephoros Phokas was Domestikos ton scholon in the east at the same time, both top military positions were in the hands of the Phokas brothers.

A change in his command function resulted for Leon due to the Byzantine campaign planned at great expense against the Islamic emirate on the island of Crete . Since this task was transferred to his brother Nikephoros in 959, Leon took over his previous position as Domestikos ton scholon in the east. His brother Nikephoros achieved great success, as he was able to conquer the capital of Crete, Kandia (modern Heraklion ), after eight months of arduous siege on March 7, 961 , whereby the flag of the Byzantine Empire again fluttered over the island of Crete after 136 years .

Leon Phokas also proved himself in his new role as commander in chief of the imperial troops in the east, as he achieved successes against the emir of Aleppo , who threatened the eastern flank of the empire. This was the then thirty-five year old Ali Sayf al-Dawla (Sword of the State) (945-967), with full name: Ali ibn Abi al-Hayja 'Abd Allah ibn Hamdan ibn al-Harith Sayf al-Dawla al-Taghlibi from the House of the Hamdanids . He embodied the Arab knightly ideal: he was cruel and merciless in war, but at the same time chivalrous and magnanimous in peacetime, a poet and scholar, a patron of science (including the philosopher al-Farabi ), literature and the arts. But he was also the owner of the largest stables, the most extensive library and the most opulent harem in the Islamic world . While the power of the Caliphate of the Abbasids in Baghdad ever fell, he had the lead in the battle of Saracens taken against Byzantium, conquered 944 Aleppo and its dominion over most of Syria , and to the north of Mesopotamia , including the cities of Damascus , Emesa and Antioch on Orontes expanded.

Shortly after Leon had taken over the supreme command in the east of the empire, he was faced with a major attack by Ali Saif al-Daula, which crossed the border from the south-east, invaded Asia Minor , devastated large stretches of land there, collected booty and women and children as slaves carried. In the absence of troops tied up in Crete, Leon avoided an open field battle, which he would have lost, and waited for an opportunity to take action against Sayf al-Dawla. At the beginning of November, after his successful campaign, he returned to Aleppo with large booty. Leon watched his march and set up an ambush around a pass that the Syrian forces had to pass. When the troops of Sayf al-Dawla approached the pass through a ravine, which the Greeks called "Kylindros" (cylinder) for a reason, rocks rolled from all sides onto the surprised troops, who were trapped on both sides, almost that entire army was destroyed. Sayf al-Dawla barely managed to fight his way through with three hundred men and thus save his life. This battle at the Cylinder Pass marked a turning point, as it put an end to Sayf al-Dawla's successful expansionist urge and ushered in a phase of Byzantine reconquests in the east.

The citadel of Aleppo with the entrance bridge

Meanwhile, Leon's brother Nikephorus had returned to Constantinople - acclaimed by the people as the conqueror of Crete . Since the government feared that he could use his triumph to drive a coup, he was immediately reassigned to the East as Domestikos. This turned out to be a wise decision as it enabled the brothers to join forces to continue their advance in the east. As early as early 962, they brought fifty-five walled cities in Cilicia under their control in just three weeks . After Easter they marched south, pillaging and pillaging, and a few months later stood in front of the walls of Aleppo. The palace of Sayf al Dawla - one of the most beautiful and magnificent structures in the Orient - was outside the city walls. It was attacked by the Byzantine soldiers, robbed of its treasures and burned down. Sayf escaped at the last moment. The garrison was discouraged and surrendered two days before Christmas after a long siege. The conquerors, however, showed themselves from their worst side, because, as an Arab historian writes, the slaughter of the civilian population did not end until the Byzantine soldiers were completely exhausted.

Brother of the emperor Nikephorus II.

Emperor Nikephorus II Phocas

A decisive turning point for Leon and his family was brought about by the early death of Emperor Romanos II, who died on March 15, 963 because his sons, the co-emperors Basileios (958-1025) - the later Emperor Basil II. "The Bulgarian slayer" ( 976-1025) - and Constantine - who later became Emperor Constantine VIII (1025-1028) - were only six and three years old, respectively. His widow Theophano (around 941–976), a landlord's daughter from Constantinople, “who surpassed all women of her time with the beauty of her young body”, Theophano was not only beautiful, but she also had political instinct, was herself aware of the weakness of their position and decided to base their reign on the most capable general in the empire. Their choice fell on Leon's older brother, Nikephoros Phokas, who was called "the pale death of the Saracens" because of his successes in the East. Only after an internal power struggle with the leading minister of the late emperor, the eunuch Joseph Bringas († 965), was Nikephoros able to move into Constantinople on August 16, 963. On the same day he was crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire as Nicephorus II by the Patriarch Polyeuctus (956-970) in the presence of the two child emperors in the Hagia Sophia . He gave his aged father Bardas Phokas the title of Caesar. He appointed his brother Leon as Kuropalates (about: Obersthofmeister) and Logothetes tou dromu (about: leading minister) and thus his closest adviser. Leon retained these functions until the end of his brother's reign. General Johannes Tzimiskes, who had supported Nikephoros, was also confirmed as strategos of Anatolia. In order to legitimize his takeover of power, Nikephorus, who was over 50 years old, married the 22-year-old Empress widow Theophano on September 20 in the Palatine Chapel of the “Nea” - the “New Palace”.

At his brother's court, Leon de facto played the role of the closest advisor and leading minister as the Kuropalates. In a remarkable document of the time, the "Relatio de legatione Constantinopolitana" (report on the embassy in Constantinople), the - very critical - report of Bishop Liutprand of Cremona (* 920, † 972), the head of the embassy, ​​the Emperor Otto II. Sent to the court of Emperor Nikephorus II to win a princess who was born in purple as a bride, Leon is mentioned in this capacity. Luitprand writes that two days after his arrival, on June 6, 968, he was received by Leon Phokas, the brother, court marshal and chancellor of the emperor, with whom, however, he had a heated argument about the right to use the imperial title by emperors Otto II had, which Leon vigorously denied and therefore persistently disparagingly referred to him as a mere king. The Byzantine view of Leon and his brother Nikephorus at that time was aptly described by John J. Norwich: “The emperor is said to have met the diplomat with undisguised dislike, whom he considered a tongue-tied swindler and heretic , especially dangerous because of his elegant Greek; moreover, he was the representative of an adventurer who called himself emperor, thus claiming his throne and usurping his title. "

Bishop Liutprand finally had to leave without having achieved anything after a partly harassing treatment by the Byzantine authorities after this - his second - trip to Constantinople, as the brothers Leon and Nikephoros demanded a completely unacceptable consideration for the “purple-born” princess, namely the cession of Ravenna , Rome , eastern Italy , Istria and northern Dalmatia .

Fall and banishment

Nikephorus was a class-conscious aristocrat, a tough and successful warrior, incorruptible, but also cruel. A pious ascetic who ate no meat for years, despised women, slept on the floor in her hair and prayed for hours every day. But he was neither a diplomat nor a popular ruler. His initial popularity as a victorious general - among other things, Antioch came under Byzantine control again after 332 years in 969 - soon became widely criticized due to foreign policy errors and oppressive taxes to finance his campaigns, as well as the preference for the wealthy and the prohibition of donations to the church Rejection order.

The crisis came in 969 after he relieved his former follower, the general Johannes Tzimiskes, from his command and banished him to his Anatolian possessions, as well as the fact that his still attractive wife Theophano allied himself with this good-looking charismatic Armenian to overthrow her husband . Emperor Nikephorus II was murdered in his sleep on the night of December 11, 969 with the participation of his wife by Johannes Tzimiskes and other co-conspirators - who had gained access to the palace in women's clothes. While the emperor's body was still bloody under the window from which it had been thrown, Tzimiskes was proclaimed emperor in the streets of Constantinople.

Theophano the Elder had succeeded in turning two successful generals into usurpers within a decade by making them protectors of their sons - the rightful emperors. However, the intrigue was not worthwhile for Theophano this time, as the Patriarch Polyeuktus of Tzimiskes demanded their exile, the extradition of all accomplices in the murder and the repeal of all imperial decrees directed against the church. Tzimiskes agreed to everything and was therefore crowned on Christmas Day 969 by the Patriarch of Constantinople in Hagia Sophia as John I Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Revolts and renewed exile

The assassination of the emperor naturally also led to the overthrow of his brother Leon, who was banished to the island of Lesbos with his family . However, he was unwilling to accept his brother's murder and his family's disempowerment. The following year, his son Bardas Phokas the Younger managed to flee from Lesbos to Cappadocia, where the family's power base was. There he was proclaimed Emperor of Byzantium by a meeting of the nobility and the citizens. At the same time, Leon and his son spread this news in the empire and called for an uprising against the usurper Tzimiskes. The new emperor reacted quickly: he condemned Leon and Bardas to death, but then eased the punishment into blinding and banishment for life, at the end of which he gave the order to withdraw the glowing iron at the last moment and to leave both of them blind. Leon's son, Bardas Phokas the Younger, who had been proclaimed emperor, promised Tzimiskes the preservation of life and his possessions upon submission. This offer came too late: Bardas was already approaching Constantinople with his army. The emperor, who had no troops near the capital, called his best general - and brother-in-law - Bardas Scleros from the Bulgarian front and ordered him to fend off the advance of Bardas Phokas as bloodlessly as possible. Instead of an army, Scleros sent secret agents disguised as beggars to the army of Bardas Phokas, who achieved through a clever mixture of threats and promises that a large part of the army eventually defected to Scleros, forcing Bardas Phocas to call off his campaign. He fled to a family fortress in Cappadocia, but had to surrender and was sent into exile on the island of Chios . Soon afterwards, Leon Phokas also managed to escape from exile. In 971 he again rallied troops and called for an uprising against the usurper Tzimiskes. This time too, however, the rebellion ended in defeat, whereupon he was banished to the island of Prote and blinded to prevent further power plans. He died in exile at an unknown time.

Marriage and offspring

Leon Phokas the Younger was married to a woman whose name and origin are unknown. Children and offspring

Otto II and his wife Theophanu, crowned and blessed by Christ; Ivory relief tablet, around 982/983, Milan (?), Museum Cluny, Paris

Legitimate children of Leon:

  • Nikephoros Phokas (* around 940, † after 989), Patrikios
  • Bardas Phokas the Younger (* around 940, † April 13, 989 in Abydos ), 978 Domestikos ton scholon, was proclaimed anti-emperor of Byzantium in 970 and 987
  • Sophia Phokaina (* around 945) ∞ Konstantinos Skleros (* around 920, † 991), brother-in-law of Emperor Johannes Tzimiskes

Daughter of Sophia Phokaina:

  • Theophano Skleraina (* around 955/60, † June 15, 991) married the Roman-German Emperor Otto II on April 14, 972 and as such Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and was an important regent of the empire from 985 to 994

Illegitimate children of Leon:

swell

  • Leon Diakonos : Nikephoros Phokas "The pale death of the Saracens" and Johannes Tzimiskes. The period from 959 to 976 (= Byzantine historians. Vol. 10, ZDB -ID 532553-5 ). Translated by Franz Loretto. Verlag Styria, Graz et al. 1961.
  • Theophanes Continuatus, V, Historia de Vita et rebus gestis Basilii inclyti imperatoris, 71, p. 312.
  • Georgios Kedrenos : Compendium Historiarum II, col. 87, in: Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Bonn 1828 f.

literature

  • Jean-Claude Cheynet: Pouvoir et contestations à Byzance (963-1210) (= Publications de la Sorbonne. Series Byzantina Sorbonensia. Vol. 9). Reimpression. Publications de la Sorbonne Center de Recherches d'Histoire et de Civilization Byzantines, Paris 1996, ISBN 2-85944-168-5 , pp. 25-26, No. 7.
  • Ralph-Johannes Lilie : Byzantium. The second Rome. Siedler, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-88680-693-6 .
  • John Julius Norwich : Byzantium. Rise and fall of a world empire (= List-Taschenbuch. 60620). 4th edition. Ullstein, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-548-60620-0 .
  • Georg Ostrogorsky : Byzantine History. 324-1453. Unchanged reprint of the special edition first published in 1965, 2nd edition. CH Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-39759-X .
  • Christian Settipani : Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. Les princes Caucasiens et l'Empire du VIe au IXe siècle. De Boccard, Paris 2006, ISBN 2-7018-0226-1 .
  • Mark Whittow: The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025. University of California Press, Berkeley CA 1996, ISBN 0-520-20496-4 .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 238.
  2. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 307.
  3. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 309.
  4. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 308.
  5. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 228.
  6. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 310.
  7. ↑ Quote from Leon Diakonos 31, 3, in: Franz Georg Maier (Ed.): Byzanz. Approved licensed edition of the 11th edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86820-109-3 , p. 214.
  8. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 238.
  9. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 316.
  10. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 322.
  11. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 329.
  12. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 330.
  13. ↑ John Julius Norwich: Byzantium. 2010, p. 332.
  14. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History. 324-1453. 2006, p. 246.
  15. ^ Christian Settipani: Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. 2006, p. 87.
  16. ^ Charles Cawley Medieval Lands ( Memento from February 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Leon Phocas the Younger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Leon Phocas; Λέων ὁ Φωκᾶς (Middle Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Byzantine general
DATE OF BIRTH between 915 and 920
DATE OF DEATH after 971