Nicetas Scholarios

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Niketas Scholarios ( Middle Greek Νικήτας Σχολάριος ; † 1361 in Trebizond ) was a general in the Empire of Trebizond .

Life

Nicetas was a leading figure in the civil war that shook the Trebizond Empire after the assassination of the Emperor Basil Comnenus in April 1340. He fought the court party of Irene Palaiologina , which, with the support of the noble family of the Amytzantarantoi, had seized power in Trebizond, but was finally forced to flee to Constantinople together with Gregorios Meitzomates . There they persuaded Michael Komnenos , the younger brother of John II , who died in 1330 , to return to Trebizond, marry Irene and take over the rule. Niketas and Michael reached Trebizond with three ships on July 30, 1341. There, however, Irene Palaiologina had been ousted three weeks earlier by Michael's niece Anna Anachutlu Komnene , who now had to relinquish the throne in favor of her uncle. Michael, in turn, was arrested on the day of his coronation by supporters of Anna, who took over again.

Niketas did not want to accept the renewed takeover of the throne by Anna. He therefore went back to Constantinople in 1342 and convinced Michael’s son, Johannes Komnenos , who remained there, to try to seize power in Trebizond himself. Johannes sailed to Trebizond with only five ships, three of which were manned by Genoese mercenaries. Once there, his men succeeded in taking the city on September 4, 1342 after a short, difficult battle. Then Johannes was crowned emperor, his predecessor Anna strangled and her followers executed.

However, John soon turned out to be a weak ruler who only indulged in his amusements and indulged in luxury. In addition, he showed no interest in freeing his father Michael, who was imprisoned in Limnia . In 1344 Niketas, dissatisfied with the situation, marched with some men to where he succeeded in liberating Michael. Together with this he returned to Trebizond. When they arrived in the city, Johannes was deposed and Michael was again made emperor. Niketas was rewarded for his loyalty with promotion to Megas Dux , and his relatives and partisans also held influential posts in the government apparatus.

Against the power of the Scholarioi a popular uprising arose in November 1345, in the course of which Niketas was captured and imprisoned as well as Meitzomates and other of his allies. The decrepit Emperor Michael released Niketas and reinstated him as Megas Dux. In order to consolidate his position, Niketas took the daughter of the palace overseer Michael Sampson as his wife.

On December 22, 1349 Nicetas deposed Emperor Michael and raised in his place John, the young son of Basil, under the name Alexios III. on the throne. From then on, however, his power began to crumble. After interim imprisonment and renewed rehabilitation (1352), the Megas Dux was finally forced to flee to Kerasunt in 1354 . From there he led a fleet against Trebizond in March 1355 to Alexios III. to overthrow, but the emperor responded with a counterattack and had Kerasunt occupied by his own navy. Niketas was able to stay on the Kenchrina fortress until October 1355 .

Niketas spent the rest of his life in honorable custody in Trebizond. After his death in 1361 Alexios III. the last honor in the white mourning robe.

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literature

  • William Miller : Trebizond. The last Greek Empire. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London 1926 (reprinted by AM Hakkert, Amsterdam 1968).
  • Erich Trapp , Hans-Veit Beyer, Ioannes G. Leontiades, Sokrates Kaplaneres: Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit . 11. Fascicle: Σκαβαλέρος - Τιχόμηρος (= Publications of the Commission for Byzantine Studies . Vol. 1/11). Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1991, ISBN 3-7001-1878-3 , p. 158 No. 27305.

Web links

Remarks

  1. See Miller, Trebizond , p. 47 f.
  2. See Miller, Trebizond , p. 51.
  3. See Miller, Trebizond , p. 52 f.
  4. See Miller, Trebizond , p. 53.
  5. See PLP 11, p. 158.
  6. See Miller, Trebizond , p. 59.