Opsikion

The subjects in the 750s

The subject of Opsikion ( Greek  θέμα Ὀψικίου , théma Opsikíou) or Opsikion for short ( Greek  [θέμα] Ὀψίκιον [théma] Opsíkion, from Latin Obsequium) was a Byzantine theme (a province) in northwestern Asia Minor (today's Turkey ). Originally formed from the imperial entourage, the Opsikion was the largest and most influential of the early subjects as it was closest to Constantinoplelay. After playing an important role in several revolts in the 8th century, it was split into three parts around 750 and lost its former importance. As a scaled-down subject, it survived until the Fourth Crusade .

history

The opsical theme was the first of the four original themes. It has its origin in the armed forces of the Eastern Roman army . The term opsikion is derived from the Latin obsequium ("entourage"), and in the early 7th century meant the units that accompanied the emperor on his campaigns. In its early phase, the Opsikion may have been stationed in Constantinople. In the 640s, however, due to the crushing defeats of the Byzantines against the Islamic Arabs, it was transferred to Asia Minor, and settled in large military districts called " Themata ". So the opsik theme was the one in which the imperial opsikion was located. It encompassed the whole of northwestern Asia Minor ( Mysia , Bithynia , parts of Galatia , Lydia and Paphlagonia ) from the Dardanelles to Halys , with Ankyra as its capital. The exact date the theme was established is unknown; the earliest mention indicates a foundation in 626, the first reliable source mentions the topic 680. It is also possible that the topic originally also included Thrace , which apparently was administered together with the Opsikion in the late 7th and early 8th centuries .

The special origin of the Opsikion theme was reflected in several aspects. The title of his commander was not Strategos (Greek: στρατηγός, "General") as in the other subjects, but komes (κόμης, "Count") or komes tou basilikou Opsikiou ( Greek  κόμης τοῦ βασιλικοῦ Ὀψικίου , "Count of the Imperial Opsikion "). The topic was also not divided into turmai , but into domestics formed by the elite regiments of the army such as the Optimates and Buchellarians . The high reputation of the topic is also demonstrated by the seal inscription “God-guarded imperial opsikion ” ( Greek  θεοφύλακτον βασιλικόν ὀψίκιον ; Latin: a Deo conservandum imperiale Obsequium ).

Since the subject was close to Constantinople and held the most important position among all subjects, revolts by the Counts of Opsikion were frequent . As early as 668, after the death of Constans II , the Komēs Mizizios dared a revolt in Sicily , but it failed. Under Patrikios Barasbakurios, Opsikion became the largest power base of Justinian II (ruled 685–695 and 705–711). Justinian also resettled many of the southern Slavs who had been captured in Thrace to increase the clout of the subject. Most of these Slavs deserted to the Arabs in the first battle . In 713, the Opsician army rose against Philippikos Bardanes (ruled 711-713), who had overthrown and murdered Justinian II, and enthroned Anastasios II (ruled 713-715), only to depose him again in 715 and Theodosius III. (ruled 715–717) to rise in his place. In 716 the Opsik army supported Leo III. (ruled 716-740) when he won the imperial crown, but in 718 the Patrikios Isoes rose against him unsuccessfully. In 741–742, the Kuropalates Artabasdos used the theme as a power base for his brief revolt against Emperor Constantine V (ruled 741–775). In 766 another Komēs was blinded as a punishment for a revolt against the emperor (see also Konstantin Podopaguros ). Not only the lust for power of the counts of the Opsikion was the reason for the numerous coup attempts: the opsikers were steadfast icon modules and were hostile to the iconoclastic politics of the Syrian dynasty . As a result, Emperor Constantine V curtailed the power of the Opsician theme by splitting it into two smaller units, the theme of the bookellarians and the optimates . At the same time, the emperor recruited a new, strictly iconoclastic, elite unit, the Tagmata .

The Opsikion was thus relegated from an elite guard unit to a regular cavalry theme: the opsikers were divided into turmai , and his Komēs fell back to the sixth rank of thematic commanders and was even renamed to the "ordinary" title Stratēgos . In the 9th century he received 30 pounds of gold as pay and commanded 6,000 soldiers (from 18,000 soldiers of the old Opsikion earlier ). The subject's capital was relocated to Nicaea .

In the revolt of Thomas the Slav in the early 820s, the Opsikion remained loyal to Emperor Michael II (ruled 820–829). In 866 the opsik strategos Georgios Peganes supported the rebellion of his Thracese counterpart Symbatios against Basil I (ruled 867-886), then the co-emperor of Michael III. (ruled 842–867), and around 932 Basil Chalkocheir revolted against Romanos I (ruled 920–944). Both revolts were quickly stopped. The theme existed throughout the Comnenian period of the Byzantine Empire. Sometime in the 12th century, the Aegean theme was merged with the Opsician. The Opsician theme probably survived until the time of the Empire of Nicaea : Georgios Akropolites reports that it fell to the "Italians" ( Latins ) in 1234 .

literature

• Hélène Ahrweiler : Byzance et la Mer: La Marine de Guerre, la Politique et les Institutiones Maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe – XVe Siècles. Presses universitaires de France, Paris 1966.
• John F. Haldon : Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional and Social Survey of the Opsikion and the Tagmata, c. 580-900. Habelt, Bonn 1984, ISBN 3-7749-2004-4 .
• John F. Haldon: Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture. 2nd edition Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1997, ISBN 978-0-521-31917-1 .
• John F. Haldon: Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. Taylor & Francis, London 1999, ISBN 1-85728-495-X .
• Alexander Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . 3 volumes. Oxford / New York 1991, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6 .
• TC Lounghis: The Decline of the Opsikian Domesticates and the Rise of the Domesticate of the Scholae . In: Byzantine Symmeikta. No. 10, 1996, pp. 27-36.
• 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

• Stylianos Lampakis, Vera Andriopoulou: Theme of Opsikion (Οψικίου Θέμα) ( Memento from August 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). In: Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World: Asia Minor. Foundation of the Hellenic World.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Haldon: Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional and Social Survey of the Opsikion and the Tagmata, c. 580-900. 1984, pp. 443-444.
2. ^ Haldon: Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional and Social Survey of the Opsikion and the Tagmata, c. 580-900. 1984, p. 178.
3. ^ Haldon: Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture. 1997, pp. 214-216.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, p. 23.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Kazhdan: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 1991, p. 1528.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Lampakis, Andriopoulou: Theme of Opsikion (Οψικίου Θέμα). 2003.
7. ↑ Kazhdan: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 1991, p. 2079.
8. ↑ Lounghis: The Decline of the Opsikian domesticates and the Rise of the domesticate of the Scholae. 1996, pp. 28-32.
9. ^ Haldon: Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture. 1997, p. 313.
10. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, p. 26.
11. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, p. 27; Haldon: Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture. 1997, pp. 80, 442.
12. ↑ Lounghis: The Decline of the Opsikian domesticates and the Rise of the domesticate of the Scholae. 1996, pp. 27-28.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Lounghis: The Decline of the Opsikian domesticates and the Rise of the domesticate of the Scholae. 1996, pp. 28-31.
14. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, pp. 29, 71.
15. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, pp. 71, 99, 210.
16. ↑ ^{a b c} Kazhdan: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 1991, p. 1529.
17. ↑ Lounghis: The Decline of the Opsikian domesticates and the Rise of the domesticate of the Scholae. 1996, p. 30.
18. ^ Haldon: Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999, p. 314.
19. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, p. 31.
20. ^ Haldon: Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999, p. 97.
21. ^ Ahrweiler: Byzance et la Mer: La Marine de Guerre, la Politique et les Institutiones Maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe – XVe Siècles. 1966, p. 79.