Pantherios Scleros

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Pantherios Skleros ( Middle Greek Πανθήριος Σκληρός ; * around 900; † after 945 ) came from the old Byzantine magnate family of the Skleroi , served under Emperor Romanos I. Lakapenos (920-944) as a general, was strategist on the subject of Lycandus and of 944 Thrakesion Domestikos ton scholon (for example: Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in the East). Its true meaning, however, lies in the fact that he was the father of the general and counter-emperor Bardas Scleros (* around 925, † 991), the father-in-law of Emperor Johannes Tzimiskes (969-976) and the grandfather of Theophano (* around 960; † 991) , the wife of Emperor Otto II (973–983). He was also an ancestor of Constantine X. Dukas, Emperor of Byzantium (1059-1067), and the later Grand Duke of Kiev and thus a common ancestor of Byzantine and Western dynasties.

origin

Pantherios Skleros came from the Byzantine noble family of the Skleroi (Greek Σκληροί ). Leon Skleros , who served as a general under Emperor Nikephoros I and appeared in the chronicle of the port of Monemvasia in 805 as a strategist (for example: military governor) of the Peloponnese , as he was commissioned to organize a local uprising of the Slavs there, is considered to be his first progenitor known by name to suppress. Lesser Armenia (the western part of Armenia under Byzantine control ) is given as his homeland , which is why he is traditionally assigned an Armenian origin. The family can be traced back to Constantinople until the 14th century.

According to Christian Settipani, the father of Pantherios was Niketas Scleros (* around 865; † after 894), who had the high title of patrician.

His mother's first name is unknown. She was described as a relative of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos and was probably a daughter of Christophoros, who was Domestikos ton scholon in 872, and the imperial princess Anastasia, daughter of Basil I "the Macedonian" Emperor of Byzantium (866-886) . Through his mother, Pantherios was therefore a descendant of Emperor Basil I. His mother's sister, Maria, was married to Romanos I. Lekapenos, Emperor of Byzantium (920-944), who became Pantherios' uncle by marriage.

Life

Few details are known about the life of Pantherios Scleros due to the limited sources. His first name does not appear in Byzantine sources and is only passed down in Arabic sources - and therefore without vowels. After several attempts at interpretation, it was only possible through the work of J.-C. Cheynet in 1986 can be clearly identified as "Pantherios". A first name that - according to the Byzantine tradition - was also carried by his grandson.

Gold Solidus of Romanos I with his eldest son, Christophoros Lakapenos

Pantherios embarked on the military career customary in the aristocracy, which was decisively promoted through his close family ties by the ruling emperor of Byzantium Romanos I. Lekapenos in the years 920 to 944.

Strategist on the subject of Lykandos

Subject division around 950

Pantherios rose quickly up the military ladder and was appointed strategist on the subject of Lykandos (Greek Λυκανδός ). This province was in southeastern Anatolia  - and thus directly on the border of the Byzantine Empire to the Islamic Emirates in Mesopotamia , such as that of Melitene and that of Mosul . It was a border that was characterized by changing Islamic attacks and Christian counter-attacks and by very changeable successes until it could be advanced to the Euphrates under the son-in-law of Pantherios, Emperor Johannes Tzimiskes (969-976) .

Strategist of the Thrakesion theme

The next command that Pantherios was given was the function of a strategos in one of the most important provinces of the empire: in the theme of Thrakesion (Greek θέμα Θρᾳκησίωνθέμα Θρᾳκησίων ). This was in Western Anatolia. On this subject, Pantherios commanded an army of over 10,000 men, received a high salary (around 40 pounds of gold per year) and probably resided mostly in the regional capital Ephesus , which is not only considerably more comfortable and safer, but also much closer to Constantinople, the Center of power, was. He was not lacking in military tasks, not least because of the Saracen incursions and because the local troops were also deployed on expeditions against the Islamic emirate in Crete .

Domestikos ton scholon

As a successful general, Pantheros was finally appointed Domestikos ton scholon by Emperor Romanos I in 944 , that is, commander in chief of all the troops of the empire in the east, and thus came to the top of the military hierarchy. However, he was not to hold this position for long. On his first expedition he was defeated by Saif al-Dawla in December near Aleppo.

Emperor Romanos I. Lekapenos had usurped power in 920 by ousting the legitimate heir, his son-in-law Emperor Constantine VII . Since his sons Stephan and Constantine feared that their father might name Constantine as his successor, they arrested him in December 944, took him to the Prince Islands and forced him to become a monk. The action turned out to be a failure, however, as the population of Constantinople rebelled against this usurpation, stripped the brothers of their imperial rank, banished them to their father on the Prince Islands and recognized Emperor Constantine as sole ruler.

Fall

The disempowerment of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos in 944 also led to the overthrow of his favorites. Not only was the famous General Joannes Kurukas - the great-uncle of Pantheros' son-in-law, the future Emperor Johannes Tzimiskes  - dismissed, but Pantherios Scleros's military career was also ended. He was replaced as Domestikos in 945 on the orders of the new sole ruler Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (913-959) and replaced by Bardas Phokas the Elder , who also came from one of the great houses of the Anatolian military aristocracy and the father of the later emperor Nikephorus II Phocas (963-969).

The palace church Myrelaion, today Bodrum Mosque, which was built by order of Romanos I as the burial place of the family in 922.

Emperor Romanos I, who had promoted Pantherios throughout his career, died in June 948 and was born in the palace church Myrelaion (literally: "Place of Myrrh"), which he founded in 922 as the burial place of his family , today the Bodrum Mosque (Bodrum Camii) buried in Fatih district.

There is no information about the date of death of Pantherios Scleros, as he no longer appears in the sources after 945.

Marriage and offspring

Pantherios Scleros was married to Gregoria (* c. 905), a member of the Macedonian dynasty . Her father was Bardas, who in turn was a grandson of the brother of the same name of Basil I "the Macedonian" Emperor of Byzantium (866-886).

Offspring (selective):

Proclamation of Bardas Scleros as emperor
  • Bardas Scleros (* 925; † 991), 970 Domestikos ton scholon, rebel and counter-emperor 976–979, rebel 986–989, Kuropalates 991, ⚭ Ne Bourtzina
    • Romanos Skleros (* 955; † n. 993), Magistros, ⚭ Ne daughter (?) V. Abu Taglib, Muslim emir of Mosul
      • Bardas Scleros (* c. 980) ⚭ Ne
      • Basileios Scleros (* 980/85; † n. 1033), Patrikios, ⚭ Pulcheria Argyra, a sister of the emperor Romanos III. Argyros (1028-1034)
        • Ne Scleraina (* c. 1010; † v. 1042) ⚭ Constantine IX. Monomachus, Emperor of Byzantium (1042-1055) (no children)
  • Ne Skeraina ⚭ Andronikos Dukas (* 930)
    • Bardas Dukas (* 955; † n. 1016), General 976-1016, ⚭ Ne
      • Andronikos Dukas (* 975; † n. 1010), Protospatharios, Strategos, ⚭ Ne
  • Maria Skleraina ⚭ Johannes Tzimiskes (Johannes "Rotstiefel") Kurukas, (* 930/35; † 963/69) Emperor of Byzantium (969–976) (no children)
  • Konstantinos Scleros (* c. 935; † 991), 970 Patrikios, & Sophia Phokaina

literature

  • 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 978-2-7018-0226-8 .
  • Werner Seibt: The Scleroi. A prosographic-sigillographic study . Vienna 1976.
  • Warren Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society . Stanford University Press, Stanford 1997. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2 .
  • Mark Whittow: The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025. California: University of California Press, Berkeley / Los Angeles 1996, ISBN 0-520-20496-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Werner Seibt: The Skleroi. A prosographic-sigillographic study. No. 40, Vienna 1976, p. 113
  2. ^ 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 978-2-7018-0226-8 , p. 245.
  3. ↑ Christian Settipani: op. Cit. P. 238.
  4. ^ Jean-Claude Cheynet: Notes arabo-byzantines. In: Mélanges N. Sovoronos , Part 1, Rethymnon 1986, pp. 145–152.
  5. ↑ Kazhdan op. Cit. P. 2080.
  6. ↑ Mark Whittow: The Making of Byzantium 600-1025. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. 1996, p. 345, ISBN 0-520-20496-4 . ( limited preview in Google Book search)
  7. ↑ Christian Settipani: op. Cit. P. 245.
  8. ↑ Christian Settipani: op. Cit. P. 239, note 1.
  9. ^ KY Blankinship 1993, p. 380/81 u. 390
  10. ↑ Detlev Schwennike: European Family Tables, New Series, Volume II, Plate 128; Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg 1984.
  11. ↑ Charles Cawley sees it differently ( Memento from February 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ Detlev Schwennike: op. Cit. Plate 178.
personal data
SURNAME Pantherios Scleros
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Πανθήριος Σκληρός (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Byzantine general
DATE OF BIRTH around 900
DATE OF DEATH after 945