Theophylaktos Rhangabe (co-emperor)

Theophylactus on the lapel of a solidus of his father Michael I.

Theophylactus Rhangabe ( Middle Greek Θεοφύλακτος ὁ Ραγκαβές , as monk Eustratios ; * 793 ; † January 15, 849 on the island of Plati or Proti ) was a Byzantine co-emperor from 811 to 813 .

Life

Theophylaktos was the eldest son of the Kuropalates and later Emperor Michael Rhangabe and Prokopia, a daughter of Nikephorus I. He had two brothers Staurakios and Nicetas (the later Patriarch Ignatios ) and two sisters Georgo and Theophano. His grandfather of the same name Theophylaktos Rhangabe , who had held the dignity of patrician , was involved in the failed usurpation attempt by Emperor Nikephorus against Irene and Constantine VI in 780 . been involved.

Michael Rhangabe was elevated to a basileus in early October 811 in a revolt against his brother-in-law Staurakios . Theophylactus became heir to the throne and was crowned co-emperor in Hagia Sophia on December 25, 811 . In the course of the recognition of Charlemagne as Roman emperor in the west , negotiations were also held about theophylactus' marriage to a Frankish princess.

On July 11, 813, the troops in front of the capital proclaimed the patricios and strategists of the subject Anatolicon Leon as emperor. Michael I abdicated and took up the position of a monk, as did Theophylactus, who, like his brothers, was forcibly castrated (and thus could no longer become or remain emperor). The island of Plati (near Zonaras : Proti) in the Sea of ​​Marmara was assigned to them by the new emperor . Theophylactus lived there under the monk name Eustratios until his death on January 15, 849.

swell

• Johannes Skylitzes 8–9
• Theophanes , p. 494 (in the edition by Carl de Boor )
• Theophanes Continuatus 1, 10
• John Zonaras 15, 17-18

literature

• Ralph-Johannes Lilie , Claudia Ludwig, Thomas Pratsch, Ilse Rochow, Beate Zielke: Prosopography of the Middle Byzantine Period . 1st department: (641−867). Volume 4: Plato (# 6266) - Theophylaktos (# 8345). Created after preliminary work by F. Winkelmann . Published by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. De Gruyter, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-11-016674-7 , pp. 684-685 No. 8336.
• Ilse Rochow: Byzantium in the 8th century as seen by Theophanes. Source-critical historical commentary on the years 715–813 (= Berlin Byzantine works. Vol. 57). Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-05-000700-1 , pp. 103, 306-307, 317, 319.