Stamboom Bas » NN Phokas (< 830-????)

Persoonlijke gegevens NN Phokas 

• Hij is geboren voor 830.
• (Geschiedenis) .

  1. Generally about the origin of Phokas family
  Phokas family was one of the most powerful families of Asia Minor’s aristocracy. They appear in the historical sources for the first
  time in the second half of the 9th century. For five generations they held the highest military and administrative ranks, while one of
  their members rose to the imperial throne. Most important of the many families with which they became related were the Maleinos
  and the Skleros families.
  According to the legendary genealogy of the family, recorded (and possibly created) by Michael Attaleiates, historian of the 11th
  century, Phokas family descended from the Phabii, an old Roman aristocratic family.1 Their real origins, though, must be sought in
  Cappadocia, with which Phokas family was closely related both economically (because of their estates) and politicaly.2 Through the
  history of the Phokas lineage one can observe the process of the appearance of the great land owners and its consequences on the
  internal politics.
  2. The rise of the family
  The emergence and rise of Phokas family are dated back in the times of the Macedonian dynasty, as the first representatives of the
  family are mentioned in the sources during the times of Basil I. The first known Phokas was a common soldier, of humble origin, who
  was appointed tourmarches in 872, probably in the theme of Cappadocia.3 His son, Nikephoros Phokas (mentioned as the Old by
  modern researchers), had a long and successful career, thanks to which he reached the highest military positions , those of the general
  (strategos) and the domestic of the schools. Evidently, Nikephoros’ position in the military hierarchy gave his posterity the ability to
  rise to the highest classes of Byzantine society. Thus, his son Leo Phokas is first mentioned in the sources as a domestic of the
  schools already in 917, which means that his career must have started much earlier, while in the same period his other son, Bardas,
  was a general.4
  3. Phokas family under Romanos I Lekapenos’ disfavor
  In the first half of the 10th century, the rise of Phokas family was significantly slowed down. During the reign of Romanos I
  Lekapenos, the representatives of the third generation of Phokas family, the above mentioned Leo and Bardas, fell out of the
  emperor’s favor.
  During the regency of empress Zoe (913-919), mother of under aged Constantine VII Porphyrogennitos (913-959), magistros and
  domestic of the schools Leo Phokas was one of the most distinguished personalities of the state and he was appointed with the supreme command in the war against Symeon’s Bulgarians. But the defeats of the byzantine army in 917, first in the battle of
  Anchialos and subsequently in the Katasirtes of Thrace, weakened both Leo Phokas and empress Zoe’s position. The military
  defeats accelerated Zoe’s fall and gave the opportunity to admiral (droungarios tou ploimou) Romanos Lekapenos to take the throne.
  As Leo Phokas was favoured by the empress (who considered marrying him),5 he was bound to come across Romanos and his
  supporters, who appeared as defenders of Constantine VII’s legal rights. In 919, Leo Phokas attempted to seize authority, but was
  defeated by Lekapenos and paid for his political ambition with the loss of his sight. After that, his traces are lost in the historical
  sources.
  The political change of 919-920 also affected the career of Leo’s brother, Bardas Phokas, a personality who attributed greatly to the
  strengthening of the Phokas family. In the beginning he was not given high positions and honorific titles, but that was just a temporary
  phase of his career and by the end of Romanos I’s governing Bardas appears in the sources as a patrician with high position in the
  military.
  4. The policy of establishing family relations
  By the late 9th century or the beginnings of the 10th, the Phokas family had established relations by intermarriage with the Maleinos
  family, when Bardas Phokas married the daughter of Eudokios Maleinos, descendant of a family from Charsianon, older and
  wealthier than the Phokas family. Offspring to this marriage were Nikephoros, who would later become emperor, Leo and
  Constantine Phokas.
  The family relation between the Phokas and the Maleinos families had versatile consequences. First of all, both families were
  financially strong. Secondly, this relation is also evident in the politics. Since that time, The Maleinoi loyally followed and supported
  the political aspirations of their relatives from Phokas family, in such an extent that the rise and fall of the two families were
  interrelated.
  The Phokas and the Maleinos families became the core of the lineage that was developed around them with the addition of other, less
  eminent families. Among those, the Parsakoutenos family stands out, as its representatives participated for a period of time in the
  rebellions of the subsequent members of the Phokas family. Other than that, the Phokas family also established relations by
  intermarriage with the Skleros family, one of the most powerful families of Asia Minor, with which they had a conflict in the last
  decades of the 10th century, over the seizure of authority. They were also related by marriage to the Kourkouas family, through
  Bardas Phokas’ daughter, mother of the subsequently emperor John Tzimiskes.
  5. The “golden era” of Phokas family
  Romanos I’s fall in 944 was the beginning of Constantine VII’s reign (945-959). This political change was followed by a “golden era”
  for the Phokas family, which had played an important role in the reinstatement of the legitimate representative of the Macedonian
  dynasty to the throne. During Constantine VII and his son Romanos II’s reign (959-963), the Phokas family held, as if by right of
  succession, the highest military positions and they commanded the entirety of the Byzantine armed forces, mainly in the war against
  the Arabs on the eastern front.
  Since the beginning of 945 and until 955, Bardas Phokas held the position of the domestic of the schools, while his first-born son,
  Nikephoros, was general of Anatolikon. Leo Phokas was appointed general of Cappadocia and Constantine Phokas general of
  Seleukeia. When in 955 Bardas Phokas retired from the position of the domestic of the schools (because of old age and his defeats
  by the Arabs), the Phokas family did not lose its influence: Nikephoros became domestic of the schools, while his brother Leo was
  promoted to general of Anatolikon (their younger brother, Constantine, had been captured by the Arabs two years earlier and died in
  prison). Nikephoros and Leo continued to command the armed forces during Romanos II’s reign. As domestic of the schools,
  Nikephoros reconquered Crete, which was under Arabian occupation, in 960-961, and in the following year he conquered Aleppo in
  Syria. Leo Phokas, domestic of the schools of the West, was distinguished in the wars against the Hungarians in the Balkans, while
  later (960) he repelled a major Arabian invasion in Andrasus.
  
  6. The peak of Phokas family’s power
  The high position of Phokas family in the military and social hierarchy during the previous decades gave a distinguished member of the
  family the opportunity to seize authority in 963.
  After Romanos II’s death, magistros Nikephoros Phokas was pronounced emperor by his troops, under the pretext of protecting the
  rights of the under-aged emperors Basil and Constantine. Nikephoros Phokas’ aspirations were supported by the members of his
  family, as well as by other relatives, his nephew John Tzimiskes being one of them. The usurper also had the support of the empress
  Theophano, Romanos II’s widow, and of the patriarch of Constantinople, Polyeuktos. In the August of 963, Nikephoros Phokas
  was enthroned, married Theophano and assumed authority as protector of the under-aged successors to the throne.
  During Nikephoros Phokas’ reign, the Phokas family rose rapidly to the top of the hierarchy of the court: the emperor’s father,
  Bardas, was awarded the title of caesar, while his brother, Leo Phokas was given the title of kuropalates and the high position of
  logothetes tou dromou. Also, Leo’s sons and other relatives of the Phokas family held important administrative and military positions
  in the provinces of the state.
  Nikephoros II’s reign was the summit of the sovereignty of Phokas family. Nikephoros II’s murder (969, was the beginning of a new
  era for the family. Since then and until the end, the representatives of Phokas family, not wanting to compromise with their loss of
  authority, appear more and more often as rebels and conspirators.
  7. The Phokas family as rebels
  7.1. During John I Tzimiskes’ reign
  The attempt of Phokas family to recover the throne brought its members into a conflict with the subsequent emperors, beginning with
  John I Tzimiskes, Nikephoros II’s murderer.
  As soon as he resumed authority, Tzimiskes attempted to politically isolate the Phokas family, by sending its most important members
  in exile, an act that caused Bardas Phokas, son of Leo and nephew of the previous emperor, to rebel in the autumn of 970. As a
  result of the failure of the rebellion, which had been supported by his father and his older brother Nikephoros, Bardas was exiled,
  curopalates Leo and Nikephoros were blinded, and their property was confiscated. Even though, the family’s power was not
  significantly affected, as the subsequent events show.
  7.2. During Basil II’s reign
  The times of Basil II (976-1025) are generally characterized by numerous conflicts between representatives of the powerful
  aristocracy of Asia Minor.6 As soon as he resumed authority, the emperor had to encounter the rebellion of Bardas Skleros, a former
  associate of Tzimiskes and relative by marriage of the Phokas family (his brother had married Sophia, rebel Bardas Phokas’ sister).
  In order to repress the rebellion, in 978 Basil brought Bardas Phokas back from his exile and appointed him domestic of the schools
  of the East. Even though Phokas finally achieved to repress the rebellion, the emperor was trying to keep him away from the highest
  military positions. Unable to accept such a policy, the last powerful representative of the Phokas family became a rebel himself. In the
  August of 978, he was proclaimed emperor in Cappadocia, in the house of his relative Eustathios Maleinos. Many representatives of
  the old and powerful families of Asia Minor, such as the Maleinos family, the Melissenos family and others, were present in this
  proclamation. This rebellion, which was rather dangerous for Basil II, ended in the April of 989, when Bardas Phokas lost his life
  (under unusual circumstances) in Abydus, fighting against the imperial armed forces.
  Despite the repression of their movement, the power of Phokas family remained significant even after 989, as it is evident by the fact
  that Basil II imposed harsh measures against the remaining members of the family, while he was keeping them away from public
  positions. When the emperor consolidated his authority, he began to apply even more strict policy to the powerful families of Asia Minor, attempting to limit their financial power. Accordingly, the Phokas and the Maleinos families are specifically mentioned in Basil
  II’s Novel (dated back to 996), through which the emperor declares against “dynatoi”, who had become wealthy by plundering lands
  from the farmers.7 The publication of the “novel” was followed by an almost complete confiscation of Phokas family’s lands. This
  way, without wealth, titles and positions (that would really give them authority), the social status of the Phokas family was lost.
  A representative of the Phokas family did not compromise with that situation: Nikephoros Phokas, magistros Bardas Phokas’ son,
  rebelled in 1022 against Basil II, assisted by Nikephoros Xiphias, former general of the emperor. But Nikephoros fell victim of
  Xiphias’ ambitions and was murdered. His death marked the end of the conflicts between emperor Basil II and Phokas family.
  8. The last mention of Phokas family
  Phokas family’s last attempt to end their political isolation was made in the times of Constantine VIII’s reign (1025-1028), when
  Bardas, usurper Bardas Phokas’ grandson, was accused of conspiracy. After his blinding, there is no more information on the activity
  of Phokas family in the historical sources. It is assumed that the family ceased to exist during the first half of the 11th century, in any
  case before 1078.88 Its glory, though, was preserved in the memory of their subsequent, as it is evident by the words of Michael
  Attaleiates, who wrote that emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates was related to the Phokas family “whose glory spreads all over the
  land and the sea

• (Levens event) .

  Chronological Table
  872: The first mention of a member of the Phokas family, who holds the position of tourmarches (of Cappadocia?)
  Last quarter of the 9th-early 10th century: Nikephoros Phokas the Old is distinguished as a general and domestic of the schools in
  Italy, the Balkans and Asia Minor
  913-919: Nikephoros Phokas’ two sons, Leo and Bardas (the former as a domestic of the schools), are appointed high positions in the
  military hierarchy
  919: Leo Phokas’ unsuccessful rebellion against Romanos Lekapenos. Leo Phokas is blinded
  920-944: Bardas Phokas makes a career in the armed forces
  944-945: The Phokas family assists Constantine VII to come to the throne as justified emperor
  945-955: Bardas Phokas serves as domestic of the schools, while his three sons are also appointed high military positions: Nikephoros
  becomes general of Anatolikon, Leo of Capppadocia and Constantine of Seleukeia
  953: Constantine Phokas, Bardas’ youngest son, is captured by the Arabs and dies in prison
  955: Bardas Phokas retires from military service and his son Nikephoros is appointed in his place, while Leo is promoted to general of
  Anatolikon
  959-963: The brothrs Nikephoros and Leo Phokas serve as domestics of the schools of the East and the West correspondingly
  961: Nikephoros Phokas conquers Crete, which was under Arabian occupation
  963-969: Period of Nikephoros II Phokas’ governing. The Phokas family reaches the peak of its power: the emperor’s father, Bardas,
  was awarded the title of caesar, Leo Phokas was given the title of curopalates , Leo’s son, Bardas Phokas, nephew of the emperor,
  becomes duke of Chaldia
  964-965: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers Cilicia and North Syria
  Autumn 969: Bardas Phokas dies of old age
  December 10th 969: Nikephoros II Phokas is murdered in Constantinople, as a result of a conspiracy organized by John Tzimiskes
  and empress Theophano
  970: Unsuccessful rebellion of Bardas Phokas, son of curopalates Leo, against John I Tzimiskes. It is suppressed by Bardas Skleros and
  Bardas
  Phokas is exiled, while Leo Phokas and his son Nikephoros are blinded
  978: Bardas Phokas is being brought back from exile, is awarded the title of magistros and the position of domestic of the schools of
  the East
  979: Bardas Phokas suppresses Bardas Skleros’ rebellion
  987-989: Bardas Phokas rebellion against emperor Basil II
  April 989: Bardas Phokas loses his life in a battle against the imperial armed forces in Abydus
  1022: Nikephoros Phokas, son of the usurper Bardas Phokas, rebels against Basil II with the support of Nikephoros Xiphias. Xiphias
  murders Nikephoros Phokas and submits himself to the emperor
  1026: Patrician Bardas Phokas (usurper Bardas Phokas’ grandson) is accused of conspiracy against Tmperor Constantine VIII and
  gets blinded

• (Levens event) .Bron 1

  Phokas or Phocas (Greek: F????), feminine form Phokaina (Greek: F??a??a), was the name of a Byzantine aristocratic clan from Cappadocia, which in the 9th and 10th centuries provided a series of high-ranking generals and an emperor, Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969). Its members and their clients monopolized the high command positions of the Byzantine army for much of the 10th century and led the successful Byzantine offensive against the Arabs in the East. As one of the leading families of the Anatolian military aristocracy, the Phokades were also involved in a series of rebellions that laid claim to power and challenged the emperors at Constantinople. Their power was eventually broken by Basil II (r. 976–1025), and the family declined in importance after the 11th century.
  Contents
  History
  Origin and early members
  
  According to Michael Attaleiates, the family descended from the ancient Roman gens Fabia, while Ali ibn al-Athir ascribed them an Arab origin from Tarsos. These theories, however, are a later invention. Whatever their origins, the Phokades appear to have settled in Cappadocia, where their estates were concentrated and which is clearly attested as their power base and the center of their activities.[1][2] Various authors have speculated on an Armenian or Georgian origin,[2][3] partly to account for the frequent presence of the name "Bardas" among the family members, but none of these hypotheses can be conclusively proven.[4][5]
  The blinding of Leo Phokas.
  
  The first attested member of the family was a soldier, probably of humble origin, who was appointed tourmarches in 872. His son, Nikephoros Phokas the Elder, became a distinguished general, scoring several victories against the Arabs, especially in southern Italy, and reaching the position of Domestic of the Schools.[2][4][6] His son, Leo Phokas the Elder, was also Domestic of the Schools, but was defeated by the Bulgarian tsar Symeon (r. 893–927), and later unsuccessfully opposed the rise of Romanos Lekapenos to the throne in 919, being captured and blinded. His brother, Bardas Phokas the Elder, already active as a general, fell in disgrace for a time, but by the time of Lekapenos's fall in 944, he was a patrikios and a high-ranking general.[4][7]
  Apex of power and fall
  
  After the fall of the Lekapenoi clan, Constantine VII appointed Bardas as Domestic of the Schools, while his sons Nikephoros, Leo, and Constantine were placed as strategoi of the themes of Anatolikon, Cappadocia, and Seleukeia respectively.[8][9] These appointments heralded a period of over twenty years when the Phokades and their clients monopolized the Byzantine army's leadership. During this period, the Phokas clan was closely allied with the Maleinoi, a rich and powerful family from Charsianon, through the marriage of Bardas to a Maleinos lady. Other families that were closely aligned with and often related to them through marriage were the Adralestoi, Skleroi, Kourkouai, Parsakountenoi, Balantai, and Botaneiatai.[10]
  Entry of Nikephoros Phokas (r. 963-969) into Constantinople as emperor, from the Madrid Skylitzes.
  
  Bardas himself, already in his mid-sixties when named commander-in-chief, proved a mediocre general, suffering a string of defeats at the hands of Sayf al-Dawla. One of them, in 953, even left his son Constantine Phokas captive in Dawla's hands. Finally, in 955, Bardas was replaced by his son Nikephoros. With the aid of Leo, who had already established himself through victories of his own, and his nephew John Tzimiskes, Nikephoros achieved a series of successes, recovering Crete and Cyprus and repeatedly defeating Sayf al-Dawla's forces.[9][11] With the sudden death of Romanos II in 963, the popular and powerful Nikephoros seized the throne, becoming senior emperor and guardian over the young sons of Romanos, Basil II, and Constantine VIII. His father Bardas was named Caesar, and his brother Leo became kouropalates and logothetes tou dromou. As emperor, Nikephoros continued his campaigns in the East, conquering Cilicia and northwestern Syria.[4][12]
  
  Nikephoros's regime, however, quickly became unpopular, both due to his focus on military affairs to the detriment of the economy and for his religious policies. In December 969, he was murdered by a group of disaffected generals led by his nephew and one-time protégé John Tzimiskes, with the connivance of Empress Theophano.[13] The Phokades were dismissed from their posts and titles and exiled by the new regime. Bardas Phokas the Younger, the younger son of the kouropalates Leo and former doux of Chaldia, escaped and rose up in revolt in 970, but was defeated, tonsured, and exiled to Chios, while in 971 Leo and his eldest son the patrikios Nikephoros were blinded and their property confiscated.[14] One member of the family had a different fate: Leo's daughter Sophia Phokaina had married Constantine Skleros, the brother of Bardas Skleros. Constantine was Tzimiskes's brother-in-law from his first marriage and a close ally of the new emperor. Their daughter, Theophano, was married in 972 to the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II (r. 973–983).[15]
  Battle between the armies of Bardas Skleros and Bardas Phokas, from the Madrid Skylitzes.
  
  In 978, Bardas was recalled by Basil II to lead the imperial forces against the rebellion of Bardas Skleros. Named magistros and Domestic of the East, he managed to defeat Skleros. Bardas himself rebelled in 987, with the support of many of the major aristocratic families, in an uprising that lasted until his death in 989 at the Battle of Abydos. Skleros, who had returned from his Arab exile and had been captured by Bardas Phokas, tried to assume the leadership of the revolt, allying himself with Bardas's sons Leo and Nikephoros, but soon submitted to the emperor. Leo tried to hold out in Antioch but was surrendered to the emperor by the city's inhabitants.[16][17]
  Later members of the family
  
  After facing down the rebellions of the large aristocratic families, Basil II undertook a series of measures to curb their power, wealth, and influence. The Phokades in particular were kept away from military posts and suffered the confiscation of their extensive estates. Basil's edict of 996, directed against the often illegal accumulation of vast estates by the Anatolian magnates, specifically names the Phokades and the closely allied Maleinoi as targets of the emperor's legislation.[17][18] The Phokades, however, retained a measure of influence in their native Cappadocia: there, in 1022, Bardas Phokas's son Nikephoros, surnamed Barytrachelos (Greek: ?a??t???????, "wry-neck"), in alliance with Nikephoros Xiphias, was proclaimed emperor. He was soon murdered by Xiphias and the Phokas supporters deserted the revolt, which quickly broke apart.[17][19] The last mention of a direct descendant of the Phokas family comes in 1026, when the patrikios Bardas, the grandson of the magistros Bardas, was accused of plotting against Emperor Constantine VIII (r. 1025–1028) and blinded.[4][20]
  
  The name appears thereafter, especially during the 13th century in the Empire of Nicaea: Theodotos Phokas, the uncle of Theodore I Laskaris (r. 1205–1222), became megas doux, a certain Michael Phokas was stratopedarches in 1234, and another family member was metropolitan bishop of Philadelphia.[4] It is almost certain, however, that the direct line of the great 10th-century generals died out by the mid-11th century. The prestige attached to the family name, however, was still considerable: the historian Michael Attaleiates praised Nikephoros III Botaneiates (r. 1078–1081) for being related to the Phokades, "whose glory stretches over all the land and the sea"

• Deze gegevens zijn voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 10 april 2013.

Gezin van NN Phokas

Kind(eren):

1. Nikephoros "the Old" Phokas  830-896 

Heeft u aanvullingen, correcties of vragen met betrekking tot NN Phokas?
De auteur van deze publicatie hoort het graag van u!