Nikephoros II Phokas or Nicephorus II Phocas (Greek: Νικηφόρος Β΄ Φωκάς, Nikēphoros II Phōkas), (c. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly 912–969), was a Byzantine Emperor (963-969) whose brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of Byzantine Empire in the tenth century. For the automobile see Porsche 912. Events By Place Europe Orso II Participazio becomes the Doge of 969 was a year in the 10th century. Events By Place Byzantine Empire December 11 — John I becomes This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians
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Early exploits
Nikephoros Phokas belonged to a Cappadocian family which had produced several distinguished generals, including Nikephoros' father (Bardas Phokas), brother (Leo Phokas), and grandfather (Nikephoros Phokas the Elder), who had all served as commanders of the field army (domestikos tōn scholōn). Cappadocia (or Capadocia, Turkish Kapadokya, from Greek: Καππαδοκία / Kappadokía which in turn is from the Persian: He was born about 912.
Nikephoros joined the army at an early age. He was appointed the military governor of the Anatolikon Theme in 945 under Emperor Constantine VII. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος When his father, Bardas was wounded in battle in 953, Nikephoros was promoted to supreme commander on the eastern frontier. In the war with the Abbasid Caliphate under Al-Muti, Nikephoros began with a severe defeat in 954, from which he recovered in the following years by victories in Syria, starting in 957. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history Al-Muti (or Obedient to the Lord) ( Arabic: المطيع) was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974 Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية
From the accession of Emperor Romanos II in 959, Nikephoros and his younger brother Leo were placed in charge of the eastern and western field armies, respectively. Romanos II or Romanus II ( Greek: Ρωμανός Β΄ Rōmanos II) (938&ndash 15 March 963) was a Byzantine emperor In 960, at the recommendation of the influential minister Joseph Bringas, Nikephoros was entrusted in leading an expedition to Crete, and, storming Candia after a 9-months' siege, he wrested the whole island from the Muslims in 961. Joseph Bringas was an important Byzantine official under Emperor Romanus II. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the Heraklion or Iraklion (Ηράκλειο Irákleio, iˈɾaklio̞ Candia is the largest city and capital of Crete. He was denied the usual honor of a triumph, only permitted a mere ovation in the Hippodrome. A Roman triumph ( la [[wikttriumphus triumphus]], Old Latin la triumpus, attested as the exclamation la TRIVMPE in the Carmen Arvale; via The Hippodrome of Constantinople (Sultanahmet Meydanı At Meydanı was a horse-racing track that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of (Norwich, p. 961) he returned to the east with a large and well-equipped army. In the campaigns of 962-963 by brilliant strategy he conquered the cities of Cilicia and advanced into Syria where he captured Aleppo in collusion with his nephew John Tzimiskes, but made no permanent conquests. Geography Cilicia extended along the Aegean coast east from Pamphylia, to Mount Amanus ( Gavurdağı Mount) which separated it from Syria Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For other meanings see Aleppo (disambiguation. Halab redirects here for other meanings see Halab (disambiguation. John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig It was on these campaigns he earned the sobriquet "The Pale Death of the Saracens". During the capture of Aleppo, the Byzantine army took possession of 390,000 silver dinars, 2,000 camels, and 1,400 mules. Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen The Dinar is the name of the official currency in several countries Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the In its common modern meaning a mule is the offspring of a male Donkey and a female Horse, which is classified as a kind of F1 hybrid.
Early in his life Nikephoros had married Stephano. She had died before he rose to fame, and after her death he took an oath of chastity. This would create problems later on.
Accession to the throne
On March 15, 963, Emperor Romanos II unexpectedly died at the age of twenty-six. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Events By Place Asia Turkish Khan Sebük Tigin establishes his empire in modern day Afghanistan. The cause of his death is uncertain. Both contemporary sources and later historians seem to either believe that the young Emperor had exhausted his health with the excesses of his sexual life and his heavy drinking, or suspect Empress Theophano (c. Theophano was a Byzantine empress She was the daughter-in-law of Constantine VII; wife of Romanos II; wife of Nikephoros II Phokas; lover of John 941–after 976), his wife, of poisoning him. Theophano had already at the time gained a reputation as an intelligent and ambitious woman. She would later gain a reputation for ruthlessness in achieving her goals. Romanos had, before his death, already crowned as co-emperors his two sons Basil II and Constantine VIII. Basil II, surnamed the Bulgar-slayer (Βασίλειος Β΄ Βουλγαροκτόνος Basileios II Boulgaroktonos, 958 &ndash December 15 1025 Constantine VIII ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Η΄ Kōnstantinos VIII) (960&ndash November 15, 1028) was Byzantine emperor At the time, however, Basil was five years old and Constantine only three years old, and they were not able to assume the duties that came with their title. Theophano was named regent.
But Theophano was not allowed to rule alone. Joseph Bringas, the eunuch palace official who had become Romanos' chief councillor, maintained his position. A eunuch (ˈjuːnək is a Castrated man in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences the term usually refers to those castrated in order to According to contemporary sources he intended to keep authority in his own hands, rather than those of the young Empress. He also tried to reduce the power of Nikephoros Phokas. The victorious general had been accepted as the actual commander of the army and maintained his strong connections to the aristocracy. Joseph was afraid that Nikephoros could claim the throne with the support of both the army and the aristocracy. Joseph's intrigues during the following months turned both Theophano and Nikephoros against him. Unknown to Joseph, Nikephoros was urged to seize the throne by his nephew John Tzimiskes and entered into negotiations with Theophano. John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig
With the help of Theophano and the patriarch, Nikephoros Phokas received supreme command of the eastern forces and, after being proclaimed emperor by them on July 2, 963, he marched upon the capital, where meanwhile his partisans had overthrown his enemy Bringas. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Events By Place Asia Turkish Khan Sebük Tigin establishes his empire in modern day Afghanistan. Thanks to his popularity with the army, Nikephoros II Phokas was crowned emperor by the side of Romanus's young sons on August 16, 963, and in spite of the patriarch's opposition married their mother, the regent Theophano. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Events By Place Asia Turkish Khan Sebük Tigin establishes his empire in modern day Afghanistan.
Later campaigns
During his reign Nikephoros II Phokas continued to wage numerous wars. From 964–966 he conquered Cilicia and again overran Mesopotamia and Syria, while the patrician Niketas recovered Cyprus. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía In 968 he reduced most of the fortresses in Syria, and after the fall of Antioch and Aleppo in 969, which were recaptured by his lieutenants, he secured his conquests by a peace treaty. On his northern frontier he began a war against Bulgaria in 967, to which the Byzantines had been paying tribute. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Nikephoros revoked the tribute and instigated (with 15,000 pounds of gold) Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev to attack Bulgaria, which he did so effectively, that Nikephoros ended up renewing the alliance with Bulgaria and turning against his own Kievan ally. Sviatoslav I of Kiev ( Old East Slavic: С~тославъ (Свąтославъ Игорєвичь ( Sventoslavŭ Igorevichǐ) Russian: ru Святослав Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan
Nikephoros II was less successful in his western wars. After renouncing his payments of tribute to the Fatimid caliphs, he sent an expedition to Sicily under Niketas (964–965), but was forced by defeats on land and sea to evacuate that island completely. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. In 967 he made peace with the Fatimids of Kairawan and turned to defend himself against their common enemy, Otto I, who had proclaimed himself Western emperor and attacked the Byzantine possessions in Italy; but after some initial successes his generals were defeated and driven back to the southern coast. Kairouan ( Arabic القيروان (also known as Kirwan, Al Qayrawan) is a Muslim holy city which ranks after Mecca, Medina Otto I the Great ( 23 November 912 &ndash 7 May 973) son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The tension between East and West that resulted from Nikephoros' policies can be glimpsed from Bishop Liutprand of Cremona's very unflattering description of him and his court in his Relatio de legatione Constantinopolitana. Liutprand (also Liudprand, Liuprand, Lioutio, Liucius, Liuzo, and Lioutsios; c
Diplomacy
Liutprand's description of Nikephoros was clouded by the fact that he was ill-treated while on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople. Nikephoros, a man of war, was not good at diplomacy. To add insult to injury Pope John XIII sent a letter to Nikephoras while Liutprand was in Constantinople calling Otto I emperor of Rome and even more insultingly referring to Nikephoros merely as emperor of the Greeks. John XIII of Crescenzi family (died September 6, 972) served as Pope from October 1, 965 until his death Otto I the Great ( 23 November 912 &ndash 7 May 973) son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke Liutprand failed in his goal of getting an imperial princess for the wife of Otto's young son, the future emperor Otto II.
Civil administration
Owing to the care which he lavished upon the proper maintenance of the army, Nikephoros II was compelled to exercise rigid economy in other departments. He retrenched the court largesses and curtailed the immunities of the clergy, and although himself of an ascetic disposition forbade the foundation of new monasteries. Ascetic redirects here You might also be looking for Acetic acid. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. By his heavy imposts and the debasement of the coinage he forfeited his popularity with the people and gave rise to riots. Byzantine currency, money used in the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the West consisted of mainly two types of Coins the Gold solidus Last of all, he was forsaken by his wife, and, in consequence of a conspiracy which she headed with his nephew and her lover John Tzimiskes, was assassinated in his sleeping apartment. John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. Following his death, the Phokades family broke into insurrection under Nikephoros' nephew Bardas Phokas, but their revolt was promptly subdued. Bardas Phocas was an eminent Byzantine general who took a conspicuous part in three revolts pro and contra the ruling Macedonian dynasty. Nikephoros was the author of an extant treatise on military tactics, most famously the Praecepta Militaria which contains valuable information concerning the art of war in his time, and the less-known De velitatione, which concerned guerilla-like tactics for defence against a superior enemy invasion force. Nikephoros was also a very devout man, and helped his friend, the monk Athanasios, found the monastery of Great Lavra on Mount Athos. Athanasios the Athonite (Αθανάσιος ο Αθωνίτης also called Athanasius of Trebizond (c The Monastery of Great Lavra (Μονή Μεγίστης Λαύρας is the first monastery built on Mount Athos. Mount Athos (Όρος Άθως is a mountain on the Peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Άγιον
Contemporary Descriptions
In Bishop Liutprand's description of Nikephoros, he contemptuously recalls a man of short stature and the colouring of a "Ethiopian". Liutprand (also Liudprand, Liuprand, Lioutio, Liucius, Liuzo, and Lioutsios; c He was indeed short, stout and "distinctly swarthy" but there are differences concerning the emperor's hair. Bishop Liutprand describes it as being short, whereas Leo The Deacon says it was black with "tight curls" and "unusually long". Leo the Deacon was a Byzantine historian and chronicler He was born around 950 at Kaloe in Asia Minor and was educated in Constantinople, where Historians believe Leo's description is more accurate.
Family
By his first marriage to an unnamed Maleina, Nikephoros II Phokas had a son:
- Bardas Phokas, who died before 969.
By his second marriage to Empress Theophano, Nikephoros II had no children.
Assassination
With unrest mounting around him, his second wife Theophano took as her lover the soldier John Tzimiskes. Theophano and Tzimiskes would meet in secret and plot Nikephoros' death. Eventually the plot grew to include others. On a blustery night, the conspirators went into the palace dressed as women. Nikephoros was warned that assassins were in the palace, but he paid it no mind. Later, when he was asleep, Tzimiskes and the others sneaked into his bed chamber, alarmed at first to find the bed empty (Nikephoros frequently slept on the floor). Aroused by the noise, Nikephoros rose just when one of the assassins swung his sword in an attempt to decapitate him. It struck him in the face. He was then dragged to the foot of the bed, where Tzimiskes sat. Tzimiskes then shouted accusations to him while ripping off handfuls of his beard. Then, the others had their turn, one knocked his teeth out. His head was cut off and paraded on a spike, while his body was thrown out the window. He was buried at the Church of the Holy Apostles, while John Tzimiskes became Emperor John I. For other structures of this name including in the Moscow Kremlin, see Church of the Holy Apostles (disambiguation. An inscription carved on the side of his tomb reads: "You conquered all but a woman".
Descendants
It is claimed that at some period (perhaps after the assassination of Nikephoros II, or with the Latin invasion of Constantinople), the Phokas family moved to the island of Paxi. The Fourth Crusade (1202&ndash1204 was originally designed to conquer Muslim Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Today the name is quite common on the island, yet no one has any dynastic claims. Furthermore, some historians claim that a family's branch moved to the area of Mani, building castles and organizing the community. The Mani Peninsula ( Μάνη in Greek) also long known as Maina or Maïna, is a region in Greece. Today the Kavalierakis (Phokas) family is considered to be the descendants of this historic family, which had many heroes during the ages. In Lebanon, the family of Phocas became Nakfour. The Nakfour family originally settled in Hasbaya, a town in south Lebanon, and later on in Deirmimas, also a town in south Lebanon. [1]
Modern honors
On November 19, 2004, the Hellenic Navy named its tenth Kortenaer class frigate in his honour as F-466 Nikiforos Fokas (formerly HMNLS Bloys Van Treslong F 824). Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Hellenic Navy ( HN) ( Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece Ships The ships were named after Dutch captains and admirals Also, in the Rethymno Prefecture in Crete, a municipality (Nikiforos Fokas) is named after him, as are many streets throughout Greece. Rethymno ( Greek Ρέθυμνο ˈreθimno is a prefecture in the island of Crete. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the Nikiforos Fokas (Greek Νικηφόρος Φωκάς) is a municipality in the Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece, named after the 10th
External links
Media related to Nicephorus II from the Wikimedia Commons. - A more detailed profile of the Emperor
- Nicephorean coinage
References
- ^ Phocas Family : http://members.tripod.com/phocas_family/reputation.htm
- The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991. The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (often abbreviated to ODB) is a three volume book by the Oxford University Press.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
- [Norwich, John] (1989). Byzantium: The Apogee. NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN http://www.amazon.com/Byzantium-Centuries-John-Julius-Norwich/dp/0394537785.
External links
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Nikephoros II
Born: c. The following is a list of emperors of the Byzantine Empire belonging to the Macedonian dynasty (also known as the Armenian Dynasty) of Armenian 912 Died: 969 |
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| Preceded by Basil II |
Byzantine Emperor 963–969 |
Succeeded by John I |
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