Nicéphore II Phocas

Nicéphore II Phocas (912 † 969) is a large general of the Byzantine Empire which reaches the throne and became a disputed emperor. He reigns of 963 with 969.

Origins

Nicéphore (first name which means which carries the victory ) belongs to the Famille Phocas, originating in Cappadoce, which gave to Byzance several other generals. It was born towards 912 and joined the rather young army. His/her grandfather, fore-mentioned also Nicéphore, had illustrated himself in Italy and Sicily from where it had driven out the Moors of North Africa under Basile I {{er}}. Under Leon VI, it fought the Bulgares, one of its sons and uncle de Nicéphore, Leon Phocas, had been domestic scholes, commander-in-chief of the armies in the war against the Bulgarian ones and had even tried to usurp the throne of Constantin VII. Leon had been stopped by Romain Lécapène. Another of his/her uncles, on the maternal side, was Saint Michel Maléïnos, Higoumène with the Kyminas mount. The father of Nicéphore, Phocas Gears, had fought the Sarrasins and had become a true popular hero. He had also helped Constantin VII to recover his capacity given up with the Lécapène.

Nicéphore has two brothers. The first, Constantin, Strategist of Séleucie, are made prisoner by the Hamdanides in 949 and die poisoned in a dungeon 6 years later according to Kedrenos. The second, the Curopalate and strategist of Cappadoce Leon Phocas, replaces it as commander on the Eastern border.

First military exploits

Under Constantin VII, he becomes strategist of Anatoliques into 946 and is named domestic scholes into 955. In the war against the Sarrasins, it begins with a serious defeat in 956, that it makes forget by its victories in Syria the following years.

Constantin VII names it magister and domestic scholes of the East, which makes of it the commander of the imperial forces in Asia.

Forwarding in Crete

Since its conquest by the Buckwheats in 824, the Crete became the base camp of pirates plundering the circumference of the Byzantine grounds. Their forwardings are bloody and without pity like that of 904 on Thessalonique told by Jean Carméniate. As of 825, the Byzantines try to take again the island, but all the attempts are failures. In all, five attempts take place before 960; the last, ordered by Constantin Gongyle, at the end of the reign of Constantin VII is a disaster. The pirates ruined the trade of the Byzantine ports, also Joseph Bringas, the parakimomene , chief of the Senate and true holder of the imperial capacity under Romain II, decides on a new forwarding. He placed at his head the best general of the Empire: Nicéphore Phocas. Bringas must overcome the opposition of the Senate which sees, not without reason, in Nicéphore a possible usurper of the imperial throne so much it is popular.

The time is favorable to an action on Crete, the Moslems then being disorganized and being empêtrés in internal wars.

Nicéphore carries out forwarding on the Crete, devastation Candie after a ten month old seat and eliminates the sarrasine presence from the island.

Countryside in the East

After having received the rare honors of the Triumph and to be been domestic of the scholes of the East (it replaces his Leon brother at this station), the weather turns over in the East with an army strong and equipped well during the winter 961 - 962. It seizes in 962 Anarzabe and Sis in Cilicie, passes then in Syria of north and removes with the emir hamdanide Sayf Al-Dawla the town of Alep (December 23rd 962) which is pitilessly ransacked. But not being able to seize the citadel it leaves the city and returns in Cilicie. The topic of Séleucie is then reformed.

After being gone with Constantinople to collect the imperial crown 963, Nicéphore directs one second operation against Hamdanides, which reign at the time on Syria of north and Mosul, at the time when the Bouyides of Baghdad take with reverse the latter. Nicéphore in a proclamation addressed to the court of Baghdad announces its intentions clearly, to take again Antioche then Damas and to return the Arabs in their fatherland of origin the Arabia. Finally it wishes to take again Jerusalem. Proclamation in a certain premonitory way since he announces the crusades. It does not make permanent conquests. It is during this program that to him is given the nickname “the pale death of Buckwheats”.

Reign

Accession with the throne

To died of Romain II in suspect circumstances, it turns over to Constantinople to defend oneself against the intrigues generated by the minister Joseph Bringas. With the assistance of Théophano, the young widow of the emperor, who wants to protect the life from her children, and of the patriarch, it receives the command of the Eastern forces and is proclaimed emperor by the Senate then by the army the July 3rd 963 in front of Césarée.

After a popular rising against Bringas in Constantinople, Nicéphore Phocas makes its entry in the city and is crowned there the August 16th at the side of wire of Romain II. The September 20th, it marries Théophano in spite of the opposition of his/her son, the patriarch Polyeucte (it initiated a revocation procedure of marriage later).

Continuation of the conquests

During its reign, it continues the military campaigns. Of 964 with 965, it conquers definitively Tarse, Massissa and the Cilicie while the Patrice Nicétas Chalcoutzès takes again Cyprus with the Moslems (964/965). In 966 it devastates the Mésopotamie until Nisibe then is inserted in Syria or it seizes the fortified town of Arta between Alep and Antioche. In January 967 the death of prince Hamdanide d' Alep, Saïf el-Dwala, replaced by his/her son the incompetent Saad el-Dwala reinforces the position of Nicéphore.
In 968, it reduces the majority of the fortresses of Syria and after a victory in front of Alep Nicéphore seizes Ma' arrat Al-Numan, Kafartab, Shaizar, of which it reduces in ash the large mosque, then Hama and Homs which is delivered to the flames. After the confusion of the valley of the Oronte the Basileus approaches the Lebanese coast and takes Jabala, Arqa, Tortose and receives the tender of Lattaquié (Laodicée). Forwarding is a success and the emperor goes back to Constantinople with considerable spoils and undoubtedly several tens of thousands of prisoners. He charges his nephew Pierre Phocas and the strategist Michel Bourtzès with the blockade of Antioche. Following a surprised attack of Michel Bourtzès the October 29th 969 the city is definitively taken on November 1st 969 with the intervention of Pierre Phocas. The reconquest of Antioche by the Byzantine mark the crowning of the Greek crusade. The city constitutes during more than one century the Fortified town of the empire in the area. In December 969 or January 970 Pierre Phocas again takes the town of Alep (where a usurper Kargouya drove out Saad el-Dwala) except the citadel and is satisfied to obtain a promise of vassalage like raising all the Christian churches.

Nicéphore is less happy in Occident. After having given up the tribute of the caliphs Fatimides, it sends a forwarding in Sicily (964 - 965), but the defeats undergone on ground and on sea force it to leave the island. In 967, it makes peace with Buckwheats of Kairawan for better fighting Otton {{Ier}} of the Holy roman Empire which tackles the Byzantine possessions in Italy. Nicéphore must make retirement.

Because of its military campaigns and maintenance of a powerful army, Nicéphore must exert a rigid fiscal policy. It reduces generosities of the court and puts an end to the freedoms from tax clergy. Although he regards itself as a ascetic, he prohibits the foundation of new monasteries.

Treason

The too high taxes, the depreciation of its currency, make Nicéphore very unpopular and in 967 a hostile sway in the crowd in her opposition bursts at the time of a procession.

Nicéphore, too old, is not a tempting husband for Théophano which misleads it with Jean Tzimiskès. It is not long in initiating a plot against him with the assistance of its nephew and Tzimiskès. This last was assigned with residence in its grounds of Arménie by Nicéphore - under the influence of his/her brother become curopalate. Tzimiskès, in addition to undergoing disgrace to see itself withdrawing the command of its armies is made logothète public race (responsible for the stations). Théophano, whose Nicéphore was impassioned, manages to make raise disgrace.

Entreated thus decide to pass to the action and to remove Nicéphore. The following ones of Théophano insert a detachment ordered by Tzimikès in the imperial palace of Boucoléon the December 11th 969. This group was composed of eight to ten men of which Michel Bourtzès, strategist disgrâcié, Leon Pédiasomos, another Patrice, Leo Abalantés, taxiarque, Theodore Black.

They stab Nicéphore during its sleep. Its head is distinct and exposed in public, its body is thrown in snow. A little later its remainders are buried discreetly with the Saint-Apostles in a sarcophagus on the heroon of Constantin. Abalantés is designated as culprit and goat-emissary; it is carried out shortly after.

There remains an uncertainty on the motivations of Théophano. According to certain chroniclers, it acted for a purely villainous reason; other chroniclers, such Manassès, entirely clear it and speak about the threat which made weigh Nicéphore and his/her brother on the children of Théophano. The latter fearing to see its sons mutilated and exiled in a monastery would then have called upon Tzimiskès.

Nicéphore Phocas seen by the Byzantine chroniclers

The Byzantine chroniclers are clearly divided on Nicéphore. Some, like Leon Deacon, are very favorable for him, whereas of other like Jean Skylitzès, Geogios Kédrénos or Jean Zonaras do not chew their words in the contempt which they have for him. Thus Skylitzès doubt-T' it strongly of its apparent virtue and its austerity. He tells the advent of Nicéphore:

“On September 20th, raising the mask which it had taken and ceasing playing the comedy, it married in right Théophanô weddings. On this occasion, it took also meat whereas before it abstained from eating some since Bardas, the son whom it had had of his first wife, taking exercise with horse in the plain with its Pseulès nephew, had died of an involuntarily given blow of lance. Did Nicéphore do that by true abstinence or played it the comedy in order to mislead people with the capacity at the time? ”

These attacks also relate to its physical aspect and its manner of being. Thus Kédrénos describes Nicéphore like small, large, with broad shoulders. It describes it also dark and silent mood and however dedicated with passions. Its panegyrists rather saw there wisdom and severity as well as a high direction of justice. Thus Leon Diacre writes it that “Nicéphore was a Juste, a scrupulous observer of the law”. Mathieu d' Édesse in his Chronique speaks in praise of its humanity: “It was a man of good, saint, animated of the love of god, full with virtue and justice, and at the same time brave and happy in the engagements. Miséricordieux for all the faithful ones of Christ, it visited the widows and the prisoners and nourished the orphans and the poor. ” Several chroniclers attest his piety. Holy Athanase, monk with the Mount Athos, was very related to him and pushed it with becoming monk. This last was rewarded for one hundred visitors' books to have predicted the victory of Nicéphore over the Arabs.

This opposition of the historians is undoubtedly reinforced by the fact that Nicéphore grants, not without reasons, of many subsidies to the army and skin the Senate and the monasteries. Skylitzès makes us also the account of its end of reign where Nicéphore passes to develop a paranoiac frame of mind. Thus he writes that Nicéphore made build a wall around the palate and “a citadel from where it could exert his tyranny on the unhappy citizens”. He ends up criticizing his brutality towards the citizens of Constantinople - from which he had ended up being made hate - like his avarice.

See too

History of Crete

External bonds

Sources

, p. 260-283

Random links: