Damian ( el, Δαμιανός) was a senior

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

official during the reign of Emperor Michael III (842–867), serving as the head chamberlain (''

parakoimomenos The ''parakoimōmenos'' ( el, παρακοιμώμενος, literally "the one who sleeps beside he emperor's chamber) was a Byzantine court position, usually reserved for eunuchs. The position's proximity to the emperors guaranteed its holders ...

'') to the emperor.

Biography

Theophanes Continuatus ''Theophanes Continuatus'' ( el, συνεχισταί Θεοφάνους) or ''Scriptores post Theophanem'' (, "those after Theophanes") is the Latin name commonly applied to a collection of historical writings preserved in the 11th-century Vat. g ...

reports that Damian was a eunuch and of Slavic origin. He held the influential post of head chamberlain (''

''), with the rank of ''

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned aft ...

'', under Michael III (), and perhaps, according to the later ''

Patria of Constantinople The ''Patria'' of Constantinople ( el, Πάτρια Κωνσταντινουπόλεως), also regularly referred to by the Latin name ''Scriptores originum Constantinopolitarum'' ("writers on the origins of Constantinople"), are a Byzantine collec ...

'', already under Michael's father Theophilos () as well. The Byzantinist

Henri Grégoire Henri Jean-Baptiste Grégoire (; 4 December 1750 – 28 May 1831), often referred to as the Abbé Grégoire, was a French Catholic priest, Constitutional bishop of Blois and a revolutionary leader. He was an ardent slavery abolitionist and sup ...

suggested that Damian might be identifiable with the Byzantine admiral, known only from Arabic sources as " Ibn Qatuna", who led the Sack of Damietta in 853, by interpreting the Arabic name as a corruption of the title ''epi tou koitonos'' ("in charge of the imperial bedchamber"). He belonged to the circle of high officials who opposed

Theoktistos Theoktistos or Theoctistus (; died November 20, 855) was a leading Byzantine official during the second quarter of the 9th century and the ''de facto'' head of the regency for the underage emperor Michael III from 842 until his dismissal and mu ...

, the powerful minister who monopolized power during the first half of Michael's reign. He was instrumental in securing the recall of Michael's uncle

Bardas Bardas ( el, Βάρδας; died 21 April 866) was a Byzantine noble and high-ranking minister. As the brother of Empress Theodora, he rose to high office under Theophilos (. Although sidelined after Theophilos's death by Theodora and Theoktisto ...

from exile, culminating in the death of Theoktistos and the assumption of control over state affairs by Bardas in 855. In 865, however, he fell out with Bardas, who began scheming against him, and persuaded Michael to dismiss him and have him

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...

d. His successor became

Basil the Macedonian Basil I, called the Macedonian ( el, Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, ''Basíleios ō Makedṓn'', 811 – 29 August 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the ...

, the future founder of the

Macedonian dynasty The Macedonian dynasty (Greek: Μακεδονική Δυναστεία) ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greatest extent since the Muslim conquests, a ...

. Damian himself retired to the church of the palace of the quarter of St. Mamas. According to the ''Patria'', he also built the monastery known as ''tou Damianou'' ("Damian's").

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Damian 9th-century Byzantine people 9th-century Byzantine monks Byzantine eunuchs Parakoimomenoi