Nikephoros Bryennios ( el, Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος), Latinized as Nicephorus Bryennius, was an important

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 ...

general who was involved in rebellions against the empress

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

and later the emperor

Michael VI Stratiotikos Michael VI Bringas ( el, Μιχαήλ Βρίγγας), called Stratiotikos or Stratioticus ("the Military One", "the Warlike", or "the Bellicose") or Gerontas ("the Old"), reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1056 to 1057. Career Apparently a ...

Career

Nikephoros Bryennios hailed from

Adrianople Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis ( Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian border ...

and by the middle of the 11th century had risen to become the

ethnarch Ethnarch (pronounced , also ethnarches, el, ) is a term that refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or homogeneous kingdom. The word is derived from the Greek words ('' ethnos'', "tribe/nation") and (''archon'', " ...

responsible for commanding foreign mercenaries in the Macedonian Theme.Kazhdan (1991), p. 329 He first appears in 1050, when he inflicted a heavy defeat on the

Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა� ...

, who had been raiding the Empire's Balkan provinces for years. This victory put an end to these raids for some time. In early 1055, as Emperor

Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos ( grc-x-medieval, Κωνσταντῖνος Μονομάχος, translit=Kōnstantinos IX Monomachos; 1004 – 11 January 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita ...

(r. 1042–1055) lay dying, he was persuaded by his councillors, chiefly the ''

logothetes tou dromou The ( gr, λογοθέτης τοῦ δρόμου), in English usually rendered as Logothete of the Course/Drome/ or Postal Logothete, was the head of the department of the Public Post ( la, cursus publicus, gr, δημόσιος δρόμος, de ...

'' John, to pass the throne to the '' doux'' of Bulgaria,

Nikephoros Proteuon Nikephoros Proteuon ( gr, Νικηφόρος ὁ Πρωτεύων; ) was a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine governor and was briefly the candidate of a court faction to succeed Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos. Biography Nikephoros was the scion of a f ...

. However, their plans were preempted by Constantine's aged sister-in-law

, the last descendant 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 ...

, who was brought out of her retirement in a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

and proclaimed "emperor" by the imperial guard shortly before Constantine's death. A purge of senior officials and the leadership of the European military units followed. Bryennios, whom the western '' tagmata'' apparently wanted to proclaim him emperor instead, was also dismissed and exiled.Treadgold (1997), p. 597 Returning to the court after Theodora's death, he became embroiled in the military aristocratic unrest surrounding the reign of

Michael VI Michael VI Bringas ( el, Μιχαήλ Βρίγγας), called Stratiotikos or Stratioticus ("the Military One", "the Warlike", or "the Bellicose") or Gerontas ("the Old"), reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1056 to 1057. Career Apparently a ...

. Although Michael VI restored his rank, he refused to hand over the confiscated estates and fortune. Ordered in 1057 to take 3,000 men to reinforce the army at

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

, Nikephoros left the capital in a fit of rage and began plotting to overthrow Michael VI. On his arrival, he attacked and beat a representative of the emperor who countermanded Nikephoros's orders before throwing him in prison, which his officers took as a sign that Nikephoros was about to rebel. Releasing the imprisoned officer, they captured Nikephoros, blinded him and sent him to Constantinople. His capture precipitated the revolt that brought

Isaac I Komnenos Isaac I Komnenos or Comnenus ( grc-gre, Ἰσαάκιος Κομνηνός, ''Isaakios Komnēnos''; – 1 June 1060) was Byzantine emperor from 1057 to 1059, the first reigning member of the Komnenian dynasty. The son of the gen ...

to the throne.

Family

Nikephoros Bryennios had one wife, named Anna, who had the rank of '' kouropalatissa''. They had two sons: *

Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder ( el, Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος ο πρεσβύτερος), Latinized as Nicephorus Bryennius, was a Byzantine Greek general who tried to establish himself as Emperor in the late eleventh century. His c ...

, a general who rose in revolt against

Michael VII Doukas Michael VII Doukas or Ducas ( gr, Μιχαήλ Δούκας), nicknamed Parapinakes ( gr, Παραπινάκης, lit. "minus a quarter", with reference to the devaluation of the Byzantine currency under his rule), was the senior Byzantine e ...

in 1077 and continued his rebellion against

Nikephoros III Nikephoros III Botaneiates, Latinized as Nicephorus III Botaniates ( el, Νικηφόρος Βοτανειάτης, 1002–1081), was Byzantine emperor from 7 January 1078 to 1 April 1081. He was born in 1002, and became a general du ...

. He was defeated by

Alexios Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...

at the

Battle of Kalavrye The Battle of Kalavrye (also Kalavryai or Kalavryta) was fought in 1078 between the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine imperial forces of general (and future emperor) Alexios I Komnenos, Alexios Komnenos and the rebellious governor of Durrës, Dyrrhach ...

and blinded. He was the father or grandfather of the historian and ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger Nikephoros Bryennios (or Nicephorus Bryennius; Greek: Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος, ''Nikēphoros Bryennios; ''1062–1137) was a Byzantine general, statesman and historian. He was born at Orestias ( Adrianople) in the theme of Macedoni ...

.Kazhdan (1991), pp. 329–331 * John, who supported his brother's grab for the throne, being named by him as his ''

domestikos ton scholon The office of the Domestic of the Schools ( gr, δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν, domestikos tōn scholōn) was a senior military post of the Byzantine Empire, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally ...

''. In the aftermath of the revolt's failure, John was captured by the

Varangian Guard The Varangian Guard ( el, Τάγμα τῶν Βαράγγων, ''Tágma tōn Varángōn'') was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varang ...

and subsequently murdered.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryennios, Nikephoros 11th-century Byzantine military personnel Nikephoros 02 Byzantine rebels Byzantine generals People from Edirne