Romanos Kourkouas ( el, Ῥωμανός Κουρκούας) was a

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 ...

aristocrat and senior military leader in the mid-10th century.

Biography

Romanos was a scion of the

Kourkouas The Kourkouas or Curcuas ( grc-x-medieval, Κουρκούας, from , ''Gurgen'') family was one of the many nakharar families from Armenia that migrated to the Byzantine Empire during the period of Arab rule over Armenia (7th–9th centuries). Th ...

family, a clan of Armenian origin that had established itself as one of the chief families among the

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

n military aristocracy by the early 10th century.Kazhdan (1991), pp. 1156–1157 He was the son, and along with his sister Euphrosyne, the only known child of the great general

John Kourkouas John Kourkouas ( gr, Ἰωάννης Κουρκούας, Ioannes Kourkouas, ), also transliterated as Kurkuas or Curcuas, was one of the most important generals of the Byzantine Empire. His success in battles against the Muslim states in the Ea ...

, who held the post of

Domestic of the Schools 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 ...

(commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army) for 22 years and led the Byzantine armies against the Muslim border emirates in the period 926–944. As an infant, he was reportedly saved from a heavy fever by the intervention of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, at the Church of Pege, and as a result he served in the church as a (a junior aide) until his coming of age.Andriollo (2012), p. 68 Like most male members of his family, Romanos pursued a military career, about which little is known. The Byzantine historians

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 ...

and

John Skylitzes John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes, la, Johannes, label=none, la, Iōannēs, label=none Scylitzes ( el, Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, ''Iōánnēs Skylítzēs'', or el, Σκυλίτση, ''Skylítsē'', label=none ; la, ...

merely mention that he held command in the East against the Muslims, conquered many fortresses, was named and governed several

themes Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

. On the basis of

sigillographic Sigillography, also known by its Greek-derived name, sphragistics, is the scholarly discipline that studies the wax, lead, clay, and other seals used to authenticate archival documents. It investigates not only aspects of the artistic design a ...

evidence, he may likely have served as military governor () of the theme of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

, a post which was also held by his uncle

Theophilos Kourkouas Theophilos Kourkouas ( el, Θεόφιλος Κουρκούας, fl. ca. 920–960s) was a distinguished Byzantine general in the 10th century. He was also the grandfather of the Byzantine emperor John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976). Biography Theophil ...

and his nephew

John Tzimiskes John I Tzimiskes (; 925 – 10 January 976) was the senior Byzantine emperor from 969 to 976. An intuitive and successful general, he strengthened the Empire and expanded its borders during his short reign. Background John I Tzimiskes ...

. By the time of the death of Emperor

Romanos II Romanos II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Ρωμανός, 938 – 15 March 963) was Byzantine Emperor from 959 to 963. He succeeded his father Constantine VII at the age of twenty-one and died suddenly and mysteriously four years later. His son Bas ...

in 963, he was already a and of the East.Guilland (1967), p. 184 The emperor's death caused a power vacuum, in which the Domestic of the Schools,

Nikephoros Phokas Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits whi ...

, vied with the powerful chief minister Joseph Bringas for the governance of the state. Bringas attempted to gain the support of Romanos and Tzimiskes against Phokas, promising them the Domesticates of the West and East respectively. Instead of turning against Phokas, however, the two informed Phokas of the offer and led the troops to acclaim him emperor instead.Andriollo (2012), p. 69 As a reward, it appears that Phokas appointed him to the office promised by Bringas, as a seal belonging to "Romanos, ''magistros'' and Domestic of the Schools" and dating to Phokas' reign has been found. Romans had one known son, also named

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who also became a senior general and fell in the

Siege of Dorostolon The Battle of Dorostopol was fought in 971 between the Byzantine Empire and forces of Kievan Rus'. The Byzantines, led by John I Tzimiskes, were victorious. Background During the course of the Rus'-Bulgarian war, Svyatoslav I of Kiev overran ...

in 971 against the Rus'.Andriollo (2012), pp. 76–77

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kourkouas, Romanos Byzantine generals 10th-century Byzantine people Romanos Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars 10th-century births 10th-century deaths Patricii Domestics of the Schools Magistroi