Lekapenos Family
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Lekapenos Family
Lekapenos () or Lakapenos (), usually Latinized as Lecapenus or Lacapenus, feminine form Lekapene () or Lakapene (), Latinized as Lecapene or Lacapene, was the name of a prominent, assumed, Byzantine-Armenian family of humble background which intermarried with and almost managed to usurp the throne from the Macedonian dynasty in the first half of the 10th century. The family was founded by Theophylact, surnamed Abaktistos or Abastaktos (the Unbearable), who had rescued the Emperor Basil I from the enemy in battle at Tephrike in 872, saving his life, and had been rewarded by a place in the Imperial Guard and received estates as a reward. The family surname derives from the locality of Lakape; possibly these estates were located there. Theophylact's son Romanos became commander-in-chief of the Imperial Fleet and eventually senior emperor in 920 after marrying his daughter Helena to the legitimate emperor Constantine VII, grandson of Basil I. He raised three of his sons, Christop ...
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Romanos I With Co-emperors, Miliaresion, 931-944 AD
Romanos may refer to: * Romanos, Aragon, a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, in Aragon. *Romanos the Melodist, early medieval Greek poet and saint *Romanos I Lekapenos (870–948), Byzantine Emperor from 920 to 944 * Romanos II (938–963), Byzantine Emperor from 959–963) * Romanos III Argyros (968–1034), Byzantine emperor from 1028 to 1034 *Romanos IV Diogenes Romanos IV Diogenes (; – ) was Byzantine emperor from 1068 to 1071. Determined to halt the decline of the Byzantine military and to stop Turkish incursions into the empire, he is nevertheless best known for his defeat and capture in 1071 at ... ( – 1072), Byzantine emperor who reigned from 1068 to 1071 * Romanos Kourkouas, Byzantine aristocrat and senior military leader of the mid-10th century * Romanos Melikian (1883–1935), Armenian composer See also * Romano (other) * Romanus (other), hellenized as Romanos, the name of several people {{disambig, hndis ...
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Peter I Of Bulgaria
Peter I (; ; died 30 January 970) was the emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 27 May 927 to 969. Facing Bogomilism and rebellions by his brothers and also by Časlav Klonimirović early on in his reign, Peter secured more success later in life; he ensured the retreat of the invading Rus by inciting Bulgaria's allies, the Pechenegs, to attack Kiev itself. Traditionally seen as a weak ruler who lost land and prestige, recent scholarship challenges this view, emphasizing the empire's affluence and internal peace. Considered a good ruler during the Middle Ages, his name was adopted by later leaders trying to restore Bulgarian independence under Byzantine rule to emphasize legitimacy and continuity. Early reign Peter I was the son of Simeon I of Bulgaria by his second marriage to the sister of George Sursuvul. Peter had been born early in the 10th century, but it appears that his maternal uncle was very influential at the beginning of his reign. In 913 Peter may have visited the impe ...
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Theodora, Wife Of Romanos I
Theodora (, ; died 20 February 922) was a humble Greek woman who became Byzantine empress consort by marriage to Romanos I Lekapenos.Adelbert Davids (2002). ''The Empress Theophano: Byzantium and the West at the Turn of the First Millennium''. Cambridge University PressP. 73 Empress Nothing is known of her background except for the fact that she was born into a family of Greeks, Greek peasants. She became the mother-in-law to Constantine VII in May or June, 919 with the marriage of the young Emperor to her daughter Helena Lekapene. Her husband Romanos was originally the Droungarios of the Fleet, ''Droungarios'' of the Fleet, before rising to become the ''de facto'' regent of the Empire after the marriage, when he was proclaimed ''basileopator, basileopatōr''. In September 920, Romanos was invested as ''Caesar (title), kaisar''. On 17 December 920, Romanos was crowned co-emperor and in effect became the senior of the two associate emperors. Theodora was crowned as ''Augusta (honori ...
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Theophylact Abaktistos
Theophylact or Theophylactus (Latin: ''Theophylactus;'' Greek: Θεοφύλακτος ''Theophylaktos'', "guarded by God") may refer to: * Theophylact Simocatta (7th century), Byzantine author and historian * Theophylactus (Exarch) (died 710), Exarch of Ravenna * Patriarch Theophylactus of Alexandria (7th–8th centuries), coadjutor Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria * Theophylact of Antioch (8th century), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch * Archdeacon Theophylact (8th century), archdeacon of the Roman Church * Peter of Atroa or Theophylact (773–837) * Theophylact Rhangabe (8th century), Byzantine admiral * Theophylact (son of Michael I) (793–849), Byzantine co-emperor * Theophylact of Nicomedia (died 845), Bishop of Nicomedia * Theophylact I, Count of Tusculum (9th–10th centuries) * Theophylact of Constantinople (917–956), Patriarch of Constantinople * Theophylact Dalassenos (10th–11th centuries) * Theophylact Botaneiates (fl. died 1014) * Pope Benedict VII ...
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Steven Runciman
Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman (7 July 1903 – 1 November 2000), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume '' A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). His works had a profound impact on the popular conception of the Crusades. Biography Born in Northumberland, he was the second son of Walter and Hilda Runciman. His parents were members of the Liberal Party and the first married couple to sit simultaneously in Parliament. His father was created Viscount Runciman of Doxford in 1937. His paternal grandfather, Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman, was a shipping magnate. He was named after his maternal grandfather, James Cochran Stevenson, the MP for South Shields. Eton and Cambridge Runciman said that he started reading Greek at the age of seven or eight. Later he came to be able to make use of sources in other languages as well: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, Syriac, Armenian and Georgian. A King's Scholar at Eton College, h ...
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Theodora Porphyrogenita (11th Century)
Theodora Porphyrogenita (; 31 August 1056) was Byzantine Empress from 21 April 1042 to her death on 31 August 1056, and sole ruler from 11 January 1055. She was the last sovereign of the Macedonian dynasty, that ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost 200 years. Theodora was the youngest daughter of Emperor Constantine VIII. After Theodora's father died in 1028, her older sister Zoë co-ruled with her husbands Romanos III and Michael IV, kept Theodora closely watched. After two foiled plots, Theodora was exiled to an island monastery in the Sea of Marmara in 1031. A decade later, the people of Constantinople rose against Michael IV's nephew and successor, Michael V, and insisted that Theodora return to rule alongside Zoë. After 65 days Zoë married again, to Constantine IX, who assumed the imperial responsibilities. Theodora seemingly retired to a convent after Zoë's death in 1050. When Constantine died, the 74-year-old Theodora returned to the ...
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Zoë Porphyrogenita
Zoe Porphyrogenita (also spelled Zoë; , "life"; 978 – 1050) was a member of the Macedonian dynasty who briefly reigned as Byzantine empress in 1042, alongside her sister Theodora. Before that she was enthroned as empress consort or empress mother to a series of co-rulers, two of whom were married to her. Zoe was born when her father Constantine was nominal co-emperor to his brother, Basil II. After a planned marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Otto III in 996 failed to materialise, Zoe spent subsequent years in the imperial palace. Her uncle Basil died in 1025 when Zoe was 47, and her father acceded the Byzantine throne as Constantine VIII. As he had no sons, Constantine hoped to continue the dynasty by marrying off one of his daughters. Zoe, aged 50, was married to Romanos Argyros. She and Romanos took the throne the next day on her father's death. Zoe's marriage to Romanos III was troubled, and Romanos was found dead in his bath in 1034. His death has been variously att ...
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Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII (;Also called Porphyrogenitus (), although the epithet is almost exclusively used for Constantine VII. 960 – 11/12 November 1028) was ''de jure'' Byzantine emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Emperor Romanos II and Empress Theophano (born Anastaso), Theophano. He was nominal co-emperor from 962, successively with his father; stepfather, Nikephoros II Phokas; uncle, John I Tzimiskes; and brother, Basil II. Basil's death in 1025 left Constantine as the sole emperor. He occupied the throne for 66 years in total, making him ''de jure'' the longest-reigning amongst List of Roman emperors, all Roman emperors since Augustus. Constantine displayed a lifelong lack of interest in politics, statecraft and the military, and during his brief sole reign the government of the Byzantine Empire suffered from mismanagement and neglect. He had no sons and was instead succeeded by Romanos Argyros, husband of his daughter Zoe Porphyrogenita, Zoe. Fami ...
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Basil II
Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but they were too young to rule. The throne thus went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas (963–969) and John Tzimiskes (r. 969–976) before Basil became senior emperor, though his influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos remained as the '' de facto'' ruler until 985. His reign of 49 years and 11 months was the longest of any Roman emperor. The early years of Basil's reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Byzantine Anatolian aristocracy: first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death and Skleros' submission in 989. Basil then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire and the complete subjugation of the First Bulgarian ...
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Romanos II
Romanos II (; 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 wife Theophano helped their sons Basil II and Constantine VIII to ultimately succeed him in 976. Life Romanos II was a son of the Emperor Constantine VII and Helena Lekapene, the daughter of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos and his wife Theodora. The '' Theophanes Continuatus'' states that he was 21 years old at the time of his accession in 959, meaning that he was born in 938. Named after his maternal grandfather, Romanos was married, as a child, to , the illegitimate daughter of King Hugh of Italy, to bond an alliance. She had changed her name to Eudokia after their marriage, but died an early death in 949, which caused the dissolution of the alliance. On 27 January 945, Constantine VII succeeded in removing his brothers-in-law, the sons of Romanos I, assuming the throne alone. ...
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Romanos Lekapenos (grandson Of Romanos I)
Christopher Lekapenos or Lecapenus (; died August 931) was the eldest son of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos () and co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 921 until his death in 931. Christopher was given the position of (commander of the palace guard) in spring 919, after Romanos assumed guardianship of the underage Emperor Constantine VII. Romanos, who made himself co-emperor in 920, raised Christopher to co-emperor on 21 May 921 to give his family precedence over Constantine VII's Macedonian line. In 928 Christopher's father-in-law, Niketas, unsuccessfully attempted to incite Christopher to usurp his father, resulting in Niketas being banished. Christopher died in August 931, succeeded by his father and two brothers, Stephen Lekapenos and Constantine Lekapenos, and Constantine VII. In December 944 his brothers overthrew and exiled their father, but they themselves were exiled in January 945 after attempting to oust Constantine VII. Early life Christopher Lekapenos was the e ...
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Romanos I
Romanos I Lakapenos or Lekapenos (; 870 – 15 June 948), Latinisation of names, Latinized as Romanus I Lacapenus or Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for and senior co-ruler of the young Constantine VII. Origin Romanos derived his epithet Lekapenos, now usually treated as a family name, from his birthplace of Lakape (later Laqabin (West Syriac diocese), Laqabin) between Melitene and Samosata. It is found mostly as Lakapenos in the sources, although English-language scholarship in particular prefers the form Lekapenos, in large part due to Sir Steven Runciman's 1928 study on the emperor. He was the son of a peasant with the remarkable name of Theophylact "the Unbearable" (''Theophylaktos Abaktistos'' or ''Abastaktos''), who had rescued the Emperor Basil I from the enemy in battle at Tephrike in 872, saving his life, and had been rewarded by a place in the Imperial Guard and received estates as a reward.} Theophyla ...
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