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The Armeniac Theme (, ''Armeniakon hema'), more properly the Theme of the Armeniacs (Greek: , ''thema Armeniakōn''), was a
The theme's capital was at Amaseia, and it was governed by a '' stratēgos'', who ranked, together with the ''stratēgoi'' of the Anatolic and Thracesian themes, in the first tier of ''stratēgoi'', drawing an annual salary of 40 gold pounds. In the 9th century, it fielded some 9,000 men and encompassed 17 fortresses. Its size and strategic importance on the Byzantine Empire's north-eastern frontier with the Muslims made its governor a powerful figure, and the theme's forces participated in several revolts in the 8th century. Consequently, in the 9th century it was broken up: the smaller provinces of Charsianon and Cappadocia were formed, first as '' kleisourai'' and later as full themes, along the border in the south and east, while in circa 819, the coastal themes of Paphlagonia and Chaldia were split off, followed later by the area of Koloneia (first under a ''doux'', by 863 under a full ''strategos''), leaving a rump Armeniac theme encompassing the western Pontus.
The theme remained in Byzantine hands until the late 11th century. In 1073, however, following the disastrous Battle of Manzikert, Frankish mercenaries under Roussel de Bailleul seized control and governed the region, until Byzantine authority was restored by future emperor Alexios Komnenos in 1075. Shortly after, the region was overrun by the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
theme (a military-civilian province) located in northeastern Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
(modern Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
).
History
The Armeniac Theme was one of the four original themes, established sometime in the mid-7th century out of the territory of Lesser Armenia (also known as "Armenia Minor"). Although the mention of a "George, '' tourmarchēs'' of the Armeniacs" in 629, during the Persian campaigns of Emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641), may suggest the existence of the theme at such an early date, the first unambiguous reference to it in literary sources occurs during the revolt of its general, Saborios, in 667/668.. It is next mentioned on a seal of 717/718. Together with the other themes, it was created from the remnants of one of the field armies of the old East Roman army following the disastrous defeats suffered during the first wave of the Muslim conquests, a process probably complete by the late 640s. Thus, the army of the ''magister militum
(Latin for "master of soldiers"; : ) was a top-level military command used in the late Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, the e ...
per Armeniae'' (the "Armeniacs") was withdrawn and settled in the areas of Pontus, Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia (; , modern translit. ''Paflagonía''; ) was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus (region), Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia (later, Galatia ...
and Cappadocia, giving its name to the region.
The theme's capital was at Amaseia, and it was governed by a '' stratēgos'', who ranked, together with the ''stratēgoi'' of the Anatolic and Thracesian themes, in the first tier of ''stratēgoi'', drawing an annual salary of 40 gold pounds. In the 9th century, it fielded some 9,000 men and encompassed 17 fortresses. Its size and strategic importance on the Byzantine Empire's north-eastern frontier with the Muslims made its governor a powerful figure, and the theme's forces participated in several revolts in the 8th century. Consequently, in the 9th century it was broken up: the smaller provinces of Charsianon and Cappadocia were formed, first as '' kleisourai'' and later as full themes, along the border in the south and east, while in circa 819, the coastal themes of Paphlagonia and Chaldia were split off, followed later by the area of Koloneia (first under a ''doux'', by 863 under a full ''strategos''), leaving a rump Armeniac theme encompassing the western Pontus.
The theme remained in Byzantine hands until the late 11th century. In 1073, however, following the disastrous Battle of Manzikert, Frankish mercenaries under Roussel de Bailleul seized control and governed the region, until Byzantine authority was restored by future emperor Alexios Komnenos in 1075. Shortly after, the region was overrun by the Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...
, with only a few coastal forts holding out. The Komnenian emperors managed to recover the coastal regions for the Empire, but the Armeniac theme was not restored.
References
Sources
* * * * * * * * * * {{Byzantine themes in De Thematibus, state=uncollapsed States and territories established in the 7th century States and territories disestablished in the 1070s Byzantine Anatolia Themes of the Byzantine Empire