Chrysocheir (), also known as Chrysocheres, Chrysocheris, or Chrysocheiros (Χρυσόχερης/Χρυσόχερις/Χρυσόχειρος), all meaning "goldhand", was the second and last leader of the Paulician principality of Tephrike from 863 to his death in either 872 or 878.

Biography

According to the Byzantine chroniclers, Chrysocheir was a nephew of the Paulician leader Karbeas. Furthermore, according to Peter the Sicilian, he was Karbeas' "nephew and son-in-law", indicating that he had married his first cousin, a practice strongly condemned by the Byzantine Church. Following the anti-Paulician campaign launched in 843 by the Empress-regent Theodora, Karbeas and many of his followers had fled to the Muslim border emirates and established an independent principality centred on Tephrike. From there, Karbeas led the Paulicians in wars against the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

on the side of the Muslims until his death in 863. Nothing is known of Chrysocheir's early life before his succession of his uncle. Like Karbeas, Chrysocheir may in his youth have served in the

Byzantine army The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct continuation of the East Roman army, Eastern Roman army, shaping and developing itself on the legac ...

. A steadfast enemy of Byzantium, Chrysocheir led several raids deep into Byzantine territory even up to the western coasts of

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 ...

and the vicinity of

Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

Nicomedia Nicomedia (; , ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocletian who rul ...

, and

Ephesus Ephesus (; ; ; may ultimately derive from ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital ...

. In the latter, he is reported to have desecrated the Church of Saint John the Evangelist by stabling his horses there. Emperor

Basil I the Macedonian Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (; 811 – 29 August 886), was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in Macedonia (theme), Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gainin ...

sent envoys to offer peace in 869/70, but the offer was rejected by Chrysocheir, who allegedly demanded that the emperor should vacate the eastern half of his territories in Asia Minor first. It is possible that the embassy was led by Peter the Sicilian, who reports that he spent nine months in Tephrike at about the same time trying to arrange the release of high-ranking prisoners of war. This hypothesis is not accepted by all modern scholars, however. In 871, Emperor Basil himself led an attack on Tephrike, but failed to take the city and withdrew. In 872/3, the

Domestic of the Schools The office of the Domestic of the Schools () was a senior military post of the Byzantine Empire, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally simply the commander of the '' Scholai'', the senior of the elite '' tag ...

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

led another campaign that scored a decisive victory against the Paulicians at the Battle of Bathys Ryax. During the battle, Chrysocheir was killed by a common soldier called Poullades. His severed head was sent back to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, where Basil reportedly shot at it with his bow, sticking three arrows into it. It was not until six years later, however, that Tephrike itself fell to the Byzantines, putting an end to the Paulician principality. Some modern scholars nevertheless date the defeat and death of Chrysocheir on the same year as the fall of Tephrike (i.e. 878/9). It is commonly considered that the memory of Chrysocheir survived in the Byzantine

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

'' Digenes Akritas'' in the form of "Chrysoberges" (Χρυσοβέργης), the Muslim paternal grandfather of the eponymous hero.

References

Sources

* * * {{The Making of Byzantium, 600–1025 870s deaths 9th-century Byzantine people 9th-century monarchs in the Middle East Byzantine defectors Monarchs killed in action Paulicians Year of birth unknown Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars