Rhapsomates (or Rapsomates) ( gr, Ῥαψομάτης) 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 Constantin ...

official who led a revolt on

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

in the early 1090s. He was defeated by the '' megas doux'' John Doukas and taken captive. The main narrative sources for his revolt are

Anna Komnene Anna Komnene ( gr, Ἄννα Κομνηνή, Ánna Komnēnḗ; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine princess and author of the '' Alexiad'', an account of the reign of her father, the Byzantine emperor, ...

and

John Zonaras Joannes or John Zonaras ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης Ζωναρᾶς ; 1070 – 1140) was a Byzantine Greek historian, chronicler and theologian who lived in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held th ...

Background

Rhapsomates is the name of an obscure family. The given name of the rebel leader is not known. A Basil Rhapsomates is known from a seal dated to the 12th century. It is just possible that this Basil was the same person as the rebel leader. There was an '' ergasterion'' (workshop) belonging to a John Rhapsomates located in

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most notab ...

, the Genoese quarter of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, in the 12th century. Rhapsomates held office on Cyprus before the revolt, but which office is unknown. It does not appear to have been a military one, since he is described as having never held a sword or rode a horse. He was most probably a judge ('' krites'') or '' kourator'' (imperial estate manager). It is possible, but unlikely, that he was the

catepan The ''katepánō'' ( el, κατεπάνω, lit. "he oneplaced at the top", or " the topmost") was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the ...

(military governor) of Cyprus. The absence of a catepan in the surviving narratives of the revolt is difficult to explain, but the office may have been temporarily vacant or the catepan may have been an early victim of the revolt.

Revolt and suppression

Rhapsomates' revolt was contemporary with that of Karykes on

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

. Michael Glykas even confuses them. It broke out in late 1090 or early 1091. In February or March 1091,

John the Oxite John the Oxite or John Oxeites was the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (as John IV or V) from c. 1089 until 1100, when he was exiled by Prince Bohemond I of Antioch. He fled to the Byzantine Empire and continued to govern those parts of the pat ...

delivered a scathing rebuke to the Emperor

Alexios I 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 ...

, during which he noted the outbreak of revolts in Crete and Cyprus. Both took place while the central government was occupied in wars with 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, პაჭ ...

in Europe and the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

of Emir

Tzachas Tzachas ( gr, Τζαχᾶς, Tzachás), also known as Chaka Bey ( tr, Çaka Bey)"Tzachas" is the Hellenized form of a Turkish name which does not appear in any historical documents, but was likely "Chaka", "Chagha", or "Chaqan". The name "Chaka ...

in Asia. Although the mere arrival of the fleet of John Doukas off Crete caused the revolt of Karykes to melt away, the ''megas doux'' faced much greater resistance on Cyprus. The island's military establishment supported Rhapsomates, including all or a large part of the '' tagma'' of the Immortals stationed there. Doukas was forced to land his troops and fight a protracted campaign. Manuel Boutoumites was among Doukas' generals. The campaign began in the spring of 1093, but Anna Komnene does not record how long the resistance lasted before Rhapsomates was captured.

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the revolt, Alexios I appointed Eumathios Philokales as governor with the title of '' stratopedarches'' and sent a large garrison. He also endowed him with special taxing powers, a hint perhaps that the revolt had been directed at Alexios' fiscal policies. He also appointed a certain Kalliparios to fiscal ('' exisotes'') and judicial (''krites'') office. A flurry of construction on the island in the 1090s may be linked to the crushing of Rhapsomates' revolt.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{refend Byzantine Cyprus Byzantine rebels 1090s in the Byzantine Empire Alexios I Komnenos 11th-century Byzantine people