Theodore Vatatzes or Batatzes () was an aristocrat and military commander in 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 ...

during the reigns of

John II Komnenos John II Komnenos or Comnenus (; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexio ...

and

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history o ...

Background

Theodore Vatatzes was a member of the Vatatzes family, who had been prominent in the city and region of

Adrianople Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

in Thrace for a number of generations. The family rose to the first rank of the Byzantine aristocracy, and to prominence in the politics of the empire, in the person of Theodore himself. Theodore was one of a group of able men promoted to positions of authority by John II as an alternative to reliance on members of the imperial family, whom he distrusted. In 1131 Theodore married the ''

porphyrogenita Traditionally, born in the purple (sometimes "born to the purple") was a category of members of royal families born during the reign of their parent. This notion was later loosely expanded to include all children born of prominent or high-ranking ...

'' princess Eudokia Komnene, daughter of John II and his empress, Eirene of Hungary, and was raised to the court dignity of '' sebastohypertatos''.

Military career in the reign of Manuel I

Records of the military exploits of Theodore Vatatzes during the reign of John II have not survived. However, in the reign of

, John's successor and Theodore's brother-in-law, he enters contemporary sources as a notable military commander during the 1150s. In 1151, Vatatzes was a senior general on the frontier with

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, he ravaged the area around the city of

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

and maintained a blockade of the city, until it surrendered to Manuel I in person. The

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

had rebelled and in 1158 Manuel I campaigned to regain control of the region; this would also open up the route to

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

, control of which was his main goal. Theodore Vatatzes was entrusted with the capture of the major fortified city of Tarsus. Thinking that the emperor had arrived with his entire army the defenders panicked, and the city fell immediately to the Byzantine force.Kinnamos, p. 138

Family

Theodore and his wife had a number of children: *

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 * Second E ...

(–1185), the ''

megas domestikos The title of Grand domestic () was given in the 11th–15th centuries to the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army, directly below the Byzantine Emperor. It evolved from the earlier office of the domestic of the Schools, and came to rank as on ...

'', who won a notable victory over the Seljuk Turks ( Battle of Hyelion and Leimocheir) and later rebelled against

Andronikos I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos (; – 12 September 1185), Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. A nephew of John II Komnenos (1118–1143), Andronikos rose to fame in the reign of his cousin Manuel I Komne ...

. *

Andronikos Andronicus or Andronikos () is a classical Greek name. The name has the sense of "male victor, warrior". Its female counterpart is Andronikè (Ἀνδρονίκη). Notable bearers of the name include: People *Andronicus of Olynthus, Greek general ...

(–1176), also a prominent general, was killed by the Seljuk Turks when leading an expedition against Amaseia in 1176. * a daughter, likely named Anna (–after 1186), married Nikephoros Synadenos, and then the general

Alexios Branas Alexios (or Alexius) Branas or Vranas () (died 1187) was a Byzantine nobleman, attempted usurper, and the last Byzantine military leader of the 12th century to gain a notable success against a foreign enemy. Background Alexios Branas was a notab ...

. * Theodora Komnene (–after 1185), married the general and diplomat Nikephoros Chalouphes. Noted for her beauty, she became the mistress of her uncle, Emperor Manuel I, bearing him an illegitimate son. * Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes (–unknown), is only known from a poem celebrating his marriage, , to an Irene Komnene, great-granddaughter of the ''

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' (, ; ; ), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence (Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Empire). The word is a compound ...

'', Isaac Komnenos, a brother of

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...

. Nothing further is known of the couple. * Alexios Komnenos Vatatzes (–after 1166), married Maria Pegonitissa , he is last attested in the synod of Blachernae in March 1166. He was the father of

Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes (; died 1196) was a Byzantine aristocrat and military commander, who was the son-in-law of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and received the rank of ''sebastokrator''. Life Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes was the youngest son of Alexios ...

Footnotes

References

Primary

* *

Secondary

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vatatzes, Theodore 12th-century Byzantine military personnel Komnenos dynasty Theodore Year of birth unknown Generals of Manuel I Komnenos