Constantine Dalassenos (thalassokrator)
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Constantine Dalassenos ' onMouseout='HidePop("49955")' href="/topics/Floruit">fl.
ca. 1086–1093) was a prominent Byzantine
military leader on land and sea during the early reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
(r. 1081–1118). Information on his life is only known from the Alexiad
of Anna Komnene
.
and the surrounding towns from a Turkish chiaus
who had turned renegade, had become baptized and collaborated with the Byzantines. Dalassenos became Sinope's governor, while the chiaous was made doux
of Anchialus.
In spring 1090, Dalassenos was raised to the post of "doux of the fleet" and given command of the Byzantine naval forces
against the emir Tzachas of Smyrna
. Tzachas, formerly a Byzantine vassal, had built a fleet of his own, had seized several Aegean islands and raided others. After taking Lesbos (except for the fortress of Methymna) and Chios
, he defeated a Byzantine fleet under Niketas Kastamonites. Taking advantage of Tzachas' absence in Smyrna, Dalassenos disembarked his troops on Chios and immediately assailed the island's fortified capital
. Although the Byzantines seized the town's harbour, they failed to break through into the city itself. Meanwhile Tzachas had gathered, according to the Alexiad, 8,000 men, and set off to the island's relief. His army marched on land up to the shore opposite the island, while his fleet followed, sailing along the shore. Dalassenos had charged Constantine Opos
with hindering the Turks from crossing over, but when the Turks crossed over under the cover of night he refused to engage them when he saw that Tzachas had had his ships chained together. The two armies engaged in skirmishes, but soon negotiations began. Dalassenos deferred any decision; and when Tzachas returned to Smyrna (perhaps to gather more forces), he gathered his men, prepared more siege engines and took the citadel of Chios in a surprise attack.
In 1091, Dalassenos is recorded as participating in Alexios I's campaign against the Cumans
in the Balkans
. In the decisive Battle of Levounion
on 29 April 1091, he commanded the army's left wing.
In 1092, he was again sent against Tzachas, with the title of thalassokrator ("master of the sea"), subordinated to the new megas doux
, John Doukas
. The two commanders were to attack Mytilene
on Lesbos, still held by Tzachas. Doukas, at the head of the land forces, arrived first, and attacked the town. The siege lasted for three months, before Tzachas offered to surrender the town in ecchange for safe passage back to Smyrna. Doukas agreed, but Dalassenos, who had just arrived, attacked the Turkish fleet. He captured many of the Turkish vessels, and ordered the crews, including the rowers, executed. Dalassenos then returned to Constantinople. In spring 1093, when Tzachas attacked the port of Abydos
in the Sea of Marmara
, Alexios again dispatched him against the emir by sea. At the same time however, Alexios called upon the Sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum Kilij Arslan I
(r. 1092–1107) to attack Tzachas from the rear. The Sultan complied, and in an audience had Tzachas murdered. Nothing further is known of Dalassenos after this.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
ca. 1086–1093) was a prominent Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
military leader on land and sea during the early reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
(r. 1081–1118). Information on his life is only known from the Alexiad
Alexiad
The Alexiad is a medieval biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I....
of Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene, Latinized as Comnena was a Greek princess and scholar and the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium and Irene Doukaina...
.
Life
According to the Alexiad, he was related to Alexios I through his mother, although the exact connection is unknown. He first appears in 1086/1087, when he was sent as an envoy to receive SinopeSinope
Sinope may refer to:*Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea, historically known as Sinope** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port*Sinope , in Greek mythology, daughter of Asopus*Sinope , a moon of the planet Jupiter...
and the surrounding towns from a Turkish chiaus
Chiaus
Chiaus is an official Turkish messenger, emissary, or sergeant. It was also a title for an officer in the Ottoman court carrying out the duty of an usher, as well as an ambassador to foreign princes and states.-References:* *...
who had turned renegade, had become baptized and collaborated with the Byzantines. Dalassenos became Sinope's governor, while the chiaous was made doux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
of Anchialus.
In spring 1090, Dalassenos was raised to the post of "doux of the fleet" and given command of the Byzantine naval forces
Byzantine navy
The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defense and survival of the state then its earlier iterations...
against the emir Tzachas of Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
. Tzachas, formerly a Byzantine vassal, had built a fleet of his own, had seized several Aegean islands and raided others. After taking Lesbos (except for the fortress of Methymna) and Chios
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
, he defeated a Byzantine fleet under Niketas Kastamonites. Taking advantage of Tzachas' absence in Smyrna, Dalassenos disembarked his troops on Chios and immediately assailed the island's fortified capital
Chios (town)
Chios is the main town and a former municipality on the island of Chios, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chios, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located on the eastern coast of the island facing the Turkish coastal town of Çeşme...
. Although the Byzantines seized the town's harbour, they failed to break through into the city itself. Meanwhile Tzachas had gathered, according to the Alexiad, 8,000 men, and set off to the island's relief. His army marched on land up to the shore opposite the island, while his fleet followed, sailing along the shore. Dalassenos had charged Constantine Opos
Constantine Opos (megas doux)
Constantine Opos was a notable Byzantine general and aristocrat in the first half of the reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos . He participated in the wars against the Normans and the Seljuk Turks, eventually reaching the rank of megas doux .- Life :He first appears in the Alexiad in 1081, during...
with hindering the Turks from crossing over, but when the Turks crossed over under the cover of night he refused to engage them when he saw that Tzachas had had his ships chained together. The two armies engaged in skirmishes, but soon negotiations began. Dalassenos deferred any decision; and when Tzachas returned to Smyrna (perhaps to gather more forces), he gathered his men, prepared more siege engines and took the citadel of Chios in a surprise attack.
In 1091, Dalassenos is recorded as participating in Alexios I's campaign against the Cumans
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. In the decisive Battle of Levounion
Battle of Levounion
The Battle of Levounion was the first decisive Byzantine victory of the Komnenian restoration. On April 29, 1091, an invading force of Pechenegs was heavily defeated by the combined forces of the Byzantine Empire under Alexios I Komnenos and his Cuman allies....
on 29 April 1091, he commanded the army's left wing.
In 1092, he was again sent against Tzachas, with the title of thalassokrator ("master of the sea"), subordinated to the new megas doux
Megas Doux
The megas doux was one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of the later Byzantine Empire, denoting the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy. It is sometimes also given by the half-Latinizations megaduke or megadux...
, John Doukas
John Doukas (megas doux)
John Doukas was a member of the Doukas family, a relative of the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and a senior military figure of his reign. As governor of Dyrrhachium he secured the imperial possessions in the western Balkans against the Serbs...
. The two commanders were to attack Mytilene
Mytilene
Mytilene is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Lesbos. Mytilene, whose name is pre-Greek, is built on the...
on Lesbos, still held by Tzachas. Doukas, at the head of the land forces, arrived first, and attacked the town. The siege lasted for three months, before Tzachas offered to surrender the town in ecchange for safe passage back to Smyrna. Doukas agreed, but Dalassenos, who had just arrived, attacked the Turkish fleet. He captured many of the Turkish vessels, and ordered the crews, including the rowers, executed. Dalassenos then returned to Constantinople. In spring 1093, when Tzachas attacked the port of Abydos
Abydos, Hellespont
For other uses, see Abydos Abydos , an ancient city of Mysia, in Asia Minor, situated at Nara Burnu or Nagara Point on the best harbor on the Asiatic shore of the Hellespont. Across Abydos lies Sestus on the European side marking the shortest point in the Dardanelles, scarcely a mile broad...
in the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
, Alexios again dispatched him against the emir by sea. At the same time however, Alexios called upon the Sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum Kilij Arslan I
Kilij Arslan I
Kilij Arslan was the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm from 1092 until his death in 1107. He ruled the Sultanate during the time of the First Crusade and thus faced the brunt of the entire attack...
(r. 1092–1107) to attack Tzachas from the rear. The Sultan complied, and in an audience had Tzachas murdered. Nothing further is known of Dalassenos after this.