Constantine Gabras
Encyclopedia
Constantine Gabras was the governor or doux (duke) of the Byzantine
province of Chaldia
, around Trebizond on the Black Sea
coast of Anatolia
, in what is today north-eastern Turkey. He ruled Chaldia as a semi-independent prince between 1126 and 1140.
, preceded him as governor. In the 1090s his older brother Gregory
had plotted against the emperor Alexios I Komnenos
and had been imprisoned.
After service as strategos
of Philadelphia
, Constantine became doux of Chaldia some time, probably quite shortly, before the death of Alexios I in 1118. Constantine seems to have been less rash in his politics than his brother, though he managed to rule Trebizond more or less free of central authority between 1126 and 1140. Choniates
refers to him as the "tyrant of Trebizond." Extant examples show that he minted his own lower denomination coinage. In 1140 the emperor John II Komnenos
moved into Chaldia with the main Byzantine army in order to campaign against the Danishmend Turks. This display of force was enough to overawe Constantine Gabras and the region came under direct Imperial control once more.
, where one member became vizier
to the sultan Kilij Arslan II
. A son of Constantine Gabras, also named Constantine, however, became a trusted minister of Manuel I Komnenos
. He led an important, and successful, diplomatic mission to the Seljuk sultan Kilij Arslan II in 1162. No doubt his mission was helped by the family contacts he would have had at the Seljuk court.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
province of Chaldia
Chaldia
Chaldia was a historical region located in the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor . Its name was derived from a people called the Chaldoi that inhabited the region in Antiquity. Chaldia was used throughout the Byzantine period and was established as a formal theme, known as the Theme of Chaldia , in...
, around Trebizond on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, in what is today north-eastern Turkey. He ruled Chaldia as a semi-independent prince between 1126 and 1140.
Life
The province of Chaldia effectively became a fief of the Gabrades (the Gabras family) as his father, Theodore GabrasTheodore Gabras
Theodore Gabras was a Byzantine governor in the Pontus who was involved in a minor unsuccessful rebellion against the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos around the year 1091.-Early life:...
, preceded him as governor. In the 1090s his older brother Gregory
Gregory Gabras
Gregory Gabras was the son of the Byzantine governor of Trebizond, Theodore Gabras who was involved in a minor unsuccessful rebellion against the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos around the year 1091.- Life at Constantinople :...
had plotted against the 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,...
and had been imprisoned.
After service as strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
of Philadelphia
Alasehir
Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia , i.e. " brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay , at the foot of the Bozdağ...
, Constantine became doux of Chaldia some time, probably quite shortly, before the death of Alexios I in 1118. Constantine seems to have been less rash in his politics than his brother, though he managed to rule Trebizond more or less free of central authority between 1126 and 1140. Choniates
Choniates
Choniates may refer to:*Niketas Choniates , Byzantine chronicler*Michael Choniates , Byzantine writer and ecclesiastic...
refers to him as the "tyrant of Trebizond." Extant examples show that he minted his own lower denomination coinage. In 1140 the emperor John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as Kaloïōannēs , he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina...
moved into Chaldia with the main Byzantine army in order to campaign against the Danishmend Turks. This display of force was enough to overawe Constantine Gabras and the region came under direct Imperial control once more.
Later history of his family
Following their loss of power many of the Gabras dynasty gravitated to the court of the Seljuk Sultanate of RumSultanate of Rûm
The Sultanate of Rum , also known as the Anatolian Seljuk State , was a Turkic state centered in in Anatolia, with capitals first at İznik and then at Konya. Since the court of the sultanate was highly mobile, cities like Kayseri and Sivas also functioned at times as capitals...
, where one member became vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
to the sultan Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
. A son of Constantine Gabras, also named Constantine, however, became a trusted minister of Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
. He led an important, and successful, diplomatic mission to the Seljuk sultan Kilij Arslan II in 1162. No doubt his mission was helped by the family contacts he would have had at the Seljuk court.