Eustathios Maleinos
Encyclopedia
Eustathios Maleinos was a leading Byzantine
general and one of the wealthiest and most influential members of the Anatolia
n military aristocracy during the late 10th century. He held senior administrative and military posts in the East, and was involved in the aristocratic rebellions against Emperor Basil II
(r. 976–1025), fighting against Bardas Skleros
but supporting the revolt of his nephew Bardas Phokas. After the failure of the latter he was not punished, but his immense wealth caused his eventual downfall, as Basil II confined him to a mansion in Constantinople
and confiscated his wealth after his death.
, a senior general and long-time governor of the theme of Cappadocia
. The Maleinos
family had by the time, chiefly through their close association with the Phokas clan
, become one of the most important and influential clans in the land-holding aristocracy which provided Byzantium with most of its generals. Thus Eustathios could count both on his family's considerable authority and expertise in military matters to secure high office. He became strategos
of the theme of Lykandos
, before his cousin, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas
(r. 963–969) appointed him, alongside his original post, as the first Byzantine governor of Antioch
after the city fell to the Empire in October 969. About a year after the murder of Nikephoros II in December 969, Maleinos was transferred by his successor, John I Tzimiskes
(r. 969–976) to the governorship of Tarsos in Cilicia
, a post which he still held in 976, when the young Basil II
became senior emperor.
Basil's assumption of the imperial government did not go unchallenged by the military aristocracy, whose members, supported by the army, their large estates and their extensive network of clients, had dominated it during the previous thirteen years, when Nikephoros Phokas and John Tzimiskes had ruled as nominal protectors of Basil and his younger brother, Constantine VIII
. Thus, soon after Tzimiskes' death in January 976, his principal supporter, the Domestic of the East Bardas Skleros
, was declared emperor. Maleinos, a Phokas adherent and hence opponent of Tzimiskes' supporters, remained loyal. Although he failed to prevent the rebel's outbreak from his base around Melitene across the Anti-Taurus Mountains
into Anatolia proper and suffered a heavy defeat at his hands in late summer 976, Maleinos continued to serve as a loyalist general until the revolt's final suppression in 979.
In order to successfully counter the rebel however, Basil and his leading minister, the parakoimomenos
Basil Lekapenos
, had been forced to recall the general Bardas Phokas the Younger, the nephew of Emperor Nikephoros II, from exile in 978 and appoint him in command of the eastern armies. After his victory over Skleros, Phokas and his adherents now began plotting to overthrow the emperor, and both sides settled in a sort of "cold war", in the words of M. Whittow. In 985, the emperor moved first by sacking or demoting a number of eastern generals loyal to the Phokas clan: Bardas Phokas was demoted to doux of Antioch and Eustathios Maleinos was discharged from the army. In 986 however, after the humiliating defeat of Basil himself by the Bulgarians
at the Gates of Trajan
and the return of Skleros from exile in Baghdad
, the emperor was forced to re-appoint Bardas Phokas as commander-in-chief of the East. Phokas soon tricked Skleros and placed him under arrest, but now the decisive conflict over the throne was inevitable: on 15 August or 14 September 987, in Eustathios Maleinos' house in the Charsianon
theme, the assembled leading aristocratic families proclaimed Phokas as emperor.
Phokas' rebellion spread quickly to all of Anatolia, but Basil concluded an agreement with the Kievan Rus'
, and with the dispatch of 6,000 Varangians
, he managed to subdue the revolt, with Phokas himself falling in battle. With the exception of a few of the rebel's senior aides, Basil dealt relatively generously with the supporters of the Phokades. Thus, despite being one of Phokas' most prominent supporters, Maleinos was allowed to keep his court title of magistros and his extensive estates (Arab sources record that one of them stretched continuously from Claudiopolis in Bithynia to the Sangarios river, covering some 115 square kilometers).
In 995 however, as Emperor Basil II was returning from a campaign against the Fatimids in Syria
, he stayed on Maleinos' estates. Maleinos lavishly provided for the needs of both the imperial retinue as well as the entire army, from his own resources. Basil was greatly impressed and alarmed by this display of a subject's wealth and power; he took Maleinos with him to Constantinople as a virtual hostage, and in January 996, he issued a new law against the unlawful appropriation of communal village lands by the land-holding aristocracy, the so-called dynatoi ("strong ones"), in a bid to reduce their power. Confined henceforth to the capital, Maleinos was well catered for, but, in the words of John Skylitzes
, "supplying him plentifully with everything he needed, Basil detained Eustathios as if he were nourishing a wild beast in a cage". After his death, his estates and fortune were confiscated by the Emperor.
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...
general and one of the wealthiest and most influential members of the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n military aristocracy during the late 10th century. He held senior administrative and military posts in the East, and was involved in the aristocratic rebellions against Emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
(r. 976–1025), fighting against Bardas Skleros
Bardas Skleros
Bardas Skleros or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II in 976–979.-Background:...
but supporting the revolt of his nephew Bardas Phokas. After the failure of the latter he was not punished, but his immense wealth caused his eventual downfall, as Basil II confined him to a mansion in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and confiscated his wealth after his death.
Life
Eustathios was the son of Constantine MaleinosConstantine Maleinos
Constantine Maleinos was a prominent Byzantine general of the mid-10th century.Constantine was born in the late 9th or 10th century, probably in his family's estates in Cappadocia. His father was Eudokimos Maleinos, a member of the powerful aristocratic Maleinos clan, and his mother Anastaso...
, a senior general and long-time governor of the theme of Cappadocia
Cappadocia (theme)
The Theme of Cappadocia was a Byzantine theme encompassing the southern portion of the namesake region from the early 9th to the late 11th centuries.-Location:...
. The Maleinos
Maleinos
Maleinos was the surname of a Byzantine Greek family, first attested in the 9th century, which rose to be amongst the most important and powerful members of the Anatolian aristocracy in the 10th century, providing many senior generals to the Byzantine army. After its wealth and power became the...
family had by the time, chiefly through their close association with the Phokas clan
Phokas (Byzantine family)
Phokas or Phocas , feminine form Phokaina , was the name of a Byzantine aristocratic clan from Cappadocia, which in the 9th and 10th centuries provided a series of high-ranking generals and an emperor, Nikephoros II Phokas...
, become one of the most important and influential clans in the land-holding aristocracy which provided Byzantium with most of its generals. Thus Eustathios could count both on his family's considerable authority and expertise in military matters to secure high office. He became 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 the theme of Lykandos
Lykandos
Lykandos or Lycandus was the name of a Byzantine fortress and military-civilian province , known as the Theme of Lykandos, in the 10th–11th centuries.-History:...
, before his cousin, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas
Nikephoros II
Nikephoros II Phokas was a Byzantine Emperor whose brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of Byzantine Empire in the tenth century.-Early exploits:...
(r. 963–969) appointed him, alongside his original post, as the first Byzantine governor of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
after the city fell to the Empire in October 969. About a year after the murder of Nikephoros II in December 969, Maleinos was transferred by his successor, John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, was Byzantine Emperor from December 11, 969 to January 10, 976. A brilliant and intuitive general, John's short reign saw the expansion of the empire's borders and the strengthening of Byzantium itself.- Background :...
(r. 969–976) to the governorship of Tarsos in Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, a post which he still held in 976, when the young Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
became senior emperor.
Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII was reigning Byzantine emperor from December 15, 1025 until his death. He was the son of the Emperor Romanos II and Theophano, and the younger brother of the eminent Basil II, who died childless and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in his hands.-Family:As...
. Thus, soon after Tzimiskes' death in January 976, his principal supporter, the Domestic of the East Bardas Skleros
Bardas Skleros
Bardas Skleros or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II in 976–979.-Background:...
, was declared emperor. Maleinos, a Phokas adherent and hence opponent of Tzimiskes' supporters, remained loyal. Although he failed to prevent the rebel's outbreak from his base around Melitene across the Anti-Taurus Mountains
Anti-Taurus Mountains
Anti-Taurus is a mountain range in southern and eastern Turkey, curving northeast from the Taurus Mountains. The tallest mountain in the range is Mount Erciyes,...
into Anatolia proper and suffered a heavy defeat at his hands in late summer 976, Maleinos continued to serve as a loyalist general until the revolt's final suppression in 979.
In order to successfully counter the rebel however, Basil and his leading minister, the parakoimomenos
Parakoimomenos
The parakoimōmenos was a Byzantine court position, usually reserved for eunuchs. Many of its holders, especially in the 9th and 10th centuries, functioned as the Byzantine Empire's chief ministers.-History and functions:...
Basil Lekapenos
Basil Lekapenos
Basil Lekapenos was the chief administrator of the Byzantine Empire from 945 until 985.An illegitimate son of the emperor Romanos I Lekapenos, he was castrated when young....
, had been forced to recall the general Bardas Phokas the Younger, the nephew of Emperor Nikephoros II, from exile in 978 and appoint him in command of the eastern armies. After his victory over Skleros, Phokas and his adherents now began plotting to overthrow the emperor, and both sides settled in a sort of "cold war", in the words of M. Whittow. In 985, the emperor moved first by sacking or demoting a number of eastern generals loyal to the Phokas clan: Bardas Phokas was demoted to doux of Antioch and Eustathios Maleinos was discharged from the army. In 986 however, after the humiliating defeat of Basil himself by the Bulgarians
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
at the Gates of Trajan
Battle of the Gates of Trajan
The Battle of the Gates of Trajan was a battle between Byzantine and Bulgarian forces in the year 986. It took place in the pass of the same name, modern Trayanovi Vrata, in Sofia Province, Bulgaria. It was the largest defeat of the Byzantines under Emperor Basil II...
and the return of Skleros from exile in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, the emperor was forced to re-appoint Bardas Phokas as commander-in-chief of the East. Phokas soon tricked Skleros and placed him under arrest, but now the decisive conflict over the throne was inevitable: on 15 August or 14 September 987, in Eustathios Maleinos' house in the Charsianon
Charsianon
Charsianon was the name of a Byzantine fortress and the corresponding theme in the region of Cappadocia in central Anatolia .-History:...
theme, the assembled leading aristocratic families proclaimed Phokas as emperor.
Phokas' rebellion spread quickly to all of Anatolia, but Basil concluded an agreement with the Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
, and with the dispatch of 6,000 Varangians
Varangians
The Varangians or Varyags , sometimes referred to as Variagians, were people from the Baltic region, most often associated with Vikings, who from the 9th to 11th centuries ventured eastwards and southwards along the rivers of Eastern Europe, through what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.According...
, he managed to subdue the revolt, with Phokas himself falling in battle. With the exception of a few of the rebel's senior aides, Basil dealt relatively generously with the supporters of the Phokades. Thus, despite being one of Phokas' most prominent supporters, Maleinos was allowed to keep his court title of magistros and his extensive estates (Arab sources record that one of them stretched continuously from Claudiopolis in Bithynia to the Sangarios river, covering some 115 square kilometers).
In 995 however, as Emperor Basil II was returning from a campaign against the Fatimids in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, he stayed on Maleinos' estates. Maleinos lavishly provided for the needs of both the imperial retinue as well as the entire army, from his own resources. Basil was greatly impressed and alarmed by this display of a subject's wealth and power; he took Maleinos with him to Constantinople as a virtual hostage, and in January 996, he issued a new law against the unlawful appropriation of communal village lands by the land-holding aristocracy, the so-called dynatoi ("strong ones"), in a bid to reduce their power. Confined henceforth to the capital, Maleinos was well catered for, but, in the words of John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
, "supplying him plentifully with everything he needed, Basil detained Eustathios as if he were nourishing a wild beast in a cage". After his death, his estates and fortune were confiscated by the Emperor.