Isaac Komnenos (d. 1152)
Encyclopedia
Isaac Komnenos or Comnenus was the third son of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
(r. 1081–1118) and Empress Irene Doukaina
.
and the historian Anna Komnene
. Isaac was given the dignity of Caesar
by his father.
During and after the succession of John II in 1118, Isaac supported his elder brother against the intrigues of Empress-dowager Irene and their sister Anna. John II raised Isaac to the elevated dignity of sebastokratōr
, which marked him as a near-equal to the emperor. In contrast to his brother, who was chiefly engaged in warfare throughout his reign, Isaac was also a scholar and patron of learning. He is known to have composed and compiled poetry, and is sometimes identified with the writer called "Isaac Komnenos the porphyrogennetos" who composed three philosophical treatises based on Proclus
and two commentary works on Homer
.
By ca. 1130 (and possibly as early as 1122) however, John and Isaac had become estranged, and Isaac was forced to flee Constantinople
with his sons for 6 years after an alleged conspiracy. Isaac found refuge at the court of the Danishmendid amir Gümüshtigin Ghazi II ibn Danishmend at Melitene; at the same time, he also undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
. From his exile, Isaac sought to create a broad alliance with other rulers against his brother, including the Seljuk Turks of Iconium
, the independent prince Constantine Gabras
of Trebizond, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem
. The coalition failed to materialize however, and he was forced to seek reconciliation with his brother in 1136. Soon after, in 1139, Isaac's eldest son John
again defected to the Turks. Either at that point or a little later, Isaac was banished as a precaution to Heraclea Pontica
.
Shortly before John II died in 1143, he had designated his fourth and youngest son Manuel
as his heir over his third (and oldest surviving) son, the sebastokrator
Isaac. Consequently, Manuel's succession was not immediately secure. In this struggle for the throne, the elder Isaac threw his support behind the younger Isaac, but in the event, Manuel managed to seize the throne. Despite his failure, in 1145–1146, according to John Kinnamos
, Isaac attempted to take advantage of Manuel's difficulties to usurp the imperial throne from him.
After 1050, Manuel forced his uncle to retire from public affairs, and in 1151/1152, Isaac founded the cenobitic
monastery of Kosmosoteira ("World-Saviour") at Pherae
. The monastery was built as his residence and final resting place; Isaac wrote the monastery's typikon
himself, leaving extensive estates, including entire villages and castles to it in Thrace
. Isaac is also depicted in the Chora Church
in Constantinople
, which he extensively rebuilt. The Chora Church was also the initial location of Isaac's tomb, before he had it transferred to the Kosmosoteira monastery.
princess. It has also been theorized that she is identical to Kata of Georgia, daughter of David IV of Georgia
and Rusudan of Armenia. His children were:
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) and Empress Irene Doukaina
Irene Doukaina
Irene Doukaina or Ducaena was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, and the mother of the emperor John II Komnenos and of the historian Anna Komnene.-Succession of Alexios and Irene:...
.
Life
He was the brother of Emperor John II KomnenosJohn 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...
and the historian 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...
. Isaac was given the dignity of Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
by his father.
During and after the succession of John II in 1118, Isaac supported his elder brother against the intrigues of Empress-dowager Irene and their sister Anna. John II raised Isaac to the elevated dignity of sebastokratōr
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr 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. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
, which marked him as a near-equal to the emperor. In contrast to his brother, who was chiefly engaged in warfare throughout his reign, Isaac was also a scholar and patron of learning. He is known to have composed and compiled poetry, and is sometimes identified with the writer called "Isaac Komnenos the porphyrogennetos" who composed three philosophical treatises based on Proclus
Proclus
Proclus Lycaeus , called "The Successor" or "Diadochos" , was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major Classical philosophers . He set forth one of the most elaborate and fully developed systems of Neoplatonism...
and two commentary works on Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
.
By ca. 1130 (and possibly as early as 1122) however, John and Isaac had become estranged, and Isaac was forced to flee 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:...
with his sons for 6 years after an alleged conspiracy. Isaac found refuge at the court of the Danishmendid amir Gümüshtigin Ghazi II ibn Danishmend at Melitene; at the same time, he also undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. From his exile, Isaac sought to create a broad alliance with other rulers against his brother, including the Seljuk Turks of Iconium
Sultanate 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...
, the independent prince Constantine Gabras
Constantine Gabras
Constantine Gabras was the governor or doux of the Byzantine province of Chaldia, around Trebizond on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia, in what is today north-eastern Turkey...
of Trebizond, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. The coalition failed to materialize however, and he was forced to seek reconciliation with his brother in 1136. Soon after, in 1139, Isaac's eldest son John
John Tzelepes Komnenos
John Tzelepes Komnenos was the son of Isaac Komnenos.Starting about 1130 John and his father, who was a brother of Emperor John II Komnenos , plotted to overthrow his uncle the emperor. They made various plans and alliances with the Danishmend leader and other Turks who held parts of Asia Minor...
again defected to the Turks. Either at that point or a little later, Isaac was banished as a precaution to Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica , an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor, at the mouth of the river Lycus. It was founded by the Greek city-state of Megara c.560-558 and was named after Heracles who the Greeks believed entered the underworld at a cave on the adjoining Archerusian promontory .The...
.
Shortly before John II died in 1143, he had designated his fourth and youngest son Manuel
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....
as his heir over his third (and oldest surviving) son, the sebastokrator
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr 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. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
Isaac. Consequently, Manuel's succession was not immediately secure. In this struggle for the throne, the elder Isaac threw his support behind the younger Isaac, but in the event, Manuel managed to seize the throne. Despite his failure, in 1145–1146, according to John Kinnamos
John Kinnamos
Joannes Kinnamos or John Cinnamus was a Greek historian. He was imperial secretary to Emperor Manuel I , whom he accompanied on his campaigns in Europe and Asia Minor...
, Isaac attempted to take advantage of Manuel's difficulties to usurp the imperial throne from him.
After 1050, Manuel forced his uncle to retire from public affairs, and in 1151/1152, Isaac founded the cenobitic
Cenobitic
Cenobitic monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West, the community belongs to a religious order and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a religious rule, a collection of precepts...
monastery of Kosmosoteira ("World-Saviour") at Pherae
Pherae
Pherae was an ancient Greek town in southeastern Thessaly. It bordered Lake Boebeïs. In mythology, it was the home of King Admetus, whose wife, Alcestis, Heracles went into Hades to rescue. In history, it was more famous as the home of the fourth-century B.C...
. The monastery was built as his residence and final resting place; Isaac wrote the monastery's typikon
Typikon
The Typikon, or Typicon; plural Typika is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the various Eastern Orthodox Christian church services and ceremonies, in the form of a perpetual calendar...
himself, leaving extensive estates, including entire villages and castles to it in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. Isaac is also depicted in the Chora Church
Chora Church
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in Istanbul, in the Edirnekapı neighborhood, which lies in the western part of the municipality of Fatih...
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:...
, which he extensively rebuilt. The Chora Church was also the initial location of Isaac's tomb, before he had it transferred to the Kosmosoteira monastery.
Family
Isaac Komnenos was married to Eirene, possibly a KievanRus' (people)
The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...
princess. It has also been theorized that she is identical to Kata of Georgia, daughter of David IV of Georgia
David IV of Georgia
David IV "the Builder", also known as David II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125....
and Rusudan of Armenia. His children were:
- John KomnenosJohn Tzelepes KomnenosJohn Tzelepes Komnenos was the son of Isaac Komnenos.Starting about 1130 John and his father, who was a brother of Emperor John II Komnenos , plotted to overthrow his uncle the emperor. They made various plans and alliances with the Danishmend leader and other Turks who held parts of Asia Minor...
called Tzelepes (i.e., ÇelebiÇelebiÇelebi is a town and district of Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 7,210 of which 3,333 live in the town of Çelebi.-External links:* *...
), who became a MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. - unnamed daughter
- Anna Komnene, who married John Arbantenos.
- Andronikos I KomnenosAndronikos I KomnenosAndronikos I Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1183 to 1185). He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and grandson of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.-Early years:...
, emperor 1183–1185.