Michael Bourtzes
Encyclopedia
Michael Bourtzes was a leading Byzantine
general of the latter 10th century. He became notable for his capture of Antioch
in 969, but fell into disgrace by the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969). Resentful at the slight, Bourtzes joined forces with the conspirators who assassinated Phokas a few weeks later. Bourtzes re-appears in a prominent role in the civil war between Emperor Basil II
(r. 976–1025) and the rebel Bardas Skleros
, switching his allegiance from the emperor to the rebel and back again. Nevertheless, he was re-appointed as doux
of Antioch
by Basil, a post he held until 995, when he was relieved because of this failures in the war against the Fatimids.
region, which went on to become one of the major clans of the Byzantine military aristocracy during the 11th century. He first comes to prominence in late 968, when he was appointed by Nikephoros II as patrikios and strategos
of the small theme of Mauron Oros ("Black Mountain") and tasked to lead the forces blockading the city of Antioch. Acting against Nikephoros' orders not to assault the city in his absence, in the late autumn of 969, Bourtzes persuaded a traitor inside the city to surrender one of the wall's main towers, which he then promptly occupied. He then defended this post against repeated attacks of the city's defenders for three days, until the reinforcements led by Peter Phokas
arrived and secured the city for the Byzantines. Despite his major role in this success, Bourtzes' reward was distinctly lacking: angry at him for disobeying his orders, or, according to another account, for laying fire and destroying much of the city, Emperor Nikephoros dismissed him from his post and appointed a kinsman of his, Eustathios Maleinos
, as the first governor of Antioch.
Angered by this perceived injustice, Bourtzes joined a conspiracy involving a number of other prominent generals who were discontent at Nikephoros, chief amongst them John Tzimiskes. On the night of 10/11 December 969, a group of these conspirators, including Tzimiskes and Bourtzes, managed to gain access to the imperial Boukoleon Palace by sea, and proceeded to murder the emperor and install Tzimiskes as his successor. Despite his prominent role in the assassination of Nikephoros II, the historical sources barely mention Bourtzes for the duration of Tzimiskes' reign (969–976). Yahya of Antioch
records that he oversaw the repairs carried out to the walls of Antioch following an earthquake, but he does not appear to have been placed in command there. Rather, at the time of Tzimiskes' death in January 976, he is stated by John Skylitzes
to have commanded the elite tagma
of the Stratelatai in the army of Bardas Skleros
.
At the point of Tzimiskes' death, imperial power reverted to the legitimate emperors, the young brothers Basil II
and Constantine VIII
. In view of their youth and inexperience however, government essentially continued to be exercised by the powerful parakoimomenos
, Basil Lekapenos
. Almost immediately, the parakoimomenos moved to forestall any moves by one of the powerful Anatolian magnates to seize the throne and reign as a supposed "guardian" of the two young emperors, like Phokas and Tzimiskes had done. A general reshuffle of the most important army posts in the East followed, interpreted by later historians like Skylitzes as a move to weaken the position of over-powerful strategoi. At this point, Bourtzes was appointed commander of the troops in Syria, with his seat at Antioch; indeed, he seems to have been the first to be titled doux
of Antioch. Almost immediately, he set out in a deep raid into Fatimid
-controlled Syria, reaching Tripolis
and returning with much booty.
In spring however, Bardas Skleros
, the newly-appointed doux of Mesopotamia and one of Tzimiskes' chief supporters, rose in revolt and proclaimed himself emperor at his base in Melitene. Bourtzes was commanded by Constantinople to lead his force north, join the army of Eustathios Maleinos, now governor of Cilicia
, and block the rebel from crossing the Antitaurus Mountains. Leaving his son in control of Antioch, Bourtzes complied and marched north. In the ensuing battle at the fortress of Lapara however, the combined loyalist force was routed, with Bourtzes being the first to retreat according to the chroniclers. Soon after he deserted the imperial camp and joined Skleros. In the autumn of 977, he was deployed in command of Skleros' forces shadowing the operations of the imperial army advancing from Kotyaion to Iconium. The two forces became entangled in an impromptu fight, which ended in a bloody defeat for the rebels. After this Bourtzes again switched sides and rejoined the imperial army, now led by Bardas Phokas.
Uniquely amongst the military leaders who had revolted against him, Basil II continued to rely on Bourtzes and entrusted him again with the critical position of doux of Antioch in 990–995. In November 989 Bourtzes took the city over from Leo Phokas, the son of Bardas, who himself had submitted to the emperor only months earlier. From this position, Bourtzes led the defense of the imperial frontier in a renewed bout of fighting with the Fatimids. In 992, he put down a rebellion of the Muslim population of Laodicea
, Antioch's seaport, and deported them to Anatolia. In the same year however he also suffered a defeat in battle, and then another
at the banks of the Orontes, near Apamea
, on 15 September 994. These failures, as well as accusations that he had exacerbated the conflict by imprisoning a Fatimid ambassador, brought Basil's displeasure upon him. In 995, as the Byzantine forces in the East had been weakened by their defeats, the Fatimids laid siege to Aleppo
, the Empire's major Arab client
. Basil himself had to interrupt his operations against Bulgaria
and turned to the East in a lightning campaign to relieve the city. At around that time, he also dismissed Bourtzes from his post and replaced him with Damian Dalassenos
.
Nothing more is known of Michael Bourtzes after that. He did however have at least three sons, Michael, Theognostos and Samuel, known because they conspired against Emperor Constantine VIII (sole emperor in 1025–1028) after he blinded Michael's son, named Constantine, in 1025/1026.
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 of the latter 10th century. He became notable for his capture 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...
in 969, but fell into disgrace by the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969). Resentful at the slight, Bourtzes joined forces with the conspirators who assassinated Phokas a few weeks later. Bourtzes re-appears in a prominent role in the civil war between 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) and the rebel 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:...
, switching his allegiance from the emperor to the rebel and back again. Nevertheless, he was re-appointed as doux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
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...
by Basil, a post he held until 995, when he was relieved because of this failures in the war against the Fatimids.
Career under Nikephoros II and John I Tzimiskes
Michael Bourtzes is the first prominent member of the Bourtzes family, originating in the upper EuphratesEuphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
region, which went on to become one of the major clans of the Byzantine military aristocracy during the 11th century. He first comes to prominence in late 968, when he was appointed by Nikephoros II as patrikios and 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 small theme of Mauron Oros ("Black Mountain") and tasked to lead the forces blockading the city of Antioch. Acting against Nikephoros' orders not to assault the city in his absence, in the late autumn of 969, Bourtzes persuaded a traitor inside the city to surrender one of the wall's main towers, which he then promptly occupied. He then defended this post against repeated attacks of the city's defenders for three days, until the reinforcements led by Peter Phokas
Peter Phokas
Peter Phokas was a Byzantine eunuch general. Originally a slave of the powerful Cappadocian Phokas family, he was raised to high military office and the rank of patrikios by the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas ....
arrived and secured the city for the Byzantines. Despite his major role in this success, Bourtzes' reward was distinctly lacking: angry at him for disobeying his orders, or, according to another account, for laying fire and destroying much of the city, Emperor Nikephoros dismissed him from his post and appointed a kinsman of his, Eustathios Maleinos
Eustathios Maleinos
Eustathios Maleinos was a leading Byzantine general and one of the wealthiest and most influential members of the Anatolian 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...
, as the first governor of Antioch.
Angered by this perceived injustice, Bourtzes joined a conspiracy involving a number of other prominent generals who were discontent at Nikephoros, chief amongst them John Tzimiskes. On the night of 10/11 December 969, a group of these conspirators, including Tzimiskes and Bourtzes, managed to gain access to the imperial Boukoleon Palace by sea, and proceeded to murder the emperor and install Tzimiskes as his successor. Despite his prominent role in the assassination of Nikephoros II, the historical sources barely mention Bourtzes for the duration of Tzimiskes' reign (969–976). Yahya of Antioch
Yahya of Antioch
Yahya of Antioch, full name Yaḥya ibn Saʿīd al-Anṭākī , was a Melkite Christian physician and historian of the 11th century....
records that he oversaw the repairs carried out to the walls of Antioch following an earthquake, but he does not appear to have been placed in command there. Rather, at the time of Tzimiskes' death in January 976, he is stated by 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...
to have commanded the elite tagma
Tagma (military)
The tagma is a term for a military unit of battalion or regiment size. The best-known and most technical use of the term however refers to the elite regiments formed by Byzantine emperor Constantine V and comprising the central army of the Byzantine Empire in the 8th–11th centuries.-History and...
of the Stratelatai in the army of 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:...
.
Career under 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...
and Constantine VIII
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...
. In view of their youth and inexperience however, government essentially continued to be exercised by the powerful 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....
. Almost immediately, the parakoimomenos moved to forestall any moves by one of the powerful Anatolian magnates to seize the throne and reign as a supposed "guardian" of the two young emperors, like Phokas and Tzimiskes had done. A general reshuffle of the most important army posts in the East followed, interpreted by later historians like Skylitzes as a move to weaken the position of over-powerful strategoi. At this point, Bourtzes was appointed commander of the troops in Syria, with his seat at Antioch; indeed, he seems to have been the first to be titled doux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
of Antioch. Almost immediately, he set out in a deep raid into Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
-controlled Syria, reaching Tripolis
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
and returning with much booty.
In spring however, 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:...
, the newly-appointed doux of Mesopotamia and one of Tzimiskes' chief supporters, rose in revolt and proclaimed himself emperor at his base in Melitene. Bourtzes was commanded by Constantinople to lead his force north, join the army of Eustathios Maleinos, now governor of 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...
, and block the rebel from crossing the Antitaurus Mountains. Leaving his son in control of Antioch, Bourtzes complied and marched north. In the ensuing battle at the fortress of Lapara however, the combined loyalist force was routed, with Bourtzes being the first to retreat according to the chroniclers. Soon after he deserted the imperial camp and joined Skleros. In the autumn of 977, he was deployed in command of Skleros' forces shadowing the operations of the imperial army advancing from Kotyaion to Iconium. The two forces became entangled in an impromptu fight, which ended in a bloody defeat for the rebels. After this Bourtzes again switched sides and rejoined the imperial army, now led by Bardas Phokas.
Uniquely amongst the military leaders who had revolted against him, Basil II continued to rely on Bourtzes and entrusted him again with the critical position of doux of Antioch in 990–995. In November 989 Bourtzes took the city over from Leo Phokas, the son of Bardas, who himself had submitted to the emperor only months earlier. From this position, Bourtzes led the defense of the imperial frontier in a renewed bout of fighting with the Fatimids. In 992, he put down a rebellion of the Muslim population of Laodicea
Laodicea ad Libanum
Laodicea ad Libanum – ), also transliterated as Laodiceia or Laodikeia; also Cabrosa, Scabrosa and Cabiosa Laodiceia – was an ancient Hellenistic city on the Orontes in Coele-Syria, the remains of which are found approximately 25 km southwest of Homs, Syria. The city is mentioned by...
, Antioch's seaport, and deported them to Anatolia. In the same year however he also suffered a defeat in battle, and then another
Battle of the Orontes
The Battle of the Orontes was fought on 15 September 994 between the Byzantines and their Hamdanid allies under Michael Bourtzes against the forces of the Fatimid vizier of Damascus, the Turkish general Manjutakin...
at the banks of the Orontes, near Apamea
Apamea (Syria)
Apamea was a treasure city and stud-depot of the Seleucid kings, was capital of Apamene, on the right bank of the Orontes River. . Its site is found about to the northwest of Hama, Syria, overlooking the Ghab valley...
, on 15 September 994. These failures, as well as accusations that he had exacerbated the conflict by imprisoning a Fatimid ambassador, brought Basil's displeasure upon him. In 995, as the Byzantine forces in the East had been weakened by their defeats, the Fatimids laid siege to Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, the Empire's major Arab client
Client state
Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...
. Basil himself had to interrupt his operations against Bulgaria
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...
and turned to the East in a lightning campaign to relieve the city. At around that time, he also dismissed Bourtzes from his post and replaced him with Damian Dalassenos
Damian Dalassenos (duke of Antioch)
Damian Dalassenos was a Byzantine aristocrat and general, who served as the doux of Antioch in 995/6–998.Damian is the first attested member of the distinguished Dalassenos clan. As a holder of the high title of magistros, he succeeded the disgraced Michael Bourtzes as governor of Antioch in...
.
Nothing more is known of Michael Bourtzes after that. He did however have at least three sons, Michael, Theognostos and Samuel, known because they conspired against Emperor Constantine VIII (sole emperor in 1025–1028) after he blinded Michael's son, named Constantine, in 1025/1026.