Nikephoros Melissenos
Encyclopedia
Nikephoros Melissenos latinized
as Nicephorus Melissenus, was a Byzantine
general and aristocrat. Of distinguished lineage, he served as a governor and general in the Balkans
and Asia Minor
in the 1060s. In the turbulent period after the Battle of Manzikert
in 1071, several generals tried to seize the throne for themselves. Melissenos remained loyal to Michael VII Doukas and was exiled by his successor Nikephoros III Botaneiates. In 1080–1081, with Turkish aid, he seized control of what remained of Byzantine Asia Minor
and proclaimed himself emperor against Botaneiates. After the revolt of his brother-in-law Alexios I Komnenos
however, which succeeded in taking Constantinople
, he submitted to him, accepting the rank of Caesar
and the governance of Thessalonica. He remained loyal to Alexios thereafter, participating in most Byzantine campaigns of the period 1081–1095 in the Balkans
at the emperor's side. He died on 17 November 1104.
, where his family had extensive estates. Through both his father and his mother, he was of aristocratic descent: his father belonged to the Bourtzes line, while his mother to the illustrious Melissenos family, which dated back to the 8th century and had produced several distinguished generals. Sometime before 1067, Nikephoros married Eudokia Komnene, the second daughter of the Domestic of the Schools
John Komnenos and Anna Dalassene and sister of the future emperor Alexios I Komnenos
(r. 1081–1118). They had at least one known son, who was named John Komnenos.
Melissenos held the rank of magistros and the post of governor (doux
) of Triaditza (modern Sofia
) for some time during the 1060s. In 1070, he joined the field army commanded by his eldest brother-in-law, the protostrator
Manuel Komnenos, in a campaign against the Seljuk Turks. The campaign ended in defeat near Sebasteia (modern Sivas), and Melissenos along with Manuel Komnenos were captured by a Turkish chieftain whom the Byzantines called Chrysoskoulos. Manuel however quickly persuaded the Turk to enter into Byzantine service, and their captivity ended.
Melissenos remained loyal to Michael VII Doukas (r. 1071–1078) during the rebellion of the strategos
of the Anatolic Theme
, Nikephoros Botaneiates (Nikephoros III), which began in October 1077. Michael VII rewarded him by appointing him to Botaneiates' post, but after Botaneiates' victory and entry into Constantinople
in April 1078, Melissenos was exiled to the island of Kos
.
, where he was acclaimed as emperor, and defeated a loyalist army under the eunuch John.
In March 1081, Melissenos was encamped with his army at Damalis
, on the Asian shore across the Bosporus
from Constantinople. There he received news of the revolt of the Komnenoi against Botaneiates and the proclamation of Alexios Komnenos as emperor. He sent letters to the Komnenoi, suggesting a division of authority over the imperial territory, with the Balkans remaining under Komnenian control and himself keeping Asia Minor, although he also emphasized that the empire should remain united. In reply, the Komnenoi offered to recognize him as Caesar
– the second highest dignity after the imperial title itself – and to give him the governance of Thessalonica – the Empire's second-most important city – if he would submit to them. Melissenos initially refused to accept this offer, but as the Komnenoi were on the verge of taking Constantinople and might refuse to make similar concessions later, he eventually agreed.
At the same time, the emperor Nikephoros Botaneiates tried to forestall the capital's fall to the Komnenoi by sending for Melissenos and asking him to enter the city and assume the imperial authority. His envoys however were obstructed by George Palaiologos and never reached Melissenos. Constantinople fell to the Komnenian forces, and on 8 April 1081, Melissenos too entered the imperial capital. True to his word, Alexios I raised him to Caesar and gave him authority over Thessalonica as well as allotting the city's revenues to his income. At the same time however, Alexios raised his brother Isaac Komnenos to the newly created dignity of sebastokrator
, which he placed above that of Caesar, bypassing Melissenos.
This act of submission, unique among the various pretenders of the time, may throw some light on Melissenos' motivation for his uprising. According to the historian Jean-Claude Cheynet, Melissenos was probably more concerned with safeguarding his Asian estates from the depredations of the Turks, and when Alexios granted him Thessalonica and equivalent estates around it – some of which Melissenos later distributed to his clients, like the Bourtzes family – he readily gave up the contest for the throne.
Melissenos' revolt ended, but it left a profound legacy: although he submitted to Alexios, the towns he had occupied and garrisoned with Turkish soldiers in Ionia
, Phrygia
, Galatia
and Bithynia
remained in their hands. By becoming involved in the Byzantine civil wars as mercenaries and allies – especially after being used by Botaneiates and Melissenos during their respective revolts to hold down various cities for them – the Turks completed their relatively peaceful take-over of central and western Asia Minor.
of Robert Guiscard
. In the Battle of Dyrrhachium
, which ended in a crushing Byzantine defeat, he commanded the Byzantine army's right wing.
In the 1083 campaign in Thessaly
against the Normans, who, under Guiscard's son Bohemond were besieging Larissa
, Melissenos was used by Alexios as the centerpiece to a ruse. The emperor gave him the imperial insignia and a detachment of the army, which Bohemond proceeded to attack in the belief that this was the main Byzantine force, since the emperor was present with it. While the Normans pursued Melissenos' men, Alexios with the main army took and looted the Norman camp, forcing Bohemond to lift the siege and withdraw.
Melissenos fought alongside Alexios in the battle of Dristra (late August 1087) against the Pechenegs, commanding the Byzantine left wing. The battle ended in a heavy Byzantine defeat, and Melissenos was taken captive along with many other Byzantines, to be ransomed by the emperor after some time. In spring 1091, Melissenos was sent to Ainos
to recruit soldiers from among the Bulgarians
and Vlachs
. Occupied with this task, he did not join the imperial army in time for the crushing Byzantine victory over the Pechenegs at Levounion
on 29 April, arriving the next day.
Later in the same year he participated in the family council of Philippopolis
which examined the accusations of conspiracy raised against John Komnenos
, the doux of Dyrrhachium
by the Archbishop of Ochrid Theophylact. The council degenerated into a heated family quarrel, where John's father, the sebastokrator Isaac, accused Melissenos and Adrian Komnenos of slandering his son, but in the end Alexios dismissed the charges.
In the 1095 campaign against the Cumans
, Melissenos, along with George Palaiologos and John Taronites were left in charge of defending the region of Berrhoe (modern Stara Zagora
) against Cuman attacks. This is the last mention of Melissenos in Anna Komnene
's Alexiad
. He died on 17 November 1104.
Latinisation (literature)
Latinisation is the practice of rendering a non-Latin name in a Latin style. It is commonly met with for historical personal names, with toponyms, or for the standard binomial nomenclature of the life sciences. It goes further than Romanisation, which is the writing of a word in the Latin alphabet...
as Nicephorus Melissenus, was a 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...
general and aristocrat. Of distinguished lineage, he served as a governor and general in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
in the 1060s. In the turbulent period after the Battle of Manzikert
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
in 1071, several generals tried to seize the throne for themselves. Melissenos remained loyal to Michael VII Doukas and was exiled by his successor Nikephoros III Botaneiates. In 1080–1081, with Turkish aid, he seized control of what remained of Byzantine Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and proclaimed himself emperor against Botaneiates. After the revolt of his brother-in-law 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,...
however, which succeeded in taking 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:...
, he submitted to him, accepting the rank of Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
and the governance of Thessalonica. He remained loyal to Alexios thereafter, participating in most Byzantine campaigns of the period 1081–1095 in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
at the emperor's side. He died on 17 November 1104.
Early life and career
Nikephoros Melissenos was probably born ca. 1045 at DorylaeumDorylaeum
Dorylaeum or Dorylaion was an ancient city in Anatolia. It is now in ruins near the city of Eskişehir, Turkey.The city existed under the Phrygians but may have been much older. It was a Roman trading post. It also was probably a key city of the route the Apostle Paul took on his Second Missonary...
, where his family had extensive estates. Through both his father and his mother, he was of aristocratic descent: his father belonged to the Bourtzes line, while his mother to the illustrious Melissenos family, which dated back to the 8th century and had produced several distinguished generals. Sometime before 1067, Nikephoros married Eudokia Komnene, the second daughter of the Domestic of the Schools
Domestic of the Schools
The Domestic of the Schools was a senior Byzantine military office, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally simply the commander of the Scholai, the senior of the elite tagmata regiments, the Domestic quickly rose in prominence: by the mid-9th century, its...
John Komnenos and Anna Dalassene and sister of the future 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). They had at least one known son, who was named John Komnenos.
Melissenos held the rank of magistros and the post of governor (doux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
) of Triaditza (modern Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
) for some time during the 1060s. In 1070, he joined the field army commanded by his eldest brother-in-law, the protostrator
Protostrator
Prōtostratōr was a Byzantine court office, originating as the imperial stable master, which in the last centuries of the Empire evolved into one of the senior military offices...
Manuel Komnenos, in a campaign against the Seljuk Turks. The campaign ended in defeat near Sebasteia (modern Sivas), and Melissenos along with Manuel Komnenos were captured by a Turkish chieftain whom the Byzantines called Chrysoskoulos. Manuel however quickly persuaded the Turk to enter into Byzantine service, and their captivity ended.
Melissenos remained loyal to Michael VII Doukas (r. 1071–1078) during the rebellion of the 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 Anatolic Theme
Anatolic Theme
The Anatolic Theme , more properly known as the Theme of the Anatolics was a Byzantine theme in central Asia Minor...
, Nikephoros Botaneiates (Nikephoros III), which began in October 1077. Michael VII rewarded him by appointing him to Botaneiates' post, but after Botaneiates' victory and entry into 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:...
in April 1078, Melissenos was exiled to the island of Kos
Kos
Kos or Cos is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. It measures by , and is from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Kos peripheral unit, which is...
.
Rebellion
In autumn 1080, Melissenos left Kos and returned to Asia Minor. There he succeeded in gaining the support of the local population, and in recruiting many Turkish tribesmen as mercenaries to his army. One by one the cities of western and central Asia Minor opened up their gates to him, and Turkish garrisons were installed in them. Botaneiates tried to send Alexios Komnenos, who had recently suppressed the revolts of Nikephoros Bryennios and Nikephoros Basilakes, against him, but he refused. In February 1081, Melissenos' troops took NicaeaIznik
İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea...
, where he was acclaimed as emperor, and defeated a loyalist army under the eunuch John.
In March 1081, Melissenos was encamped with his army at Damalis
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
, on the Asian shore across the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
from Constantinople. There he received news of the revolt of the Komnenoi against Botaneiates and the proclamation of Alexios Komnenos as emperor. He sent letters to the Komnenoi, suggesting a division of authority over the imperial territory, with the Balkans remaining under Komnenian control and himself keeping Asia Minor, although he also emphasized that the empire should remain united. In reply, the Komnenoi offered to recognize him as Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
– the second highest dignity after the imperial title itself – and to give him the governance of Thessalonica – the Empire's second-most important city – if he would submit to them. Melissenos initially refused to accept this offer, but as the Komnenoi were on the verge of taking Constantinople and might refuse to make similar concessions later, he eventually agreed.
At the same time, the emperor Nikephoros Botaneiates tried to forestall the capital's fall to the Komnenoi by sending for Melissenos and asking him to enter the city and assume the imperial authority. His envoys however were obstructed by George Palaiologos and never reached Melissenos. Constantinople fell to the Komnenian forces, and on 8 April 1081, Melissenos too entered the imperial capital. True to his word, Alexios I raised him to Caesar and gave him authority over Thessalonica as well as allotting the city's revenues to his income. At the same time however, Alexios raised his brother Isaac Komnenos to the newly created dignity of 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...
, which he placed above that of Caesar, bypassing Melissenos.
This act of submission, unique among the various pretenders of the time, may throw some light on Melissenos' motivation for his uprising. According to the historian Jean-Claude Cheynet, Melissenos was probably more concerned with safeguarding his Asian estates from the depredations of the Turks, and when Alexios granted him Thessalonica and equivalent estates around it – some of which Melissenos later distributed to his clients, like the Bourtzes family – he readily gave up the contest for the throne.
Melissenos' revolt ended, but it left a profound legacy: although he submitted to Alexios, the towns he had occupied and garrisoned with Turkish soldiers in Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
, Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
, Galatia
Galatia
Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...
and Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
remained in their hands. By becoming involved in the Byzantine civil wars as mercenaries and allies – especially after being used by Botaneiates and Melissenos during their respective revolts to hold down various cities for them – the Turks completed their relatively peaceful take-over of central and western Asia Minor.
Service under Alexios Komnenos
Melissenos continued to serve Alexios I faithfully throughout the rest of his life. In autumn 1081, he marched alongside Alexios in his campaign against the NormansNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
of Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
. In the Battle of Dyrrhachium
Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081)
The Battle of Dyrrhachium took place on October 18, 1081 between the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, and the Normans of southern Italy under Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria...
, which ended in a crushing Byzantine defeat, he commanded the Byzantine army's right wing.
In the 1083 campaign in Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
against the Normans, who, under Guiscard's son Bohemond were besieging Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
, Melissenos was used by Alexios as the centerpiece to a ruse. The emperor gave him the imperial insignia and a detachment of the army, which Bohemond proceeded to attack in the belief that this was the main Byzantine force, since the emperor was present with it. While the Normans pursued Melissenos' men, Alexios with the main army took and looted the Norman camp, forcing Bohemond to lift the siege and withdraw.
Melissenos fought alongside Alexios in the battle of Dristra (late August 1087) against the Pechenegs, commanding the Byzantine left wing. The battle ended in a heavy Byzantine defeat, and Melissenos was taken captive along with many other Byzantines, to be ransomed by the emperor after some time. In spring 1091, Melissenos was sent to Ainos
Aenus (Thrace)
Aenus , modern Enez in Turkey, was an ancient Greek city on the southeastern coast of Thrace. Formerly called Poltyobria , it was located near the mouth of the Hebrus River, not far from the Melas Gulf , which is formed by the Thracian Chersonesus to the east...
to recruit soldiers from among the Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
and Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
. Occupied with this task, he did not join the imperial army in time for the crushing Byzantine victory over the Pechenegs at 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, arriving the next day.
Later in the same year he participated in the family council of Philippopolis
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
which examined the accusations of conspiracy raised against John Komnenos
John Komnenos (governor of Dyrrhachium)
John Komnenos was a Byzantine aristocrat, the nephew of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and long-time governor of the strategically important city and theme of Dyrrhachium.-Early life:...
, the doux of Dyrrhachium
Dyrrhachium (theme)
The Theme of Dyrrhachium was a Byzantine military-civilian province located in modern Albania, covering the Adriatic coast of the country...
by the Archbishop of Ochrid Theophylact. The council degenerated into a heated family quarrel, where John's father, the sebastokrator Isaac, accused Melissenos and Adrian Komnenos of slandering his son, but in the end Alexios dismissed the charges.
In the 1095 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...
, Melissenos, along with George Palaiologos and John Taronites were left in charge of defending the region of Berrhoe (modern Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
) against Cuman attacks. This is the last mention of Melissenos in 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...
's 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....
. He died on 17 November 1104.