Paul (father of Maurice)
Encyclopedia
Paul was the father of Maurice
, Byzantine Emperor. He served as head of the Byzantine Senate
.
, Maurice and his family could trace their lineage from "elder Rome
". The future Emperor had been born in Arabissus, Cappadocia
. The family's hometown was in the vicinity of modern Elbistan
. The town was relatively insignificant for centuries. Justinian I
had increased its importance, turning it to a recruiting centre and staging area
for his forces. It was part of a military route starting from Caesarea Mazaca (modern Kayseri
) and proceeding to Comana and Melitene
.
. It reports: "At the beginning of his reign, the king sent for his father, an old man named Paul, and his mother, and his brother, whose name was Peter
, and his two sisters, one of whom was a widow, and the other the wife of Philippicus
. ... And next he made his father head of the senate, and chief of all the patricians, and gave him and his son Peter, the king's brother, the entire property of the great patrician Marcellus
, brother of the late king Justin
, which was not much less than the royal demesne
s themselves, with his houses and landed estates, and gold and silver, and his wardrobe, and every thing that he had everywhere without exception.". And next he gave his father and mother another house near the church (of S. Sophia
) and his own palace. John continues to detail the honours bestowed by Maurice to his extended family, placing special focus on Domitian, Bishop of Malatya
. While mentioning Domitian as a kinsman of Maurice, John does not specify the exact relation of the Bishop to Maurice or to Paul. Theophanes the Confessor
records the death of Paul in 593.
In "Late antiquity: empire and successors, A.D. 425-600", Averil Cameron
, Bryan Ward-Perkins
, and Michael Whitby observe that Maurice's nepotism
in such appointments was probably unpopular with his contemporaries. He had just succeeded Tiberius II Constantine
whose generosity had exhausted the Byzantine treasury. In contrast, Maurice promoted policies intended to "amass and store away" money for the state by decreasing government spending
. The Byzantine army
experienced decreases in payment and reduced funding. Provoking several mutinies
by various forces. Maurice soon gained a reputation for avarice, ever roumored to sell public grain for gold. By 602, the population was openly accusing Maurice of orchestrating an ongoing famine
. In such a context, Maurice's obvious generosity to his own family was turning public opinion
against him.John of Nikiû
reports "Now Maurice, who became emperor in succession to the God-loving Tiberius was very avaricious,... [he] welcomed many false, turbulent persons owing to his greed for money. And he sold all the grain of Egypt and converted into gold, and likewise the grain for Byzantium (Constantinople
) he sold for gold." Theophylact Simocatta
and Theophanes the Confessor
report on the mob of Constantinople accusing Maurice of being a Marcianist. The reference being to a Christian sect which rejected alms
giving and apparently charity
in general.
The practice of bestowing titles and property to imperial relatives was rather common place by this point. Appointments to high-offices were also to be expected. It was part of the process of establishing a new dynasty. Justin II was only the latest emperor to have done so. Maurice, though, suffered in comparison to his immediate predecessor, Tiberius II Constantine, who had not spend lavishly to promote an extended clan to power. Though in this respect, Tiberius looked better by default. Primary sources do not mention him actually having many relatives.
(1610–1688) identified another sister of Maurice, mentioned in "Leimon" (Pratum spirituale, Spiritual Meadow) by Joannes Moschus
. She was Damiana, mother of Athenogenes, the bishop of Petra
in Arabia. She plays a significant part in various chapters.
The information on her family is included in the following lines: "Amma
(abbatissa
) Damiana, a solitary, the mother of Athenogenus [Athenogenes], the bishop of Petra". ... "Here is another story amma Damiana told us:One Good Friday
, before I was enclosed (as an anchoress), I went to (the church of) Saints Cosmas and Damian
and spent the whole night there. Late during the night an old woman from Phrygia
n Galatia
came in and gave everyone in the church two small coins (minuta). This was at the time when a niece of mine, and of the most faithful Emperor Mauritius [Maurice], had come to pray in the holy city and had stayed there for the whole year, and I had taken her with me to Saints Cosmas and Damian, so that we were in church together." The passage identifies Damiana having a niece in common with Maurice. Making it likely they were siblings.
"He told us that he had heard the following story being told by Athenogenus [Athenogenes], the bishop of Petra, the son of amma Damiana:My aunt (avia mea) Joanna had a brother called Adelphius, bishop of Arabessus." Avia in Latin
literally means grandmother, the mother of someone’s parent, not aunt. She herself was abbess of a monastery of women. This bishop went out one day to visit his sister in her monastery. As he went in to the courtyard (atrium) of the monastery he saw a sister possessed of a demon lying on the pavement. The bishop called out to his sister:"Doesn't it worry you that this sister is being troubled and besmirched like this? You surely must know that as abbess you have authority over all your sisters?" "What can I do against a demon?" she replied "What do you think you have been doing all these years?" replied the bishop, who then made a prayer and cleansed that sister of the demon. Since this Joanna was the grandmother of Athenogenes, du Cange identified her as the likely wife of Paul, mother of Damiana, Maurice and their siblings. There is some doubt on how old Joanna and Adelphius were supposed to be. Another tale by Moschus reports them having met John Chrysostom
(c. 347 - 407) in person, during a brief stay of his in Cucusus (modern Göksun
).
texts with no need of a translation to Greek
. A number of modern genealogies have speculated this Gordia could be a daughter of the widowed Theoctista, thus a granddaughter to Paul. The younger Theoctista could so be named after her maternal grandmother. Further speculation has the younger Theoctista and Christodorus as ancestors of Domnika, the wife of Bardanes Tourkos
and mother of Thekla
, a 9th-century Empress.
Little is actually known about this Domnika and less about her ancestry. "Byzantine women: varieties of experience 800-1200" (2006) has a passage about her, written by Judith Herrin
. The primary source about her is Theophanes Continuatus
. Domnica was a wealthy lady of Constantinople. In 803, Bardanes led a failed revolt against Nikephoros I Logothetes. He was allowed to live and enter a monastery. While part of their family property was confiscated, Domnica was allowed to maintain at least enough to found a new monastery and retire there. An unmarried daughter and several stepdaughters followed her unto monastic life. Her subsequent fate and that of her monastery is unknown. Her story was part of a pattern developing through the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm. "Women of the political elite" were often at risk of falling out of favour along with their relatives, ending up relegated to a monastery. As a security measure, many of them founded monastic communities which were to serve as their "private retirement homes" in time of need. Their enemies could then remove them from the political scene without actually killing them. It is unclear how many of these monasteries survived the death of their respective founder or her immediate relatives.
Maurice (emperor)
Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
, Byzantine Emperor. He served as head of the Byzantine Senate
Byzantine Senate
The Byzantine Senate or Eastern Roman Senate was the continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries but was increasingly irrelevant until its eventual disappearance in the 13th century....
.
Background
According to Evagrius ScholasticusEvagrius Scholasticus
Evagrius Scholasticus was a Syrian scholar and intellectual living in the 6th century AD, and an aide to the patriarch Gregory of Antioch. His surviving work, Ecclesiastical History, comprises a six-volume collection concerning the Church's history from the First Council of Ephesus to Maurice’s...
, Maurice and his family could trace their lineage from "elder Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
". The future Emperor had been born in Arabissus, Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
. The family's hometown was in the vicinity of modern Elbistan
Elbistan
Elbistan is a district in Kahramanmaraş Province in southern Turkey. Elbistan city center's population is 85,642 ....
. The town was relatively insignificant for centuries. Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
had increased its importance, turning it to a recruiting centre and staging area
Staging area
A staging area is a location where organisms, people, vehicles, equipment or material are assembled before use.- In construction :...
for his forces. It was part of a military route starting from Caesarea Mazaca (modern Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
) and proceeding to Comana and Melitene
Malatya
Malatya ) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
.
Career
The primary source about Paul is the "Ecclesiastical History" of John of EphesusJohn of Ephesus
John of Ephesus was a leader of the non-Chalcedonian Syriac-speaking Church in the sixth century, and one of the earliest and most important of historians who wrote in Syriac.-Life:...
. It reports: "At the beginning of his reign, the king sent for his father, an old man named Paul, and his mother, and his brother, whose name was Peter
Peter (curopalates)
Petrus |Cappadocia]] – 27 November 602 in Constantinople or Chalcedon) was a brother of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice, who reigned from 582 to 602.-Background:...
, and his two sisters, one of whom was a widow, and the other the wife of Philippicus
Philippicus (general)
Philippicus or Philippikos was an East Roman general, comes excubitorum, and brother-in-law of Emperor Maurice. His successful career as a general spanned several decades, chiefly against the Persians.- Under Maurice :...
. ... And next he made his father head of the senate, and chief of all the patricians, and gave him and his son Peter, the king's brother, the entire property of the great patrician Marcellus
Marcellus (brother of Justin II)
Marcellus was a brother of Byzantine emperor Justin II and general under his uncle, Justinian I .Marcellus was the son of Vigilantia, the sister of Justinian, and Dulcidio , and thus the brother of Justin II and Praejecta...
, brother of the late king Justin
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
, which was not much less than the royal demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
s themselves, with his houses and landed estates, and gold and silver, and his wardrobe, and every thing that he had everywhere without exception.". And next he gave his father and mother another house near the church (of S. Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
) and his own palace. John continues to detail the honours bestowed by Maurice to his extended family, placing special focus on Domitian, Bishop of Malatya
Malatya
Malatya ) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
. While mentioning Domitian as a kinsman of Maurice, John does not specify the exact relation of the Bishop to Maurice or to Paul. Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
records the death of Paul in 593.
In "Late antiquity: empire and successors, A.D. 425-600", Averil Cameron
Averil Cameron
Dame Averil Millicent Cameron, DBE, FBA is Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine History in the University of Oxford, and was formerly the Warden of Keble College, Oxford between 1994 and 2010....
, Bryan Ward-Perkins
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Bryan Ward-Perkins is an archaeologist and historian of the later Roman Empire and early Middle Ages, with a particular focus on the transitional period between those two eras, an historical sub-field also known as Late Antiquity. His published work has focused primarily on the urban and economic...
, and Michael Whitby observe that Maurice's nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
in such appointments was probably unpopular with his contemporaries. He had just succeeded Tiberius II Constantine
Tiberius II Constantine
Tiberius II Constantine was Byzantine Emperor from 574 to 582.During his reign, Tiberius II Constantine gave away 7,200 pounds of gold each year for four years....
whose generosity had exhausted the Byzantine treasury. In contrast, Maurice promoted policies intended to "amass and store away" money for the state by decreasing government spending
Government spending
Government spending includes all government consumption, investment but excludes transfer payments made by a state. Government acquisition of goods and services for current use to directly satisfy individual or collective needs of the members of the community is classed as government final...
. The Byzantine army
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...
experienced decreases in payment and reduced funding. Provoking several mutinies
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
by various forces. Maurice soon gained a reputation for avarice, ever roumored to sell public grain for gold. By 602, the population was openly accusing Maurice of orchestrating an ongoing famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
. In such a context, Maurice's obvious generosity to his own family was turning public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
against him.John of Nikiû
John of Nikiû
John of Nikiû was an Egyptian Coptic bishop of Nikiû/Pashati in the Nile Delta and appointed general administrator of the monasteries of Upper Egypt in 696...
reports "Now Maurice, who became emperor in succession to the God-loving Tiberius was very avaricious,... [he] welcomed many false, turbulent persons owing to his greed for money. And he sold all the grain of Egypt and converted into gold, and likewise the grain for Byzantium (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 sold for gold." Theophylact Simocatta
Theophylact Simocatta
Theophylact Simocatta was an early seventh-century Byzantine historiographer, arguably ranking as the last historian of Late Antiquity, writing in the time of Heraclius about the late Emperor Maurice .-Life:His history of the reign of emperor Maurice is in eight books...
and Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
report on the mob of Constantinople accusing Maurice of being a Marcianist. The reference being to a Christian sect which rejected alms
Alms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
giving and apparently charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
in general.
The practice of bestowing titles and property to imperial relatives was rather common place by this point. Appointments to high-offices were also to be expected. It was part of the process of establishing a new dynasty. Justin II was only the latest emperor to have done so. Maurice, though, suffered in comparison to his immediate predecessor, Tiberius II Constantine, who had not spend lavishly to promote an extended clan to power. Though in this respect, Tiberius looked better by default. Primary sources do not mention him actually having many relatives.
Family
Pauls seems to have married twice, though the names of his wives are unknown. John of Ephesus mentions him still married to Maurice's mother c. 582. Theophanes mentions Maurice celebrating the marriage of his father at a later point, presumably the second marriage. Paul had at least four known children- MauriceMaurice (emperor)Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
, Byzantine Emperor. - PeterPeter (curopalates)Petrus |Cappadocia]] – 27 November 602 in Constantinople or Chalcedon) was a brother of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice, who reigned from 582 to 602.-Background:...
. - Gordia. Wife of PhilippicusPhilippicus (general)Philippicus or Philippikos was an East Roman general, comes excubitorum, and brother-in-law of Emperor Maurice. His successful career as a general spanned several decades, chiefly against the Persians.- Under Maurice :...
. She reportedly constructed a monastery dedicated to Mammes of CaesareaMammes of CaesareaSaint Mammes of Caesarea ; is a semi-legendary child-martyr of the 3rd century. He was martyred at Caesarea. His parents, Theodotus and Rufina, were also martyred.-Life:...
. The report originates in the Patria of ConstantinoplePatria of ConstantinopleThe Patria of Constantinople , also known by the Latin name Scriptores originum Constantinopolitarum , is a Byzantine collection of historical works on the history and monuments of the Byzantine imperial capital of Constantinople .Although in the past attributed to the 14th-century writer George...
and may be somewhat inaccurate. The Prosopography of the Later Roman EmpireProsopography of the Later Roman EmpireProsopography of the Later Roman Empire is a set of three volumes collectively describing every person attested or claimed to have lived in the Roman world from AD 260, the date of the beginning of Gallienus' sole rule, to 641, the date of the death of Heraclius, which is commonly held to mark the...
considers it likelier that Gordia enlarged an older monastery of Saint Mammes, built by Pharasmanes. - Theoctista. Widowed prior to the elevation of Maurice to the throne in 582. A letter addressed to her, written by Pope Gregory IPope Gregory IPope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...
, survives.
Damiana
Charles du Fresne, sieur du CangeCharles du Fresne, sieur du Cange
Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange or Ducange was a distinguished philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium....
(1610–1688) identified another sister of Maurice, mentioned in "Leimon" (Pratum spirituale, Spiritual Meadow) by Joannes Moschus
Joannes Moschus
-Biography:He was born about 550 probably at Damascus. He was given the epithet "ὁ ἐγκρατής" . He lived successively with the monks at the monastery of St. Theodosius in Jerusalem, among the hermits in the Jordan Valley, and in the New Lavra of St...
. She was Damiana, mother of Athenogenes, the bishop of Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
in Arabia. She plays a significant part in various chapters.
The information on her family is included in the following lines: "Amma
Amma
Amma or AMMA may refer to:As acronym*Association of Malayalam Movie Artists*All Malaysia Malayalee Association*American Medical Marijuana AssociationPeople...
(abbatissa
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
) Damiana, a solitary, the mother of Athenogenus [Athenogenes], the bishop of Petra". ... "Here is another story amma Damiana told us:One Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, before I was enclosed (as an anchoress), I went to (the church of) Saints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, physicians, and early Christian martyrs born in Cilicia, part of today's Turkey. They practiced their profession in the seaport of Ayas, Adana, then in the Roman province of Syria...
and spent the whole night there. Late during the night an old woman from 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...
n 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...
came in and gave everyone in the church two small coins (minuta). This was at the time when a niece of mine, and of the most faithful Emperor Mauritius [Maurice], had come to pray in the holy city and had stayed there for the whole year, and I had taken her with me to Saints Cosmas and Damian, so that we were in church together." The passage identifies Damiana having a niece in common with Maurice. Making it likely they were siblings.
"He told us that he had heard the following story being told by Athenogenus [Athenogenes], the bishop of Petra, the son of amma Damiana:My aunt (avia mea) Joanna had a brother called Adelphius, bishop of Arabessus." Avia in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
literally means grandmother, the mother of someone’s parent, not aunt. She herself was abbess of a monastery of women. This bishop went out one day to visit his sister in her monastery. As he went in to the courtyard (atrium) of the monastery he saw a sister possessed of a demon lying on the pavement. The bishop called out to his sister:"Doesn't it worry you that this sister is being troubled and besmirched like this? You surely must know that as abbess you have authority over all your sisters?" "What can I do against a demon?" she replied "What do you think you have been doing all these years?" replied the bishop, who then made a prayer and cleansed that sister of the demon. Since this Joanna was the grandmother of Athenogenes, du Cange identified her as the likely wife of Paul, mother of Damiana, Maurice and their siblings. There is some doubt on how old Joanna and Adelphius were supposed to be. Another tale by Moschus reports them having met John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
(c. 347 - 407) in person, during a brief stay of his in Cucusus (modern Göksun
Göksun
Göksun is a town and district of Kahramanmaraş Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.- History :The town has an ancient history, first included in Cataonia, then in Cappadocia...
).
Possible descendants
The Prosopography notes that there is a 597 reference by Pope Gregory I of another Gordia in Constantinople, identified as wife of Marinus, mother of Theoctista and mother-in-law of Christodorus. The names "Gordia" and "Theoctista" common in the women of the two families might indicate a relation, though the Prosopography merely speculates on it. The Pope seems to have held this lady in some regard, calling her "excellentissima filia mea domna Gordia" (my excellent daughter mistress Gordia). He also points, this Gordia was among the few in Constantinople able to read his LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
texts with no need of a translation to Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. A number of modern genealogies have speculated this Gordia could be a daughter of the widowed Theoctista, thus a granddaughter to Paul. The younger Theoctista could so be named after her maternal grandmother. Further speculation has the younger Theoctista and Christodorus as ancestors of Domnika, the wife of Bardanes Tourkos
Bardanes Tourkos
Bardanes, nicknamed Tourkos, "the Turk" , was a Byzantine general of Armenian origin who launched an unsuccessful rebellion against Emperor Nikephoros I in 803. Although a major supporter of Byzantine empress Irene of Athens , soon after her overthrow he was appointed by Nikephoros as...
and mother of Thekla
Thekla, wife of Michael II
Thekla was the first Empress consort of Michael II of the Byzantine Empire.- Family :According to Theophanes the Confessor, Thekla was the daughter of an unnamed strategos of the Anatolic Theme, where Michael served. On this account, her father has been identified with the general and later rebel...
, a 9th-century Empress.
Little is actually known about this Domnika and less about her ancestry. "Byzantine women: varieties of experience 800-1200" (2006) has a passage about her, written by Judith Herrin
Judith Herrin
Judith Herrin is Emeritus Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies at King's College London. She studied history at the University of Cambridge and did her PhD at the University of Birmingham. She trained in Paris and Munich, worked as an archaeologist with the and on the site of...
. The primary source about her is Theophanes Continuatus
Theophanes Continuatus
Theophanes Continuatus or Scriptores post Theophanem is the Latin name commonly applied to a collection of historical writings preserved in the 11th-century Vat. gr. 167 manuscript. Its name derives from its role as the continuation, covering the years 813–961, of the chronicle of Theophanes the...
. Domnica was a wealthy lady of Constantinople. In 803, Bardanes led a failed revolt against Nikephoros I Logothetes. He was allowed to live and enter a monastery. While part of their family property was confiscated, Domnica was allowed to maintain at least enough to found a new monastery and retire there. An unmarried daughter and several stepdaughters followed her unto monastic life. Her subsequent fate and that of her monastery is unknown. Her story was part of a pattern developing through the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm. "Women of the political elite" were often at risk of falling out of favour along with their relatives, ending up relegated to a monastery. As a security measure, many of them founded monastic communities which were to serve as their "private retirement homes" in time of need. Their enemies could then remove them from the political scene without actually killing them. It is unclear how many of these monasteries survived the death of their respective founder or her immediate relatives.