Tarchaneiotes
Encyclopedia
Tarchaneiotes feminine form Tarchaneiotissa (Ταρχανειώτισσα) was the name of a Byzantine
aristocratic family from Adrianople, active from the late 10th to the 14th century, mostly as military commanders.
The ethnic origin of the family is unknown. It has been suggested that their name derives from Mongol targan, "smith", and various authors have suggested a Turkic
, Georgian
, or Bulgarian
origin, but no hypothesis can be conclusively proven. The family first appear with Gregory Tarchaneiotes
, catepan of Italy in 998–1006. Other members of the family occupied high military posts in the course of the 11th century. In the conflict between the Anatolia
n military aristocracy and the Constantinopolitan
civil bureaucracy, the Tarchaneiotai sided with the latter. As a result they were distrusted by the Komnenoi after 1081 and lost in prominence in the 12th century. They regained their position in the Empire of Nicaea
, where Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes
long served as megas domestikos (commander-in-chief of the army). He and his sons became closely connected to the Palaiologos
dynasty through ties of marriage.
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...
aristocratic family from Adrianople, active from the late 10th to the 14th century, mostly as military commanders.
The ethnic origin of the family is unknown. It has been suggested that their name derives from Mongol targan, "smith", and various authors have suggested a Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
, Georgian
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
, or Bulgarian
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:...
origin, but no hypothesis can be conclusively proven. The family first appear with Gregory Tarchaneiotes
Gregory Tarchaneiotes
Gregory Tarchaneiotes was a protospatharius and the long-reigning catepan of Italy from 998 to 1006. In December 999, and again on February 2, 1002, he reinstituted and confirmed the possessions of the abbey and monks of Monte Cassino in Ascoli. In 1004, he fortified and expanded the castle of...
, catepan of Italy in 998–1006. Other members of the family occupied high military posts in the course of the 11th century. In the conflict between 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 and the Constantinopolitan
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:...
civil bureaucracy, the Tarchaneiotai sided with the latter. As a result they were distrusted by the Komnenoi after 1081 and lost in prominence in the 12th century. They regained their position in the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
, where Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes
Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes
- Life :Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes was a scion of the Tarchaneiotes family, who were prominent members of the Byzantine military aristocracy since the late 10th century. Nikephoros first appears in the reign of John III Vatatzes, who named him his epi tes trapezes and in 1237 gave him command of the...
long served as megas domestikos (commander-in-chief of the army). He and his sons became closely connected to the Palaiologos
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
dynasty through ties of marriage.
Notable members
- Andronikos Tarchaneiotes, son of Nikephoros, megas konostaulos
- Basil Tarchaneiotes, stratelatesStratelatesStratēlatēs was a Greek term designating a general, which also became a honorary dignity in the Byzantine Empire. In the former sense, it was often applied to military saints, such as Theodore Stratelates....
of the West in ca. 1057 - Constantine Tarchaneiotes, admiral in 1352
- Gregory TarchaneiotesGregory TarchaneiotesGregory Tarchaneiotes was a protospatharius and the long-reigning catepan of Italy from 998 to 1006. In December 999, and again on February 2, 1002, he reinstituted and confirmed the possessions of the abbey and monks of Monte Cassino in Ascoli. In 1004, he fortified and expanded the castle of...
, first catepan of Italy in 998–1006 - John Tarchaneiotes, protosProtos (monastic office)The protos is a monastic office at the Eastern Orthodox monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece.-Authority:The office is assumed by a monk who is elected among the members of the Iera Epistasia which functions as the executive committee of the Iera Koinotita — the governing body of Athos...
of the monastic community of Mount AthosMount AthosMount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
in the early 12th century - Michael TarchaneiotesMichael TarchaneiotesMichael Tarchaneiotes was a Byzantine aristocrat and general, active against the Turks and in the Balkans from 1278 until his death from disease in 1284.- Life :...
(died 1284), son of Nikephoros, megas domestikos from 1278 until his death, defeated the AngevinsCapetian House of AnjouThe Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
at BeratSiege of Berat (1280–1281)The Siege of Berat in Albania by the forces of the Angevin Kingdom of Sicily against the Byzantine garrison of the city took place in 1280–1281. Berat was a strategically important fortress, whose possession would allow the Angevins access to the heartlands of the Byzantine Empire... - Nikephoros TarchaneiotesNikephoros Tarchaneiotes- Life :Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes was a scion of the Tarchaneiotes family, who were prominent members of the Byzantine military aristocracy since the late 10th century. Nikephoros first appears in the reign of John III Vatatzes, who named him his epi tes trapezes and in 1237 gave him command of the...
(died before 1266), megas domestikos of the Empire of NicaeaEmpire of NicaeaThe Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
, married to Maria, the sister of Michael VIII PalaiologosMichael VIII PalaiologosMichael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
(r. 1259–1282) - Joseph TarchaneiotesJoseph TarchaneiotesJoseph Tarchaneiotes was a Byzantine general, primarily known for his lack of participation in the decisive Battle of Manzikert .An experienced general, Joseph was second in command of the Byzantine operation against Manzikert, with some 30-40,000 soldiers under his command. Tarchaneiotes'...
(died 1074), general who played a dubious role in the Battle of ManzikertBattle of ManzikertThe Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
, later douxDuxDux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
of AntiochAntiochAntioch 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... - Michael Doukas Glabas TarchaneiotesMichael Doukas Glabas TarchaneiotesMichael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes or Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas was a notable Byzantine aristocrat and general.- Life :He is first mentioned in ca. 1260, when he was assigned to capture the city of Mesembria on the Black Sea coast from the deposed Bulgarian tsar Mitso Asen...
(ca. 1235 – after 1304), protostratorProtostratorPrōtostratōr 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...
and one of the most distinguished Byzantine generals of the late 13th century