Andronikos Doukas (general under Leo VI)
Encyclopedia
Andronikos Doukas or Doux was a Byzantine
general and rebel in the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise
(r. 886–912). The first member of the illustrious Doukas
line to achieve prominence as a successful general, his rivalry with the powerful eunuch
Samonas
led to his revolt and eventual defection to the Arabs in 906–907. He died in exile in Baghdad
.
family of whom we know some details. Possibly the son of the first recorded Doukas, an official active ca. 855, nothing is known of his origin and early life. Andronikos first appears in the sources in 904, when already a holder of the exalted title of patrikios and a general. Along with Eustathios Argyros, he campaigned against the Arabs and won a major victory over the combined forces of Mopsuestia
and Tarsos near Germanikeia in November or December 904. Alexander Vasiliev suggested that this campaign was possibly waged in retaliation of the Arab sack of Thessalonica
, the Empire's second-largest city, a few months earlier. Probably after his victory, he was raised to the rank of Domestic of the Schools
, i.e. commander-in-chief of the Empire's army.
In 906, he was ordered west to the Aegean
coast to join forces with the fleet under Himerios
, in order to confront a large Arab naval expedition. Andronikos however was reluctant to comply, fearing for his safety: he had received letters from Constantinople warning him that Himerios had been given orders to seize and blind him. In fact, the chroniclers relate, these letters had been sent through the machinations of Samonas
, Leo's influential Arab-born eunuch. Samonas bore a personal grudge against the Doukas family ever since Andronikos' son Constantine
had seized him during an attempted flight to his native lands a few years earlier. The repeated pleas of Himerios to join him only made Andronikos more suspicious, and he firmly refused to board the flagship. In the event, on 6 October Himerios with his own forces secured a major victory over the Arab fleet. At the news of this, Andronikos, having disobeyed the emperor's commands, withdrew east with his family and dependents and seized the fortress of Kaballa, near Iconium.
There he held out for some six months, while Leo sent the new Domestic of the Schools, Gregoras Iberitzes, a relative by marriage to the Doukai, to persuade him to surrender. However, when Andronikos heard the news of the deposition of his friend the Patriarch
Nicholas Mystikos
(February 907), on whom he had placed hopes for mediation, he resolved to flee and asked for aid from the Arabs. In mid-spring 907 an Arab force came to his aid and broke the leaguer around Kaballa. Escorted by the Arabs, Andronikos and his family crossed the border, coming first to Tarsus
and finally to the Abbasid
capital, Baghdad
. The flight of Andronikos Doukas represents a peculiar episode: several scholars, such as Vasiliev and R.J.H. Jenkins, consider it evidence of a real plot against Leo, which included the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos and perhaps also the admiral Eustathios. Others, such as D.I. Polemis and Shaun Tougher, reject this, explaining it in terms of the rivalry with the powerful Samonas, and regard Andronikos' actions to be purely defensive in character, in view of his untenable position after his refusal to cooperate with Himerios.
Despite Andronikos' defection – or because of it, considering that Leo of Tripoli
and Damian of Tyre, Byzantium's most dangerous opponents at the time, were Byzantine renegades – Leo was determined to retrieve him. Personal sympathies also played a role: it is evident that Leo was attached to his general, and even wrote a poem in lamentation of his defection. Consequently, the Emperor sent Andronikos a secret message guaranteeing a safe return, hidden inside a candle. Petronas however contrived for this to fall in the hands of the Caliph's vizier
, discrediting the general in the Arabs' eyes. Andronikos was then imprisoned in Baghdad
and forced to convert to Islam
. He probably died there soon after. His son Constantine however managed to escape Baghdad and return to Byzantium, where he was pardoned by Leo and entrusted with senior military commands.
The careers of both Andronikos and Constantine, who in 913 also mounted an unsuccessful bid for the throne that cost him his life, entered folk legend and provided the models for two personages in the epic poem Digenes Akritas.
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 rebel in the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, surnamed the Wise or the Philosopher , was Byzantine emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty , he was very well-read, leading to his surname...
(r. 886–912). The first member of the illustrious Doukas
Doukas
Doukas, latinized as Ducas , from the Latin tile dux , is the name of a Byzantine Greek noble family, whose branches provided several notable generals and rulers to the Byzantine Empire...
line to achieve prominence as a successful general, his rivalry with the powerful eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
Samonas
Samonas
Samonas was an Arab-born eunuch, who was captured by the Byzantines and became one of the most influential officials of the Byzantine Empire during the first decade of the 10th century.- Life :...
led to his revolt and eventual defection to the Arabs in 906–907. He died in exile in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Life
Andronikos Doukas is the first prominent member of the DoukasDoukas
Doukas, latinized as Ducas , from the Latin tile dux , is the name of a Byzantine Greek noble family, whose branches provided several notable generals and rulers to the Byzantine Empire...
family of whom we know some details. Possibly the son of the first recorded Doukas, an official active ca. 855, nothing is known of his origin and early life. Andronikos first appears in the sources in 904, when already a holder of the exalted title of patrikios and a general. Along with Eustathios Argyros, he campaigned against the Arabs and won a major victory over the combined forces of Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia , later Mamistra, is the ancient city of Cilicia Campestris on the Pyramus river located approximately 20 km east of ancient Antiochia in Cilicia .The founding of this city is attributed in legend to the soothsayer, Mopsus, who lived before the Trojan war, although...
and Tarsos near Germanikeia in November or December 904. Alexander Vasiliev suggested that this campaign was possibly waged in retaliation of the Arab sack of Thessalonica
Sack of Thessalonica (904)
The Sack of Thessalonica in 904 by Saracen pirates was one of the worst disasters to befall the Byzantine Empire in the 10th century. A Muslim fleet, led by the renegade Leo of Tripoli, and with the imperial capital of Constantinople as its initial target, sailed from Syria...
, the Empire's second-largest city, a few months earlier. Probably after his victory, he was raised to the rank of 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...
, i.e. commander-in-chief of the Empire's army.
In 906, he was ordered west to the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
coast to join forces with the fleet under Himerios
Himerios (admiral)
Himerios , also Himerius, was a Byzantine administrator and admiral of the early 10th century, best known as the commander of the Byzantine navy during its struggles with the resurgent Muslim navies in the period 900–912.-Life:...
, in order to confront a large Arab naval expedition. Andronikos however was reluctant to comply, fearing for his safety: he had received letters from Constantinople warning him that Himerios had been given orders to seize and blind him. In fact, the chroniclers relate, these letters had been sent through the machinations of Samonas
Samonas
Samonas was an Arab-born eunuch, who was captured by the Byzantines and became one of the most influential officials of the Byzantine Empire during the first decade of the 10th century.- Life :...
, Leo's influential Arab-born eunuch. Samonas bore a personal grudge against the Doukas family ever since Andronikos' son Constantine
Constantine Doukas (usurper)
Constantine Doukas was a prominent Byzantine general. In 904, he stopped the influential eunuch court official Samonas from defecting to the Arabs. In return, Samonas manipulated his father, Andronikos Doukas, into rebelling and fleeing to the Abbasid court in 906/907...
had seized him during an attempted flight to his native lands a few years earlier. The repeated pleas of Himerios to join him only made Andronikos more suspicious, and he firmly refused to board the flagship. In the event, on 6 October Himerios with his own forces secured a major victory over the Arab fleet. At the news of this, Andronikos, having disobeyed the emperor's commands, withdrew east with his family and dependents and seized the fortress of Kaballa, near Iconium.
There he held out for some six months, while Leo sent the new Domestic of the Schools, Gregoras Iberitzes, a relative by marriage to the Doukai, to persuade him to surrender. However, when Andronikos heard the news of the deposition of his friend the Patriarch
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
Nicholas Mystikos
Nicholas Mystikos
Nicholas I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from March 901 to February 906 and from May 912 to his death in 925. His feast day in the Orthodox Church is May 16.Nicholas was born in the Italian Peninsula and had become a friend of the Patriarch Photios...
(February 907), on whom he had placed hopes for mediation, he resolved to flee and asked for aid from the Arabs. In mid-spring 907 an Arab force came to his aid and broke the leaguer around Kaballa. Escorted by the Arabs, Andronikos and his family crossed the border, coming first to Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
and finally to the Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
capital, Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. The flight of Andronikos Doukas represents a peculiar episode: several scholars, such as Vasiliev and R.J.H. Jenkins, consider it evidence of a real plot against Leo, which included the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos and perhaps also the admiral Eustathios. Others, such as D.I. Polemis and Shaun Tougher, reject this, explaining it in terms of the rivalry with the powerful Samonas, and regard Andronikos' actions to be purely defensive in character, in view of his untenable position after his refusal to cooperate with Himerios.
Despite Andronikos' defection – or because of it, considering that Leo of Tripoli
Leo of Tripoli
Leo of Tripoli was a Greek renegade and pirate serving Arab interests in the early tenth century. Born in the Byzantine Empire to Christian parents, he later converted to Islam and took employment with his former captors as an admiral....
and Damian of Tyre, Byzantium's most dangerous opponents at the time, were Byzantine renegades – Leo was determined to retrieve him. Personal sympathies also played a role: it is evident that Leo was attached to his general, and even wrote a poem in lamentation of his defection. Consequently, the Emperor sent Andronikos a secret message guaranteeing a safe return, hidden inside a candle. Petronas however contrived for this to fall in the hands of the Caliph's vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
, discrediting the general in the Arabs' eyes. Andronikos was then imprisoned in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and forced to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He probably died there soon after. His son Constantine however managed to escape Baghdad and return to Byzantium, where he was pardoned by Leo and entrusted with senior military commands.
The careers of both Andronikos and Constantine, who in 913 also mounted an unsuccessful bid for the throne that cost him his life, entered folk legend and provided the models for two personages in the epic poem Digenes Akritas.