Nicephorus Xiphias
Encyclopedia
Nikephoros Xiphias was a Byzantine
military commander during the reign of Emperor Basil II
. He was the governor of Plovdiv
in Thrace
. In 1001 he led a successful Byzantine campaign in north-eastern Bulgaria
and captured the old Bulgarian capitals Pliska
and Preslav
.
In 1014 he was among the Byzantine commanders during the battle of Kleidion
. The Bulgarians
under Emperor Samuil
had built a thick wooden wall to prevent further enemy invasions. When the Byzantines were desperate after the heavy casualties they suffered in the futile attempts to assault the wall, Xiphias and his troops managed to find a path which led them into the Bulgarians' rear. As a result the Byzantines achieved a major victory, which brought the end of the First Bulgarian Empire
four years later. In 1022, he allied himself with Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos and revolted against Basil II
. The rebellion quickly proved abortive as Xiphias had Phokas assassinated, whereupon the latter's supporters abandoned the rebellion. Xiphias was then forced to surrender to the emperor. He was tonsure
d and banished, while his estate was confiscated.
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...
military commander during the reign of 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...
. He was the governor of Plovdiv
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...
in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. In 1001 he led a successful Byzantine campaign in north-eastern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and captured the old Bulgarian capitals Pliska
Pliska
Pliska is the name of both the first capital of Danubian Bulgaria and a small town which was renamed after the historical Pliska after its site was determined and excavations began....
and Preslav
Preslav
Preslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
.
In 1014 he was among the Byzantine commanders during the battle of Kleidion
Battle of Kleidion
The Battle of Kleidion took place on July 29, 1014 between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire...
. 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:...
under Emperor Samuil
Samuil of Bulgaria
Samuel was the Emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014. From 980 to 997, he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria, the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria, and co-ruled with him, as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal...
had built a thick wooden wall to prevent further enemy invasions. When the Byzantines were desperate after the heavy casualties they suffered in the futile attempts to assault the wall, Xiphias and his troops managed to find a path which led them into the Bulgarians' rear. As a result the Byzantines achieved a major victory, which brought the end of the First Bulgarian Empire
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...
four years later. In 1022, he allied himself with Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos and revolted against 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...
. The rebellion quickly proved abortive as Xiphias had Phokas assassinated, whereupon the latter's supporters abandoned the rebellion. Xiphias was then forced to surrender to the emperor. He was tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
d and banished, while his estate was confiscated.