Niketas (son of Artabasdos)
Encyclopedia
Niketas was the eldest son of the Byzantine
general and usurper Artabasdos
(r. 741–743). He served as a general during his father's usurpation against Constantine V
(r. 741–775).
He was the eldest son of Artabasdos. His mother may have been Anna
, but it is not certain: Paul Speck hypothesized that he descended from an earlier marriage, since Artabasdos named his younger brother Nikephoros, and not him, as co-emperor. According to the hagiography
of Michael Synkellos, there were further seven siblings, whose names are not mentioned.
After Artabasdos ascended the imperial throne in 741, Niketas was named strategos
of the Armeniac Theme
(some sources call him monostrategos, "commander-in-chief"). In August 742 or 743 however he was defeated in the Battle of Modrine by the forces of Constantine V. Niketas fled the field, but regrouped his scattered army and resumed the pursuit of Constantine up to Chrysopolis. Defeated once again by Constantine at a battle near Nicomedia
, he was captured and imprisoned. After Constantine regained Constantinople
and overthrew Artabasdos in November 743, Niketas was blinded
along with his father and Nikephoros and paraded through the Hippodrome of Constantinople
.
Nothing is known of him thereafter with certainty; the hagiography of Michael Synkellos records that the deposed imperial family was confined in the Chora Monastery, where Niketas died and was buried, but this is most probably later invention.
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 usurper Artabasdos
Artabasdos
Artavasdos, Latinized as Artabasdos or Artabasdus , was Byzantine Emperor of Armenian descent from June 741 or 742 until November 743...
(r. 741–743). He served as a general during his father's usurpation against Constantine V
Constantine V
Constantine V was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775; ); .-Early life:...
(r. 741–775).
He was the eldest son of Artabasdos. His mother may have been Anna
Anna, wife of Artabasdos
Anna was the wife of Artabasdos, one of two rival Byzantine Emperors in a civil war which lasted from June, 741 to November, 743. The other Emperor was her brother, Constantine V.-Family:...
, but it is not certain: Paul Speck hypothesized that he descended from an earlier marriage, since Artabasdos named his younger brother Nikephoros, and not him, as co-emperor. According to the hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of Michael Synkellos, there were further seven siblings, whose names are not mentioned.
After Artabasdos ascended the imperial throne in 741, Niketas was named 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 Armeniac Theme
Armeniac Theme
The Armeniac Theme , more properly the Theme of the Armeniacs was a Byzantine theme located in northeastern Asia Minor .-History:...
(some sources call him monostrategos, "commander-in-chief"). In August 742 or 743 however he was defeated in the Battle of Modrine by the forces of Constantine V. Niketas fled the field, but regrouped his scattered army and resumed the pursuit of Constantine up to Chrysopolis. Defeated once again by Constantine at a battle near Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
, he was captured and imprisoned. After Constantine regained 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:...
and overthrew Artabasdos in November 743, Niketas was blinded
Political mutilation in Byzantine culture
Mutilation in the Byzantine Empire was a common method of punishment for criminals of the era but it also had a role in the Empire's political life. The mutilation of political rivals by the Emperor was deemed an effective way of sidelining from the line of succession a person who was seen as a...
along with his father and Nikephoros and paraded through the Hippodrome of Constantinople
Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving...
.
Nothing is known of him thereafter with certainty; the hagiography of Michael Synkellos records that the deposed imperial family was confined in the Chora Monastery, where Niketas died and was buried, but this is most probably later invention.