Constantine Choirosphaktes ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Χοιροσφάκτης) was a Byzantine

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and official active during the reigns of Nikephoros III Botaneiates (r. 1078–1081) and Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118).

Biography

Constantine Choirosphaktes first appears in 1078, bearing the rank of ''

proedros ''Proedros'' ( el, πρόεδρος, "president") was a senior Byzantine court and ecclesiastic title in the 10th to mid-12th centuries. The female form of the title is ''proedrissa'' (προέδρισσα). Court dignity The title was created in ...

'', when he was sent by Botaneiates to negotiate with the rebel general Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder. After the coming to power of Alexios Komnenos in June 1081, Constantine, now a '' protoproedros'', was sent as ambassador to the German emperor Henry IV (r. 1084–1105), bearing proposals for an alliance between the two powers.. In 1082, Constantine participated in the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

that condemned John Italos. At the time, he held the office of '' protonotarios'' of the ''

dromos Dromos may refer to: * ''Cursus publicus'', the public road system of the Roman and Byzantine empires * Dromos, in architecture, an entrance passage or avenue leading to a building * Dromoi Dromoi (Greek: δρόμοι "ways"; singular: δρόμο ...

''. A few years later, in 1088, he is evidenced in a

chrysobull A golden bull or chrysobull was a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, most notably by the Holy Roman Emperors. The term was originally coined for the golden seal (a ''bull ...

as ''protoproedros'' and holder of the important post of '' epi ton deeseon'', i.e. "receiver of petitions" addressed to the Byzantine emperor. In 1094, he participated in another synod, which condemned

Leo of Chalcedon Leo of Chalcedon was an 11th-century Eastern Orthodox bishop of Chalcedon who opposed the appropriation of church treasures by Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos between 1081 and 1091. Alexios I was in a desperate situation upon ascending the thr ...

; on this occasion, he is recorded as holding the rank of '' kouropalates''.. From a seal, it is known that Constantine also held the office of governor, or '' praetor'', of the combined themes of

Hellas Hellas may refer to: Places in Greece *Ἑλλάς (''Ellás''), genitive Ἑλλάδος (''Elládos''), an ancient Greek toponym used to refer to: ** Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country i ...

( Central Greece and Thessaly) and the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

, but the exact date of his tenure is unknown. Basile Skoulatos hypothesized that this was between 1094 and 1105.. The historian

Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger Nikephoros Bryennios (or Nicephorus Bryennius; Greek: Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος, ''Nikēphoros Bryennios; ''1062–1137) was a Byzantine general, statesman and historian. He was born at Orestias (Adrianople) in the theme of Macedonia.D ...

calls him a "prudent and cultivated man, and gifted with all the qualities of a wise politician", while hagiographic sources praise his piety.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Choirosphaktes, Constantine 11th-century births 12th-century deaths 11th-century Byzantine people Byzantine diplomats Byzantine governors of Hellas Byzantine governors of the Peloponnese Officials of Alexios I Komnenos 11th-century diplomats Byzantine Empire–Holy Roman Empire relations