Dalassenos ( el, Δαλασσηνός), feminine form Dalassene or Dalassena (Greek: Δαλασσηνή), was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

aristocratic family prominent in the 11th century.

Origins and rise to prominence

The family's name derives from their ancestral home, the city of Dalassa, modern Talas in eastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. The ethnic origin of the family is unknown; the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

historian

Nicholas Adontz Nicholas Adontz (, ''Nikoghayos Adonts’'', also spelled Adonts; ; January 10, 1871 – January 27, 1942) was an Armenian historian, specialist of Byzantine and Armenian studies, and philologist. Yuzbashyan, Karen. s.v. Adonts', Nikoghayos ...

identified them as Armenians, but their names are not

, and most scholars hesitate to accept Adontz's suggestion.. The first prominent member of the family was the ''

magistros The ''magister officiorum'' (Latin literally for "Master of Offices", in gr, μάγιστρος τῶν ὀφφικίων, magistros tōn offikiōn) was one of the most senior administrative officials in the Later Roman Empire and the early cent ...

Damian Dalassenos Damian Dalassenos ( el, Δαμιανός Δαλασσηνός; ca. 940 – 19 July 998) was a Byzantine aristocrat and the first known member of the Dalassenos noble family. He is known for his service as the military governor ('' doux'') of Antio ...

, who held the important post of '' doux'' of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

in 995/996–998.. His sons also reached senior offices: two of them,

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

and Theophylaktos, also occupied the post of ''doux'' of Antioch, while

Romanos Dalassenos Romanos Dalassenos was a Byzantine aristocrat and governor of the province of Iberia. Life Romanos was the son of Damian Dalassenos (killed 998), the first attested member of the distinguished Dalassenos aristocratic clan. He had two older brothe ...

was ''

katepano The ''katepánō'' ( el, κατεπάνω, lit. " he oneplaced at the top", or " the topmost") was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of th ...

'' of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. The East, and Antioch in particular, seem to have been the preserve and main power-base of the family during the first decades of the 11th century. Constantine in particular was a favourite of Emperor

Constantine VIII Constantine VIII Porphyrogenitus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Πορφυρογέννητος, ''Kōnstantinos Porphyrogénnetos''; 960 – 11/12 November 1028) was ''de jure'' Byzantine emperor from 962 until his death. He was the youn ...

(r. 1025–1028), who reportedly considered naming him his heir shortly before his death. Under

Romanos III Argyros Romanos III Argyros ( el, Ρωμανός Αργυρός; Latinized Romanus III Argyrus; 968 – 11 April 1034), or Argyropoulos was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople whe ...

(r. 1028–1034) the family remained loyal, at least outwardly. Constantine, however, is accused in some sources of having played a role in the failure of Romanos's campaign against Aleppo in 1030.. Constantine then emerged as the leader of the aristocratic opposition during the reigns of

Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael IV the Paphlagonian ( el, , ''Mikhaēl ho Paphlagōn''; c. 1010 – 10 December 1041) was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 1034 to his death on 10 December 1041. The son of a peasant, Michael worked as a money changer until he was fou ...

(r. 1034–1041) and

Michael V Michael V may refer to: * Michael V Kalaphates (1015–1042), Byzantine Emperor *Coptic Pope Michael V of Alexandria (fl. 1145–1146) * Michael V. (born 1969), Filipino actor and comedian {{hndis, Michael 05