Eustathios Argyros ( el, Εὐστάθιος Ἀργυρός; died ca. 910) 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 ...
aristocrat and one of the most prominent generals under Emperor
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, called the Wise ( gr, Λέων ὁ Σοφός, Léōn ho Sophós, 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well r ...
(r. 886–912). The first member of the
Argyros family
Argyros (, derived from , "silver"), feminine Argyre (), Latinized as Argyrus and Argyra, was the name of a prominent aristocratic family of Roman Emperors of the Byzantine Empire active from the middle of the 9th century until the very end of t ...
to rise to high posts, he fought with distinction against the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
in the east, before being disgraced ca. 907, possibly in connection with the flight of
Andronikos Doukas to the Arabs. Rehabilitated soon after, he was appointed as ''
strategos
''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...
'' of
Charsianon
Charsianon ( el, Χαρσιανόν) was the name of a Byzantine fortress and the corresponding theme (a military-civilian province) in the region of Cappadocia in central Anatolia (modern Turkey).
History
The fortress of Charsianon (Greek: Χαρ ...
, from which post he oversaw the settlement of
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 ...
lords as march-wardens along the Empire's eastern frontier. Promoted to commander of the
imperial bodyguard
Kebur Zabagna or Zebenya ( am, ክቡር ዘበኛ, kəbur zãbãňňya, lit=honorable guard) was the Ethiopian imperial guard. Also known as the First Division, this unit served the dual purposes of providing security for the Emperor of Ethiopi ...
in late 908, he again fell into disgrace shortly after and died of poison (apparently a suicide) on his way to his estates.
Life
Eustathios Argyros was the son of the ''
tourmarches
A ''turma'' (Latin for "swarm, squadron", plural ''turmae''), (Greek: τούρμα) was a cavalry unit in the Roman army of the Republic and Empire. In the Byzantine Empire, it became applied to the larger, regiment-sized military-administrative di ...
''
Leo Argyros, the founder of the noble
Argyros family
Argyros (, derived from , "silver"), feminine Argyre (), Latinized as Argyrus and Argyra, was the name of a prominent aristocratic family of Roman Emperors of the Byzantine Empire active from the middle of the 9th century until the very end of t ...
.
Nothing is known of his life or prior to the turn of the 10th century, although he may have been in imperial service as early as 866, when a man of the same name is recorded as ''
protostrator
''Prōtostratōr'' ( el, πρωτοστράτωρ) was a Byzantine court office, originating as the imperial stable master. Its proximity to the imperial person led to a highly visible role in imperial ceremonies, and served as a springboard for ...
'' of the ''
Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...
''
Bardas
Bardas ( el, Βάρδας; died 21 April 866) was a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine noble and high-ranking minister. As the brother of Empress Theodora (wife of Theophilos), Theodora, he rose to high office under Theophilos (emperor), Theophilos (. ...
in connection with the latter's murder on 21 April. The Byzantine historians praise Eustathios Argyros as an intelligent, valiant, prudent and just man, and account him, along with
Andronikos Doukas, as the best of Leo VI's generals. The historians Jean-Claude Cheynet and Jean-François Vannier, experts on Byzantine prosopography, consider him "the true founder of the family's glory".
![Arab-Byzantine frontier zone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Arab-Byzantine_frontier_zone.svg)
Although he is sometimes identified with an admiral active in ca. 902–904 (see
below), his life is only securely attested after 904. At this time, evidently after a succession of—unknown—military commands, Eustathios had reached, according to ''
Theophanes Continuatus
''Theophanes Continuatus'' ( el, συνεχισταί Θεοφάνους) or ''Scriptores post Theophanem'' (, "those after Theophanes") is the Latin name commonly applied to a collection of historical writings preserved in the 11th-century Vat. g ...
'', the rank of ''
patrikios
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
'' and ''
hypostrategos
''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek to mean military general. In the Hellenist ...
'' of the
Anatolic Theme. The significance of the term "''hypostrategos''" has been debated; normally it would designate the second-in-command to the ''
strategos
''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...
'' or military governor of a
theme
Theme or themes may refer to:
* Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work
* Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos
* Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...
, but Vannier suggested that on account of his high title of ''patrikios'', Argyros was actually the ''strategos''. ''Theophanes Continuatus'' further extols Argyros and mentions that he scored several successes against the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
in the east, most likely a reference to the great Byzantine victory over the Arabs of
Tarsus and
Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia and Mopsuhestia ( grc, Μοψουεστία and Μόψου ἑστία, Mopsou(h)estia and Μόψου ''Mopsou'' and Μόψου πόλις and Μόψος; Byzantine Greek: ''Mamista'', ''Manistra'', ''Mampsista''; Arabic: ''al-Maṣ ...
at
Germanikeia
Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ), officially Kahramanmaraş () and historically Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş Province. Before 1973, Kahrama ...
in December 904, under the overall command of Andronikos Doukas. He then fell into disgrace and was exiled. Although no details or reasons are offered for his exile, this has been interpreted by modern scholars as being connected to the failed rebellion and flight of Andronikos Doukas to the Arabs in 906–907. Eustathios was rehabilitated soon after; if indeed his disgrace was related to the flight of Andronikos Doukas, this happened likely in 907/8, when Andronikos Doukas' son
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 ...
escaped from his Arab exile and returned to Constantinople, where he was pardoned by Emperor Leo.
Eustathios was then appointed as ''strategos'' of the border theme of
Charsianon
Charsianon ( el, Χαρσιανόν) was the name of a Byzantine fortress and the corresponding theme (a military-civilian province) in the region of Cappadocia in central Anatolia (modern Turkey).
History
The fortress of Charsianon (Greek: Χαρ ...
, a position notably inferior in rank to that of the Anatolics that he had held previously. The Argyros family, however, had strong connections with Charsianon, from which it hailed. There he received the return to imperial service of a number of
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 ...
lords,
Melias
Melias ( el, Μελίας) or Mleh ( hy, Մլեհ, often ''Mleh-mec'', "Mleh the Great" in Armenian sources) was an Armenian prince who entered Byzantine service and became a distinguished general, founding the theme of Lykandos and participating ...
, the three brothers Baasakios, Krigorikios and Pazounes, and Ismael, who were established as march-wardens along the Empire's eastern border. Of them, Melias in particular would go on to become the founder of the theme of
Lykandos
Lykandos or Lycandus ( el, Λυκανδός), known as Djahan in Armenian, was the name of a Byzantine fortress and military-civilian province (or " theme"), known as the Theme of Lykandos (θέμα Λυκανδοῦ), in the 10th–11th centuries. ...
and one of the main Byzantine leaders in the wars against the Arabs over the next 30 years.
In late 908 Eustathios Argyros was promoted to the rank of ''
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 ...
''—the highest court dignity open to someone not a member of the imperial family—and the post of
Drungary of the Watch
The ''Droungarios'' of the Watch ( el, δρουγγάριος τῆς βίγλης/βίγλας, ''droungarios tēs viglēs/viglas''), sometimes anglicized as "Drungary of the Watch", was originally a senior Byzantine military post. Attested since ...
, i.e. commander of the
imperial bodyguard
Kebur Zabagna or Zebenya ( am, ክቡር ዘበኛ, kəbur zãbãňňya, lit=honorable guard) was the Ethiopian imperial guard. Also known as the First Division, this unit served the dual purposes of providing security for the Emperor of Ethiopi ...
, and replaced as ''strategos'' of Charsianon by Constantine Doukas. About a year later, he fell again under Leo's suspicion, and was ordered to return to his family's estates at Charsianon. Again the reason is unknown; perhaps, according to Cheynet and Vannier, it was a result of the unreliability of the Armenian lords he had welcomed into the Empire, who frequently went over to the Arabs. On the way, he died after taking poison by one of his servants, and was buried on Spynin, the summit of Mount Aran. While historian
Romilly James Heald Jenkins
Romilly James Heald Jenkins (1907 – 30 September 1969) was a British scholar in Byzantine and Modern Greek studies. He occupied the prestigious seat of ''Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature'' at King's ...
has suggested that Argyros' poisoning was done through an agent of the powerful and scheming court eunuch
Samonas
Samonas ( el, , 875 – after 908) 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.
Biography
Samonas was born in c ...
, it more likely was suicide. His two sons,
Pothos and
Leo, who served in the palace as
manglabites
The Manglabites or Manglavites ( el, μαγ αβίται, ''manglabitai''; sing. μαγ αβίτης, ''manglabitēs'') were a corps of bodyguards in the Byzantine Empire.
Etymology
Their name derives from the term ''manglabion'' (μαγγλά ...
(personal bodyguards of the emperor), arranged to have their father's body transferred for burial to the monastery of Saint Elizabeth in the Charsianon district, founded by Eustathios' father.
Family
Eustathios' sons Pothos and Leo would go on to hold senior military commands, including the post of
Domestic of the Schools
The office of the Domestic of the Schools ( gr, δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν, domestikos tōn scholōn) was a senior military post of the Byzantine Empire, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally ...
(commander-in-chief). Another son, Romanos, is known only from his participation in the
Battle of Achelous in 917. Leo Argyros married a daughter of Emperor
Romanos I Lekapenos
Romanos I Lekapenos ( el, Ρωμανός Λεκαπηνός; 870 – 15 June 948), Latinized as Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for the infant Constantine VII.
Origin
Romanos ...
(r. 920–944), and was probably the grandfather or great-grandfather of Emperor
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).
Identity
Some modern scholars like R. J. H. Jenkins (''The 'Flight' of Samonas''),
R. H. Dolley (''The Lord High Admiral Eustathios Argyros and the betrayal of Taormina to the African Arabs in 902'') and
Ekkehard Eickhoff Ekkehard (and Eckardt, Eckard, Eckart, Eckhardt, Ekkehart) is a German given name. It is composed of the elements ''ekke'' "edge, blade; sword" and ''hart'' "brave; hardy". Variant forms include Eckard, Eckhard, Eckhart, Eckart.
The Anglo-Saxon fo ...
(''Seekrieg und Seepolitik zwischen Islam und Abendland'') consider Eustathios Argyros to have been identical with the contemporary admiral
Eustathios, active in the years before 904, mainly due to the reference by the 11th-century historian
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes, la, Johannes, label=none, la, Iōannēs, label=none Scylitzes ( el, Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, ''Iōánnēs Skylítzēs'', or el, Σκυλίτση, ''Skylítsē'', label=none ; la, ...
that Argyros pursued a career in the army as well as in the fleet. This identification is rejected by other scholars like
J.-F. Vannier (''Familles byzantines: les Argyroi (IXe–XIIe siècles)'') and
R. Guilland (''Recherches sur les institutions byzantines''). Furthermore, the admiral is given the surname "Argyros" in some modern works that distinguish him from the general, while others reject the surname entirely. According to the ''
Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit
The Prosopography of the Byzantine World (PBW) is a project to create a prosopographical database of individuals named in textual sources in the Byzantine Empire and surrounding areas in the period from 642 to 1265. The project is a collaboration b ...
'', "a definitive decision can no longer be made", and the main argument for the two being different persons is the incompatibility of their careers: the admiral Eustathios likewise experienced a tumultuous career with accusations of treason, rehabilitation, and renewed disgrace, and it is unlikely that such a man would again be entrusted with senior posts.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argyros, Eustathios
9th-century births
910 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain
10th-century Byzantine people
Byzantine generals
Patricii
Eustathios
Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
Deaths by poisoning
Magistroi
Protostratores
Governors of the Anatolic Theme