Ioannes Kegen was a Pecheneg military commander who served under khan Tyrach in 1048, whose quarrel led to the Pecheneg revolt of 1048-1053. Kegen and his followers took refuge in

Paristrion Paristrion ( el, Παρίστριον, lit=beside the Ister), or Paradounabon/Paradounabis (), which is preferred in official documents, was a Byzantine province covering the southern bank of the Lower Danube (Moesia Inferior) in the 11th and 12t ...

and appealed to Byzantine emperor

Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos ( grc-x-medieval, Κωνσταντῖνος Μονομάχος, translit=Kōnstantinos IX Monomachos; 1004 – 11 January 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita ...

for help. He appeal was warmly accepted, resulting in his being named patrician, converting to Christianity and his tribe recognized as

foederati ''Foederati'' (, singular: ''foederatus'' ) were peoples and cities bound by a treaty, known as ''foedus'', with Rome. During the Roman Republic, the term identified the ''socii'', but during the Roman Empire, it was used to describe foreign stat ...

. Kegen’s was to protect a sector of the empire from invasion, but continued to harass Tyrach. Tyrach responded by a massive invasion of Byzantium, but, once defeated, was allowed keep his army to aid in defending the empire against

Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (di ...

incursions. Tyrach instead turned to rebellion and was arrested. Kegen was sent to replace him, but upon rumors of insurrection, he was also arrested. The emperor again turned to Tyrach to lead the Pecheneg, but instead rebelled and was defeated at a decisive battle at

Adrianople Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...

in 1050. Kegen was sent by the emperor as an emissary to the Pecheneg, but was killed as a traitor. Emperor Constantine IX

References

* Kaldellis, Anthony,
Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade
'. (Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017, pp. 193, 199-200 * {{Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, pages=1118-1119, 1613–1614 Pechenegs 1050 deaths