Krinites or Krenites Arotras ( el, Κρινίτης or Κρηνίτης Ἀροτρᾶς) 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 military governor in southern

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. He is most notable for suppressing a Slavic revolt in the Peloponnese in 921/22.

Origin and appointment to the Peloponnese

Arotras was a scion of the Krenites family, an aristocratic clan present in Byzantium since the early 9th century. Peter Charanis speculates that the family was 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 ...

origin, however his methods of identifying Armenians in the

Byzantine Empire 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 ...

are questionable, and have been criticized by historians such as

Anthony Kaldellis Anthony Kaldellis ( gr, Αντώνιος Καλδέλλης; born 29 November 1971) is a Greek historian who is Professor and a faculty member of the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is a specialist in Greek historiograph ...

who are hesitant to accept them. Nevertheless, in early 921 or 922 (earlier scholars dated this event to ), when he held the rank of ''

protospatharios ''Prōtospatharios'' ( el, πρωτοσπαθάριος) was one of the highest court dignities of the middle Byzantine period (8th to 12th centuries), awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes. History Th ...

'', he was appointed as military governor ('' strategos'') of the

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 ...

of the Peloponnese and tasked with suppressing the revolt of the Slavic tribes of the

Melingoi The Melingoi or Milingoi ( el, Μηλιγγοί) were a Slavic tribe that settled in the Peloponnese in southern Greece during the Middle Ages. In the early decades of the 7th century, Slavic tribes (Sclaveni) settled throughout the Balkans follow ...

and

Ezeritai The Ezeritai ( el, ) were a Slavic tribe that settled in the Peloponnese in southern Greece during the Middle Ages. In the early decades of the 7th century, Slavic tribes (Sclaveni) settled throughout the Balkans following the collapse of the By ...

. The two tribes had rebelled in the past, in 840–42, and after their defeat by Theoktistos Bryennios had been obliged to pay an annual tribute of 60 and 300 gold ''

solidi The ''solidus'' (Latin 'solid'; ''solidi'') or nomisma ( grc-gre, νόμισμα, ''nómisma'', 'coin') was a highly pure gold coin issued in the Late Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. Constantine introduced the coin, and its weig ...

'' respectively. In , they began to disobey the commands of the ''strategos'' John Proteuon, refusing to accept the rulers (" archons") he chose for them and to be conscripted for overseas service in southern Italy against an ongoing Lombard rebellion. According to the account of Emperor

Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe K ...

() in his '' De administrando imperio'', Arotras began his campaign against them in March, burning and plundering their lands around

Mount Taygetos The Taygetus, Taugetus, Taygetos or Taÿgetus ( el, Ταΰγετος, Taygetos) is a mountain range on the Peloponnese peninsula in Southern Greece. The highest mountain of the range is Mount Taygetus, also known as "Profitis Ilias", or "Prophet ...

until November. The two tribes submitted again, and were condemned to pay an increased tribute of 600 ''solidi''. Arotras was transferred (late 922 or early 923) to the neighbouring theme of Hellas and was replaced by Bardas Platypodes. Under Platypodes, strife in the Peloponnese resumed as he quarrelled with the local nobility, while another revolt by Slavic troops in the Peloponnese followed soon after, which the Melingoi and Ezeritai exploited in getting their tribute reduced to the previous amounts.

Possible identifications

Two 10th-century seals mentioning the "imperial ''

'' and ''strategos'' of the Peloponnese Krenites" are known and probably belong to him. He has also been identified by some with a person of the same name, mentioned in the hagiography of Saint Luke of Steiris. This Krenites served as ''strategos'' of Hellas from until 952/955, before going on to serve as ''strategos'' of the Peloponnese. Most scholars, however, believe the two to be separate persons. Some scholars, like Steven Runciman, also equated him with another Krenites, who was used by 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) in diplomatic missions to the

Armenian princes 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 ...

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{cite book, last=Runciman, first=Steven, authorlink=Steven Runciman, title=The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium, location=Cambridge, publisher=Cambridge University Press, year=1988, origyear=1929, isbn=0-521-35722-5, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XHVzWN6gqxQC 10th-century Byzantine people Byzantine generals Byzantine governors of the Peloponnese People of medieval Greece South Slavic history 10th century in Greece Protospatharioi