Leo Phokas ( el, , ) was an early 10th-century
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 ...
general of the noble
Phokas clan. As
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 ...
, the
Byzantine army's commander-in-chief, he led a large-scale campaign against the
Bulgarians
Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe.
Etymology
Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...
in 917, but was heavily defeated at the battles of
Acheloos and
Katasyrtai. He then plotted to seize the throne from the young
Byzantine emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...
Constantine VII
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 Kar ...
(r. 913–959), but was outmaneuvered by the admiral
Romanos 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 ...
, who managed to become guardian and later father-in-law of the Emperor. After Lekapenos seized control of the Byzantine Empire, Leo led an unsuccessful revolt, and was captured and blinded.
Biography
Leo was the son of
Nikephoros Phokas the Elder
Nikephoros Phokas ( gr, Νικηφόρος Φωκᾶς, Nikēphoros Phōkas; died 895/6 or ), usually surnamed the Elder to distinguish him from his grandson, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, was one of the most prominent Byzantine generals of the l ...
, an eminent Byzantine general who had distinguished himself in southern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. His brother,
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 (. ...
, was also a senior general, as were Bardas's sons
Nikephoros and
Leo. Nikephoros eventually became Emperor in 963–969. Little is known about Leo's early life. During the late reign of 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), he married the sister of
Constantine Barbaros, the Emperor's powerful ''
parakoimomenos
The ''parakoimōmenos'' ( el, παρακοιμώμενος, literally "the one who sleeps beside he emperor's chamber) was a Byzantine court position, usually reserved for eunuchs. The position's proximity to the emperors guaranteed its holders ...
'', and rose to 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 ...
. Although personally brave and not without some measure of success 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, his ability as a general was rather limited.
Steven Runciman
Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume ''A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54).
He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negative ...
attributed his rise more to his aristocratic origin and his familial connection with the ''parakoimomenos'' Constantine.
During the regency of Empress
Zoe in 913–919, Leo is recorded as being again Domestic of the Schools and holding the dignity 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 centu ...
''. In 917, he was placed in charge of a large-scale
expedition against the Bulgarians. The plan involved a two-pronged assault, one from the south by the main Byzantine army under Leo Phokas, and one from the north by the
Pechenegs
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა ...
, who were to be ferried across the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
by the
Byzantine navy
The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than ...
under
Romanos 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 ...
. In the event, however, the Pechenegs did not help the Byzantines, partly because Lekapenos quarrelled with their leader (or, as Runciman suggests, might have even been bribed by the Bulgarians) and partly because they had already begun plundering on their own, disregarding the Byzantine plan. Left unsupported by both the Pechenegs and the fleet, Phokas suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Tsar
Symeon at the
Battle of Acheloos
The Battle of Achelous or Acheloos ( bg, Битката при Ахелой, el, Μάχη του Αχελώου), also known as the Battle of Anchialus,Stephenson (2004), p. 23 took place on 20 August 917, on the Achelous river near the Bulga ...
. The imperial army was almost annihilated, and Phokas himself barely escaped. As Symeon marched south towards the imperial capital,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, Phokas gathered a motley force and attempted to halt his advance, but was again defeated by Symeon in a surprise night attack at
Katasyrtai.
These military disasters weakened the regency of Zoe, and rumours began to circulate that Phokas, whose army lay encamped across the
Bosporus
The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern T ...
from Constantinople, and his brother-in-law Constantine Barbaros were planning to seize the throne from the young emperor
Constantine VII
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 Kar ...
(r. 913–959). According to Runciman, Zoe herself possibly planned to solidify her own position by marrying the general. The Emperor's tutor, however, a certain Theodore, turned to Romanos Lekapenos; although the admiral carried a great share of the blame for the failure of the Bulgarian campaign, Romanos remained a powerful factor as his fleet was intact and ready at hand.
[.] The ''parakoimomenos'' Constantine tried to neutralize this threat by disbanding the fleet, but he was arrested by Lekapenos when he arrived to supervise the payment and discharge of the crews. With this stroke, Zoe lost all control of the situation, and at Theodore's urging, the young Emperor appointed the Patriarch
Nicholas Mystikos
Nicholas I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus ( el, Νικόλαος Α΄ Μυστικός, ''Nikolaos I Mystikos''; 852 – 11 May 925) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from March 901 to February 907 and from May 912 to his death ...
as regent. The Patriarch's first act was to dismiss Leo Phokas from his post as Domestic and replace him with
John Garidas.
[.]
Leo apparently believed that Lekapenos, in view of his lowly origins, could never possibly put forward a credible claim for the imperial throne. Events proved that he had severely miscalculated: on March 25, 919, Lekapenos managed to gain entrance to the
imperial palace, occupied it and secured his appointment as ''magistros'' and commander of the ''Hetaireia''. A few weeks later, he married his daughter
Helena to the young Emperor and assumed the title of ''
basileopator
( el, βασιλεοπάτωρ, , father of the mperor}) was one of the highest secular titles of the Byzantine Empire. It was an exceptional post (the 899 ''Kletorologion'' of Philotheos lists it as one of the 'special dignities', ), and con ...
'', becoming the virtual ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
Leo Phokas was then sent a letter, in the Emperor's name, in which he was bidden not to react to these events. Inevitably, the outmaneuvered Leo rose in revolt, but failed to secure the loyalty of his troops: they began to desert to the imperial camp, especially after a letter from the young Constantine VII, which acclaimed Lekapenos as his protector and denounced Leo's rebellion, reached the rebel camp and was read aloud to them. Eventually, Leo was forced to flee, but was captured and
blinded by the Emperor's agents in
Bithynia
Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...
. Following the discovery of a plot by some of his friends a few months later, Phokas suffered a final humiliation, being paraded through the streets of Constantinople on a
mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
. His fate thereafter is unknown.
[; .]
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Phokas, Leo
Byzantine generals
10th-century Byzantine people
Leo 01
9th-century births
10th-century deaths
Byzantine rebels
Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars
Magistroi