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Nicetas or Niketas ( el, Νικήτας) was the cousin of Emperor
Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt ...
. He played a major role in the revolt against
Phocas Phocas ( la, Focas; grc-gre, Φωκάς, Phōkás; 5475 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially, a middle-ranking officer in the Eastern Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldie ...
that brought Heraclius to the throne, where he captured
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
for his cousin. Nicetas remained governor of Egypt (or at least
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...
) thereafter, and participated also in the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628, but failed to stop the Sassanid conquest of Egypt ca. 618/619. He disappears from the sources thereafter, but possibly served as Exarch of Africa until his death.


Rebellion against Phocas and the conquest of Egypt

Nicetas was the son of the Gregoras, the brother of the Exarch of Africa
Heraclius the Elder Heraclius the Elder ( el, Ἡράκλειος, ''Herákleios''; died 610) was a Byzantine general and the father of Byzantine emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641). Generally considered to be of Armenian origin Heraclius the Elder distinguished hims ...
, under whom he served as in Africa. When Heraclius the Elder launched a rebellion against the usurper
Phocas Phocas ( la, Focas; grc-gre, Φωκάς, Phōkás; 5475 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially, a middle-ranking officer in the Eastern Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldie ...
in 608, Nicetas and his father supported it. The Exarch's son, Heraclius the Younger, was the rebellion's candidate to replace Phocas, and with a fleet sailed directly for 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 ( ...
, which he seized on 5 October 610. At the same time, Nicetas, his forces augmented by Berber auxiliaries, undertook the overland conquest of the
Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
and
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
. The 9th-century
Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of the ...
Nikephoros reports that the two cousins were involved in a "race" for Constantinople and the imperial throne, but this is clearly a legend. Nicetas' cause was aided by dissatisfied factions within Egypt itself, including the former prefect of
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...
Theodore and his sons, probably the very wealthy and powerful Egyptian family of the Apiones, and even by prophecies and portents spread by holy men who opposed Phocas' tyranny. Cyrenaica fell easily, and Nicetas' deputy Bonakis was sent against Egypt with 3,000 Byzantines and many more Berber auxiliaries. According to the account of John of Nikiu, the prefect of the Mareotis was bribed to switch sides, and in a battle before Alexandria, Nicetas' forces defeated and killed Phocas' general. The city's populace rose up in support of Nicetas' forces, the Patriarch, governor and treasurer fled, and Nicetas had the populace proclaim his cousin as emperor. Bonakis was then dispatched to complete the conquest of the
Nile Delta The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to ...
, but two garrisons, at Semanub and Athrib, resisted until Phocas sent a general, Bonosus, from Palestine to recover Egypt. Bonosus was initially successful, as he defeated, captured and executed Bonakis and seized Nikiu, where he executed several leading figures who had supported the rebellion. In the meantime, Alexandria was plagued by factional fighting between the Blues, who still supported Phocas, and the Greens, who supported the rebellion, but before long the Blues switched sides, and Nicetas was able to raise new troops and repel two attempts by Bonosus to capture the city. Dismayed, Bonosus retreated and eventually took ship from Pelusium to Constantinople. Following his departure, the Heraclians consolidated their control of Egypt, a process which was completed by the summer of 610.


Governorship of Egypt and the Persian war

From Egypt, Nicetas apparently marched on into Palestine to subdue the Phocas loyalists there, but soon returned to Egypt, where he was installed as governor. His exact office is unclear—he is usually simply mentioned by his rank of , which he probably was given in 610—but he was possibly of Alexandria. As
Walter Kaegi Walter Emil Kaegi (8 november 1937, New Albany, Indiana - February 24, 2022) was a historian and scholar of Byzantine history, professor of history at the University of Chicago, and a Voting Member of The Oriental Institute. He received his B.A. ...
comments, in view of the mutual trust between Nicetas and Heraclius, this made eminent sense, since Egypt contributed some 30% of the
praetorian prefecture of the East The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient ( la, praefectura praetorio Orientis, el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τῆς ἀνατολῆς) was one of four large praetorian prefectures into whic ...
's annual income, and the new regime "would not have wished some other politically ambitious figure to stir up new unrest there as they had recently done themselves". At Egypt, Nicetas sponsored the election of John the Almsgiver as
Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epis ...
, with whom he even became a ritual brother through the rite of . Later, in 615 or 616, he helped reconcile the Monophysite churches of Alexandria and
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 ...
, but it is unclear whether Nicetas remained continuously in office; at any rate, he was absent from Egypt for several extended periods. Thus in the summer of 612 he visited Constantinople, where he was received with great pomp. According to the '' Chronicon Paschale'', he brought with him the Holy Sponge and the
Holy Lance The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus (named after Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion. Biblical references The l ...
, which were the objects of special services held at the capital in autumn. Heraclius reportedly left control of the capital to Nicetas when he went to
Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...
to meet Priscus, who was besieging the
Sassanid Persia The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
ns in
Caesarea Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesare ...
. During this time, according to the
hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...
of Saint Theodore of Sykeon, Nicetas reputedly fell ill and was healed through the intercession of the saint. When Priscus was disgraced shortly after, on 5 December 612 Nicetas succeeded him as , commander of the imperial bodyguard. In 613, Nicetas accompanied Heraclius in his campaign against the Persians, but the two cousins were defeated in the Battle of Antioch by Shahin Vahmanzadegan, a defeat which resulted in the rapid fall of Syria to the Persians. It appears, however, that Nicetas managed to win a costly victory near Emesa, possibly in 614. It is probably on this occasion that statues honouring him were erected in Constantinople. The Persian victories and the shortage of funds forced Nicetas to turn to his friend, the Patriarch John, for help, and requisition funds from the Alexandrian Church. Following the conquest of Syria and Palestine, the Persian general Shahrbaraz began the invasion of Egypt. Nicetas' role in preparing for and during the defence of the province, as well as the detailed course of the invasion, are unknown, but both he and Patriarch John fled Alexandria for
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
and then
Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
, shortly before its fall to the Persians. Nicetas disappears from sources after this, but based on a later anecdote it has been suggested by Charles Diehl that he went on to govern Africa until his probable death in 628/9. Other scholars, however, including the editors of the ''
Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...
'', consider this interpretation unlikely.


Family

Nicetas was the father of the Empress Gregoria, wife of
Constantine III Constantine III may refer to: * Constantine III (Western Roman Emperor), self-proclaimed western Roman Emperor 407–411 * Heraclius Constantine, Byzantine Emperor in 641 * Constans II, Byzantine emperor 641–668, sometimes referred to under this ...
, and perhaps also of a Nicetas, attested in 639, and of the Exarch of Africa Gregory.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * {{Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire , volume = 3 6th-century births 7th-century Byzantine people 7th-century Egyptian people 7th-century Roman governors of Egypt Comites excubitorum Generals of Heraclius Heraclian dynasty People of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown