Nikephoros Komnenos ( el, Νικηφόρος Κομνηνός; – after 1136) 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 high official. The youngest brother of Emperor

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...

, he was appointed second-in-command of 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 ...

, but his life is otherwise obscure.

Life

He was the fifth son and last child of John Komnenos and

Anna Dalassene Anna Dalassene ( el, ; ca. 1025/30 – 1 November 1100/02) was an important Byzantine noblewoman who played a significant role in the rise to power of the Komnenoi in the eleventh century. As '' Augusta'', a title bestowed upon her by her son, A ...

, and thus the youngest brother of Emperor

(). According to

Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger Nikephoros Bryennios (or Nicephorus Bryennius; Greek: Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος, ''Nikēphoros Bryennios; ''1062–1137) was a Byzantine general, statesman and historian. He was born at Orestias ( Adrianople) in the theme of Macedoni ...

, when Alexios and his older brothers entered military service, Nikephoros and his fourth brother, Adrianos, remained with their mother, who ensured that they received a thorough, encyclopedic education. When Alexios came to the throne, he raised his relatives to high dignities, often newly created ones: thus Nikephoros was titled a ''

sebastos ( grc-gre, σεβαστός, sebastós, venerable one, Augustus, ; plural , ) was an honorific used by the ancient Greeks to render the Roman imperial title of . The female form of the title was (). It was revived as an honorific in the 11th-ce ...

'', and given the office of ''megas droungarios'' of the fleet. The holder of this office was the second-in-command of the

after the '' megas doux'', but Nikephoros is not recorded as having ever held an active command. Indeed the fleet appears to have been led by

Eustathios Kymineianos Eustathios Kymineianos ( el, Εὐστάθιος Κυμινειανός, ) was a senior Byzantine eunuch official and admiral under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118). Biography Eustathios' life is known only through the ''Alexiad'' of A ...

after , who was himself promoted to ''megas droungarios'' of the fleet sometime in . Thus either Nikephoros lost his appointment, or several ''megaloi droungarioi'' existed at once, with Nikephoros' post being merely honorary. His life is likewise extremely obscure; for this reason, Basile Skoulatos calls him "the least-known member of the Komnenos family". He is only once mentioned in the ''

Alexiad The ''Alexiad'' ( el, Ἀλεξιάς, Alexias) is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. It was written in a form of artificial ...

'', and is not recorded as having played any role during the reign of Alexios, nor during that of Alexios' son and successor

John II Komnenos John II Komnenos or Comnenus ( gr, Ἱωάννης ὁ Κομνηνός, Iōannēs ho Komnēnos; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he ...

(), except for a reference to a ''megas droungarios'' Nikephoros as one of the witnesses of the ''typikon'' of the

Pantokrator Monastery '' '' tr, Zeyrek Camii'' , image = Molla Zeyrek Camii.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption =The mosque viewed from north east. From left to right, one can see the apses of the ''Church of Christ Pantocrato ...

, written in 1136. It is unclear to what this exceptional silence of the sources is due; Konstantinos Varzos suggested that he might have fallen into disfavour as one possible reason. It is also not entirely certain whether the Nikephoros of 1136 is the same as Alexios' brother: only the title of ''megas droungarios'' is given, without any family connection or surname, and even the title is ambiguous, as it could be applied to both the ''megas droungarios'' of the fleet as to the ''

megas droungarios tes viglas 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 ...

''.

Family

He married a lady of unknown name and family, and had at least two children: a daughter, who married

Gregory Pakourianos the Younger Gregory Pakourianos ( el, Γρηγόριος Πακουριανός, Grēgorios Pakourianos; – before April 1105) was a Byzantine aristocrat and provincial governor. He was born in , and was the grandson of the distinguished military commander, ...

, and a son, the ''sebastos'' Alexios, whose life is otherwise unknown.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Komnenos, Nikephoros 1060s births 1130s deaths 11th-century Byzantine people 12th-century Byzantine people Family of Alexios I Komnenos Byzantine admirals Nikephoros Sebastoi