Theodore Vatatzes or Batatzes ( gr, Θεόδωρος Βατάτζης) was an aristocrat and military commander 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 ...

during the reigns of

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 ...

and

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Romanization of Greek, Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; "born in the purple"), w ...

Background

Theodore Vatatzes was a member of the

Vatatzes The Vatatzes or Batatzes ( el, Βατάτζης) family was a noble Byzantine Greek family of the 11th–14th centuries with several branches, which produced several senior generals of the Byzantine army and, after John III Doukas Vatatzes interma ...

family, who had been prominent in the city and region of

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 Thrace for a number of generations. The family rose to the first rank of the Byzantine aristocracy, and to prominence in the politics of the empire, in the person of Theodore himself. Theodore was one of a group of able men promoted to positions of authority by John II as an alternative to reliance on members of the imperial family, whom he distrusted. In 1131 Theodore married the ''

porphyrogenita Traditionally, born in the purple (sometimes "born to the purple") was a category of members of royal families born during the reign of their parent. This notion was later loosely expanded to include all children born of prominent or high-ranking ...

'' princess Eudokia Komnene, daughter of John II and his empress, Eirene of Hungary, and was raised to the court dignity of ''

sebastohypertatos ( gr, σεβαστοϋπέρτατος, , the supreme venerable one) was a Byzantine honorific title. The title formed the basis for a further compound title, ( gr, πρωτοσεβαστοϋπέρτατος, , the first supreme venerable one) ...

''.

Military career in the reign of Manuel I

Records of the military exploits of Theodore Vatatzes during the reign of John II have not survived. However, in the reign of

, John's successor and Theodore's brother-in-law, he enters contemporary sources as a notable military commander during the 1150s. In 1151, Vatatzes was a senior general on the frontier with

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, he ravaged the area around the city of

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; hu, Zimony) is a municipality in the city of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown Belgrade. The developme ...

and maintained a blockade of the city, until it surrendered to Manuel I in person. The

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

had rebelled and in 1158 Manuel I campaigned to regain control of the region; this would also open up the route to

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� ...

, control of which was his main goal. Theodore Vatatzes was entrusted with the capture of the major fortified city of Tarsus. Thinking that the emperor had arrived with his entire army the defenders panicked, and the city fell immediately to the Byzantine force.Kinnamos, p. 138

Family

Theodore and his wife had a number of children: *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(–1185), the ''

megas domestikos The title of grand domestic ( grc-gre, μέγας δομέστικος, ''mégas doméstikos'') was given in the 11th–15th centuries to the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army, directly below the Byzantine Emperor. It evolved from the earl ...

'', who won a notable victory over the Seljuk Turks (

Battle of Hyelion and Leimocheir The Battle of Hyelion and Leimocheir saw the almost complete destruction by the Byzantines of a large Seljuq Turk army. The Seljuq army had been raiding Byzantine territory in the Maeander Valley in Anatolia, and had sacked a number of cities. ...

) and later rebelled against

Andronikos I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos ( gr, Ἀνδρόνικος Κομνηνός; – 12 September 1185), Latinization of names, Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. He was the son of Isaac Komnenos (son of Alexio ...

. * Andronikos (–1176), also a prominent general, was killed by the Seljuk Turks when leading an expedition against Amaseia in 1176. * a daughter, likely named Anna (–after 1186), married Nikephoros Synadenos, and then the general

Alexios Branas Alexios (or Alexius) Branas or Vranas ( el, ) (died 1187) was a Byzantine nobleman, attempted usurper, and the last Byzantine military leader of the 12th century to gain a notable success against a foreign enemy. Background Alexios Branas was a ...

. * Theodora Komnene (–after 1185), married the general and diplomat Nikephoros Chalouphes. Noted for her beauty, she became the mistress of her uncle, Emperor Manuel I, bearing him an illegitimate son. * Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes (–unknown), is only known from a poem celebrating his marriage, , to an Irene Komnene, great-granddaughter of the ''

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' ( grc-byz, Σεβαστοκράτωρ, Sevastokrátor, August Ruler, ; bg, севастократор, sevastokrator; sh, sebastokrator), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers wh ...

'', Isaac Komnenos, a brother of

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 ...

. Nothing further is known of the couple. * Alexios Komnenos Vatatzes (–after 1166), married Maria Pegonitissa , he is last attested in the synod of Blachernae in March 1166. He was the father of

Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes ( gr, Ἰσαάκιος Κομνηνός Βατάτζης; died 1196) was a Byzantine aristocrat and military commander, who was the son-in-law of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and received the rank of ''sebastokrator''. Life ...

Footnotes

References

Primary

* *

Secondary

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vatatzes, Theodore 12th-century Byzantine people Komnenos dynasty

Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Sask ...

Year of birth unknown Generals of Manuel I Komnenos