Theophylact Dalassenos ( el, Θεοφύλακτος Δαλασσηνός; born before c. 990 – after 1039) 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 who occupied a series of senior military positions in the 11th century.

Life

Theophylact was the son of

Damian Dalassenos Damian Dalassenos ( el, Δαμιανός Δαλασσηνός; ca. 940 – 19 July 998) was a Byzantine aristocrat and the first known member of the Dalassenos noble family. He is known for his service as the military governor ('' doux'') of Antio ...

, the first attested member of the distinguished

Dalassenos Dalassenos ( el, Δαλασσηνός), feminine form Dalassene or Dalassena (Greek: Δαλασσηνή), was a Byzantine aristocratic family prominent in the 11th century. Origins and rise to prominence The family's name derives from their ancestr ...

aristocratic clan. He first appears in 998, when he accompanied his father, then holding the post of '' doux'' of

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� ...

, in battle against the

Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...

. In the resulting

Battle of Apamea The Battle of Apamea was fought on 19 July 998 between the forces of the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate. The battle was part of a series of military confrontations between the two powers over control of northern Syria and the Hamdan ...

Damian was killed and Theophylact, along with his brother

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...

, were taken prisoner. They were then sold on to the Fatimid general Jaysh al-Samsama for 6,000 gold dinars, spending the next ten years in captivity in the Fatimid capital of

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. Following his release he continued his military career, but his life is obscure until 1021/22, by which time, according to Yahya of Antioch, he held the rank of '' protospatharios'' and ''

droungarios A ''droungarios'', also spelled ''drungarios'' ( el, δρουγγάριος, la, drungarius) and sometimes anglicized as Drungary, was a military rank of the late Roman and Byzantine empires, signifying the commander of a formation known as ''drou ...

'' (most likely the post of ''

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 sinc ...

''). In August 1022, Emperor

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...

(reigned 976–1025) appointed him ''

strategos ''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...

'' (military governor) of the Anatolic Theme and gave him money to raise troops, with the task of suppressing the rebellion of

Nikephoros Xiphias Nikephoros Xiphias ( el, Νικηφόρος Ξιφίας, ) was a Byzantine military commander during the reign of Emperor Basil II. He played a distinguished role in the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria, and was instrumental in the decisive Byzant ...

and

Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos }, – 15 August 1022), surnamed Barytrachelos (Βαρυτράχηλος, "heavy-neck"; Armenian: ''Cṙ iz'', ka, წარვეზი ''Ts'arvezi'', "wry-neck"), was a Byzantine aristocrat and magnate, the last major member of the Phokas fam ...

. In the end, the two rebels fell out and Xiphias had Phokas assassinated; as the rebellion collapsed, Dalassenos took Xiphias prisoner and brought him for trial to

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 (" ...

. From his surviving seals of office, it is known that he further held the rank of the posts of ''

katepano The ''katepánō'' ( el, κατεπάνω, lit. "he oneplaced at the top", or " the topmost") was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the ...

'' of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

(likely before 1021), and ''katepano'' of

Vaspurakan Vaspurakan (, Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered on Lake Van. Located in what is now southeaster ...

(after 1027). His last post, likely in 1032–34, was that of ''doux'' of Antioch, with the ranks of ''

anthypatos ''Anthypatos'' ( gr, ἀνθύπατος) is the translation in Greek of the Latin ''proconsul''. In the Greek-speaking East, it was used to denote this office in Roman and early Byzantine times, surviving as an administrative office until the 9th ...

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

'' and ''

vestes Vestēs ( el, βέστης) was a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, court title used in the 10th and 11th centuries. The term is etymologically connected to the ''vestiarion'', the imperial wardrobe, but despite ea ...

'', also attested by a seal. Emperor

Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael IV the Paphlagonian ( el, , ''Mikhaēl ho Paphlagōn''; c. 1010 – 10 December 1041) was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 1034 to his death on 10 December 1041. The son of a peasant, Michael worked as a money changer until he was foun ...

(r. 1034–41) however suspected the Dalassenoi of conspiring to usurp the throne; Theophylact's career therefore probably ended in 1034, and the entire family was banished in August 1039. Another seal records that he held the supreme court rank 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 ...

'' as well, but it is unclear whether this was already before 1034 or whether he was awarded it after Michael IV's death. Theophylact was most likely the father of Adrianos, the maternal grandfather of

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 ...

, the mother 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 ...

, founder of the Komnenian dynasty.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalassenos, Theophylact 10th-century births 11th-century deaths 11th-century Byzantine military personnel Byzantine generals Byzantine governors of Antioch Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars Byzantine prisoners of war Theophylact Generals of Basil II Magistroi Patricii Year of birth unknown Byzantine governors of Vaspurakan Prisoners and detainees of the Fatimid Caliphate Governors of the Anatolic Theme Protospatharioi