The 42 Martyrs of Amorium ( grc-gre, οἰ ἅγιοι μβ′ μάρτυρες τοῦ Ἀμορίου) were a group of

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 ...

senior officials taken prisoner by the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

in the

Sack of Amorium The Sack of Amorium by the Abbasid Caliphate in mid-August 838 was one of the major events in the long history of the Arab–Byzantine Wars. The Abbasid campaign was led personally by the Caliph al-Mu'tasim (), in retaliation to a virtually unop ...

in 838 and executed in 845, after refusing to convert to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. They are commemorated by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

on March 6.

Amorium Amorium was a city in Phrygia, Asia Minor which was founded in the Hellenistic period, flourished under the Byzantine Empire, and declined after the Arab sack of 838. It was situated on the Byzantine military road from Constantinople to Cil ...

is located at Hisar,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Events

In 838, the Abbasid caliph

al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd ( ar, أبو إسحاق محمد بن هارون الرشيد; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling f ...

() led a major campaign against the Byzantine Empire that ended in the sack of the city of

, the capital of the Anatolic Theme and birthplace of the reigning Byzantine Amorian dynasty. Following the sack, 42 officers and notables of Amorium were taken as hostages to

Samarra Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...

, then the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. Repeated efforts by Emperor Theophilos and, after his death in 842, by

Michael III Michael III ( grc-gre, Μιχαήλ; 9 January 840 – 24 September 867), also known as Michael the Drunkard, was Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian (or Phrygian) dynasty. ...

and Empress-regent

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

, to ransom them were rebuffed by the caliphs. After refusing to convert to

, they were executed at Samarra on 6 March 845. Only a few of the 42 are known by name: * , a court eunuch and possibly (military governor) of the

Bucellarian Theme The Bucellarian Theme ( el, Βουκελλάριον θέμα, ''Boukellarion thema''), more properly known as the Theme of the Bucellarians ( el, θέμα Βουκελλαρίων, ''thema Boukellariōn'') was a Byzantine theme (a military-civil ...

, regarded as the leader of the 42 in the hagiographic texts. * the Aetios, the of the Anatolic Theme. * the Theophilos, otherwise unknown. * the Constantine Baboutzikos, husband of Empress Theodora's sister and thereby apparently the highest-ranking of the prisoners. He was the first to be proposed to convert to Islam, and possibly also the first to be executed after refusing. * Bassoes, identified as a "runner", otherwise unknown. * Kallistos, possibly a member of the

Melissenos Melissenos ( el, Μελισσηνός), latinized Melissenus, feminine form Melissene (Μελισσηνή), latinized Melissena, was the name of a noble Byzantine family that flourished from the late 8th century on until the end of the Byzantine Emp ...

family. An obscure and (divisional commander) according to the chroniclers, he is given an extensive biography by the hagiographies, where he is portrayed as rising from imperial to of the regiment and finally of Koloneia, before being taken prisoner by

Paulician Paulicianism ( Classical Armenian: Պաւղիկեաններ, ; grc, Παυλικιανοί, "The followers of Paul"; Arab sources: ''Baylakānī'', ''al Bayāliqa'' )Nersessian, Vrej (1998). The Tondrakian Movement: Religious Movements in the ...

soldiers under his command and delivered to the Abbasids, who placed him among the captives of Amorium. * Constantine, secretary ( or ) of Constantine Baboutzikos.

Hagiography and veneration

The hagiography of the 42 was written soon after their execution, by the monk, Euodios, who used their fate and the sack of Amorium as an indictment of and proof of divine retribution against the re-adoption of

Iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...

by Emperor Theophilos. Euodios' narrative mostly contains theological discussions between the steadfast prisoners and various people—Byzantine defectors, Muslim officials, etc.—sent to convince them to convert during their seven-year imprisonment. Their execution was then carried out by Ethiopian slaves on the banks of the

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

. Euodios' hagiography is the "last example of the genre of collective martyrdom", and was widely disseminated, with several variants of the legend of the 42 Martyrs appearing in later authors. The feast day of the 42 Martyrs is on

6 March Events Pre-1600 *12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 &n ...

, the day of their execution. Pictorial representations of the 42 are rare in Byzantine art, unlike their analogues, the

40 Martyrs of Sebaste The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek ''Ἅγιοι Τεσσεράκοντα''; Demotic: ''Άγιοι Σαράντα'') were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII ''Fulminata'' (Armed with Lightning) w ...

; when they are depicted, they are represented simply as a group of officials in court dress.

References

Sources

* * * {{PMBZ , volume=online 845 deaths 9th-century Byzantine people 9th-century Christian martyrs 9th-century executions by the Abbasid Caliphate Groups of Christian martyrs of the Middle Ages Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars Byzantine prisoners of war Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam Christian saints killed by Muslims Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Prisoners and detainees of the Abbasid Caliphate Executed Byzantine people Groups of Eastern Orthodox saints 845 Amorium