Theoctistus ( it, Teoctisto) was the
Duke of Naples during an ill-recorded period in its history. His reign began sometime around 818 and lasted until 821.
On the death of
Anthimus, a war of succession broke out in Naples on account of the number of pretenders to the ducal throne. Anthimus had not given his consent to the nobility to elect his successor and so Naples was left without a ''
de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' duke on his death. The populace, seeing the uncertainty of the aristocracy, in a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
, invaded the
Praetorium
The Latin term (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman castrum (encampment), and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 2 ed., ...
with the support of the upper strata of the military hierarchy, and constrained their rulers to send a delegation to
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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to solicit a new duke from the
patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
there, who had authority over the ''
Ducatus Neapolitanus
The Duchy of Naples ( la, Ducatus Neapolitanus, it, Ducato di Napoli) began as a Byzantine province that was constituted in the seventh century, in the reduced coastal lands that the Lombards had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in ...
''.
With the appointment of Theoctistus to the vacant post, Naples was once again brought under
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 ...
influence. Theoctistus was a military man at heart and he opened up a period of wars for the duchy. Nevertheless, he was replaced by another duke from Sicily,
Theodore II, who arrived in Naples in 821.
Sources
*Schipa, Michelangelo. ''Storia del Ducato Napolitano''. Napoli, 1895.
*
Cassandro, Giovanni. ''Il Ducato bizantino in Storia di Napoli Vol I''. Napoli, 1975.
{{end
9th-century dukes of Naples