Bardanes Tourkos
Encyclopedia
Bardanes, nicknamed Tourkos, "the Turk" ' onMouseout='HidePop("71614")' href="/topics/Floruit">fl.
705–803), was a Byzantine
general of Armenian
origin who launched an unsuccessful rebellion against Emperor Nikephoros I
(r. 802–811) in 803. Although a major supporter of Byzantine empress Irene of Athens (r. 797–802), soon after her overthrow he was appointed by Nikephoros as commander-in-chief of the Anatolia
n armies. From this position, he launched a revolt in July 803, probably in opposition to Nikephoros's economic and religious policies. His troops marched towards Constantinople
, but failed to win popular support. At this point, some of his major supporters deserted him and, reluctant to engage the loyalist forces in battle, Bardanes gave up and chose to surrender himself. He retired as a monk to a monastery he had founded. There he was blinded, possibly on Nikephoros's orders.
Nothing is known of the early life of Bardanes. He is usually regarded as an Armenian on account of his first name (a Hellenized
form of Vardan), whilst his sobriquet "Tourkos", which was bestowed upon him, probably disparagingly, only after his revolt, could suggest a Khazar origin.
Bardanes is probably identical with the patrikios Bardanios who appears in the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor
in the mid-790s. In 795, he was Domestic of the Schools
, and was dispatched to arrest the monk Plato of Sakkoudion for his public opposition to the second marriage of Emperor Constantine VI (r. 780–797) to Plato's niece Theodote
. In 797, as strategos
of the Thracesian Theme
, this same Bardanios supported the Empress-mother Irene of Athens when she usurped the throne from her son Constantine VI. In 799, he is recorded as one of the four patrikioi who led the horses of the Empress's carriage on the Easter
procession from the palace to the Church of the Holy Apostles
.
Irene herself was overthrown and exiled by the logothetes tou genikou
(finance minister) Nikephoros on 31 October 802. At the time, Bardanes was patrikios and strategos of the Thracesians, but was soon transferred to command the powerful Anatolic Theme
. In the next year, probably in preparation for a campaign against the Arabs after Nikephoros's refusal to continue the annual payment of tribute to the Abbasid Caliphate, the emperor apparently appointed Bardanes to the exceptional post of monostrategos ("single-general", in effect commander-in-chief) of the Empire's five Anatolia
n land themes. It must be noted though that this appointment is by no means certain; he is mentioned as monostrategos only by later sources, while near-contemporary ones mention him only as strategos of the Anatolics. It is possible that later sources misinterpreted his title to mean "general of all the East" (Anatole).
In July 803, an Abbasid army under al-Qasim, a son of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid
(r. 786–809), began advancing towards the Byzantine frontier. As Nikephoros had broken his foot in early May, it fell to Bardanes to lead the Byzantine army against the Arabs. He therefore ordered the thematic armies of Anatolia assembled in the Anatolic Theme. In mid-July 803 (the date is variously interpreted by modern scholars as 16, 18 or 19 July), Bardanes was proclaimed emperor by the assembled troops of the Anatolic, Opsician
, Thracesian and Bucellarian
themes. Crucially, the Armeniac Theme
, either because of its traditional rivalry with the Anatolics, or because it had not yet joined up with the rest of the army, did not join the uprising. It has also been hypothesized that Bardanes may have participated in the suppression of the Armeniacs' revolt in 793, leaving a memory of hostility amongst its troops. The chroniclers agree that the troops were motivated chiefly by economical concerns: Nikephoros had initiated a strict budgetary policy to shore up the Empire's finances. The emperor had revoked the exemption on inheritance tax for the soldiers, and had apparently left them unpaid for some time as well. Bardanes, on the other hand, had a good reputation in this regard, fairly dividing the booty won from the campaigns against the Arabs amongst the soldiers.
For the motives of Bardanes himself, the situation is less clear. According to the Byzantine chroniclers, he accepted the acclamation only reluctantly, after vainly entreating the soldiers to allow him to leave. According to another story however, before his revolt, Bardanes, accompanied by his three principal associates, Thomas
, Leo the Armenian
and Michael the Amorian
visited a holy man at Philomelion to learn of his prospects. The monk correctly prophesied that his rebellion would fail, that Thomas too would begin a revolt, and that Leo and Michael would reign as emperors. If true and not a later invention, this may suggest that Bardanes planned his revolt beforehand. Aside from any personal ambition, Bardanes was also a member of the landed aristocracy and a devoted iconophile who supported Empress Irene's regime. He has therefore also been seen as the representative of traditional elites' opposition to Nikephoros's policies, both in the confessional area, where the emperor maintained a carefully neutral stance towards both iconoclasts and iconophiles, and in the socio-financial sphere, where new taxes on landed property and the expropriation of ecclesiastical estates hurt their interests. Historian Warren Treadgold further suggested that the revolt was a reaction against Nikephoros's usurpation and aimed, at least ostensibly, at the restoration of Irene. Her death, however, at Lesbos on 8 August deprived the rebels of any claim to legitimacy.
The revolt probably took place at Amorion, the capital of the Anatolic Theme. From there, the rebel army, comprising almost half of the Empire's available military forces, marched north and west, following the military road to Nicomedia
and then to Chrysopolis, the town that lay across the Bosporus
from the imperial capital, Constantinople
. There, Bardanes encamped for eight days, awaiting some revolt against Nikephoros inside the capital in response to his own rebellion. Since this did not materialize, and the populace proved not overtly enthusiastic, he withdrew to the great army base at Malagina
. There, two of his associates, Michael the Amorian and Leo the Armenian, abandoned him, and were richly rewarded by Nikephoros for their defection: Michael became Count of the Tent, and Leo was appointed commander of the Foederati
regiment.
This desertion further discouraged Bardanes, and, reluctant to face the loyalist army in battle, he opted for a negotiated surrender through the mediation of Joseph, the hegumenos of the Kathara monastery who had officiated at Constantine VI's second marriage. Bardanes received a letter signed by the Patriarch
Tarasios
and several leading senators
which guaranteed that neither he nor his subordinates would be punished if they surrendered. As a further guarantee of good faith, Nikephoros sent his own gold cross along with the letter. Satisfied by these assurances, on 8 September Bardanes left his army and, through Nicaea, sought refuge in the monastery of Herakleios at Cius
. From there, he embarked on a ship that took him to the island of Prote. Taking the monastic name Sabbas, Bardanes then entered a monastery that he had founded there in the past.
In December 803 however (Treadgold puts it in 804), a group of "Lycaonia
n" (possibly Paulician) soldiers disembarked at Prote and blinded Bardanes. It is likely that this was done at the behest of the emperor himself, although in a later public statement before the Senate, Nikephoros swore that he had nothing to do with it. Although most scholars believe in Nikephoros's direct involvement, Treadgold believes that the soldiers acted on their own, since Bardanes was no longer a credible threat to the emperor. At any rate, despite pressure from the Patriarch and the Senate to punish them, and his own pledge to do so, Nikephoros let them go.
Bardanes's revolt temporarily weakened Byzantium, especially in its capability to deal with the Arab threat to the East, but Qasim's invasion was of limited scope, and his father's far larger intervention shortly after also resulted in no major military confrontations. Harun withdrew after a truce was concluded in exchange for a modest sum. Thus the revolt did not seriously affect the army or most of Anatolia. Nevertheless, it is indicative of the soldiers' dissatisfaction with Nikephoros, which would surface again in subsequent years and prove a constant source of trouble throughout his reign.
, the wife of Michael the Amorian, is usually identified with one of them, as Theophanes Continuatus
and Genesius
record that Bardanes married two of his daughters to Michael the Amorian and another of his aides. Warren Treadgold identifies the second daughter with a woman named or nicknamed Barka, whom he regards as the first wife of Leo the Armenian and whom Leo divorced shortly after his accession in 813 in order to marry Theodosia
. She would then be the real mother of Leo's firstborn son, Symbatios/Constantine
. Theodosia, however, is the only clearly attested wife of Leo, and there is no evidence for a divorce and re-marriage. Leo is also named the "cousin" of Bardanes, but it is unclear whether this is literal or in the meaning of "brother in law". If the former is the case, the familial relationship alone would bar any such marriage. In addition, the tale is very likely simply a later invention, inspired by the marriage of Thekla to Michael the Amorian. A son by the name of Bryennios or Bryenes is known, who held a high official post in 813. An unnamed, unmarried daughter is recorded, as well as several other unnamed younger children, in 803; along with Domenika, they were left a part of Bardanes's fortune, part of which was donated to the poor, and the rest used to found a small monastery in Constantinople, where they retired.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
705–803), was a Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
general of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
origin who launched an unsuccessful rebellion against Emperor Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I, Logothetes or Genikos was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska....
(r. 802–811) in 803. Although a major supporter of Byzantine empress Irene of Athens (r. 797–802), soon after her overthrow he was appointed by Nikephoros as commander-in-chief of the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n armies. From this position, he launched a revolt in July 803, probably in opposition to Nikephoros's economic and religious policies. His troops marched towards Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, but failed to win popular support. At this point, some of his major supporters deserted him and, reluctant to engage the loyalist forces in battle, Bardanes gave up and chose to surrender himself. He retired as a monk to a monastery he had founded. There he was blinded, possibly on Nikephoros's orders.
Origin and early career
Hellenization
Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of ancient Greek culture, and, to a lesser extent, language. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon...
form of Vardan), whilst his sobriquet "Tourkos", which was bestowed upon him, probably disparagingly, only after his revolt, could suggest a Khazar origin.
Bardanes is probably identical with the patrikios Bardanios who appears in the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
in the mid-790s. In 795, he was Domestic of the Schools
Domestic of the Schools
The Domestic of the Schools was a senior Byzantine military office, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally simply the commander of the Scholai, the senior of the elite tagmata regiments, the Domestic quickly rose in prominence: by the mid-9th century, its...
, and was dispatched to arrest the monk Plato of Sakkoudion for his public opposition to the second marriage of Emperor Constantine VI (r. 780–797) to Plato's niece Theodote
Theodote
Theodote was the second Empress consort of Constantine VI of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Theodote was a member of a distinguished family of Constantinople. Her brother Sergios was mentioned as a hypatos. Their mother Anna was a sister of Theoktiste and her brother Platon...
. In 797, as strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
of the Thracesian Theme
Thracesian Theme
The Thracesian Theme , more properly known as the Theme of the Thracesians , was a Byzantine theme in western Asia Minor , comprising the ancient regions of Ionia, Lydia and parts of Phrygia and Caria....
, this same Bardanios supported the Empress-mother Irene of Athens when she usurped the throne from her son Constantine VI. In 799, he is recorded as one of the four patrikioi who led the horses of the Empress's carriage on the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
procession from the palace to the Church of the Holy Apostles
Church of the Holy Apostles
The Church of the Holy Apostles , also known as the Imperial Polyandreion, was a Christian church built in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, in 550. It was second only to the Church of the Holy Wisdom among the great churches of the capital...
.
Irene herself was overthrown and exiled by the logothetes tou genikou
Logothetes tou genikou
The logothetēs tou genikou , often called genikos logothetēs or simply ho genikos , and usually rendered in English as the General Logothete, was in charge of the "general financial ministry", the genikon [logothesion] of the middle Byzantine Empire.-History and functions:The genikon was...
(finance minister) Nikephoros on 31 October 802. At the time, Bardanes was patrikios and strategos of the Thracesians, but was soon transferred to command the powerful Anatolic Theme
Anatolic Theme
The Anatolic Theme , more properly known as the Theme of the Anatolics was a Byzantine theme in central Asia Minor...
. In the next year, probably in preparation for a campaign against the Arabs after Nikephoros's refusal to continue the annual payment of tribute to the Abbasid Caliphate, the emperor apparently appointed Bardanes to the exceptional post of monostrategos ("single-general", in effect commander-in-chief) of the Empire's five Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n land themes. It must be noted though that this appointment is by no means certain; he is mentioned as monostrategos only by later sources, while near-contemporary ones mention him only as strategos of the Anatolics. It is possible that later sources misinterpreted his title to mean "general of all the East" (Anatole).
Revolt
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....
(r. 786–809), began advancing towards the Byzantine frontier. As Nikephoros had broken his foot in early May, it fell to Bardanes to lead the Byzantine army against the Arabs. He therefore ordered the thematic armies of Anatolia assembled in the Anatolic Theme. In mid-July 803 (the date is variously interpreted by modern scholars as 16, 18 or 19 July), Bardanes was proclaimed emperor by the assembled troops of the Anatolic, Opsician
Opsikion
The Opsician Theme or simply Opsikion was a Byzantine theme located in northwestern Asia Minor . Created from the imperial retinue army, the Opsikion was the largest and most prestigious of the early themes, being located closest to Constantinople...
, Thracesian and Bucellarian
Bucellarian Theme
The Bucellarian Theme , more properly known as the Theme of the Bucellarians was a Byzantine theme in northern Asia Minor...
themes. Crucially, the Armeniac Theme
Armeniac Theme
The Armeniac Theme , more properly the Theme of the Armeniacs was a Byzantine theme located in northeastern Asia Minor .-History:...
, either because of its traditional rivalry with the Anatolics, or because it had not yet joined up with the rest of the army, did not join the uprising. It has also been hypothesized that Bardanes may have participated in the suppression of the Armeniacs' revolt in 793, leaving a memory of hostility amongst its troops. The chroniclers agree that the troops were motivated chiefly by economical concerns: Nikephoros had initiated a strict budgetary policy to shore up the Empire's finances. The emperor had revoked the exemption on inheritance tax for the soldiers, and had apparently left them unpaid for some time as well. Bardanes, on the other hand, had a good reputation in this regard, fairly dividing the booty won from the campaigns against the Arabs amongst the soldiers.
For the motives of Bardanes himself, the situation is less clear. According to the Byzantine chroniclers, he accepted the acclamation only reluctantly, after vainly entreating the soldiers to allow him to leave. According to another story however, before his revolt, Bardanes, accompanied by his three principal associates, Thomas
Thomas the Slav
Thomas the Slav was a 9th-century Byzantine military commander, most notable for leading a wide-scale revolt against Emperor Michael II the Amorian in 820–823....
, Leo the Armenian
Leo V the Armenian
Leo V the Armenian was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 813 to 820. A senior general, he forced his predecessor, Michael I Rangabe, to abdicate and assumed the throne. He ended the decade-long war with the Bulgars, and initiated the second period of Byzantine Iconoclasm...
and Michael the Amorian
Michael II
Michael II , surnamed the Amorian or the Stammerer , reigned as Byzantine emperor from December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, and the first ruler of the Phrygian or Amorian dynasty....
visited a holy man at Philomelion to learn of his prospects. The monk correctly prophesied that his rebellion would fail, that Thomas too would begin a revolt, and that Leo and Michael would reign as emperors. If true and not a later invention, this may suggest that Bardanes planned his revolt beforehand. Aside from any personal ambition, Bardanes was also a member of the landed aristocracy and a devoted iconophile who supported Empress Irene's regime. He has therefore also been seen as the representative of traditional elites' opposition to Nikephoros's policies, both in the confessional area, where the emperor maintained a carefully neutral stance towards both iconoclasts and iconophiles, and in the socio-financial sphere, where new taxes on landed property and the expropriation of ecclesiastical estates hurt their interests. Historian Warren Treadgold further suggested that the revolt was a reaction against Nikephoros's usurpation and aimed, at least ostensibly, at the restoration of Irene. Her death, however, at Lesbos on 8 August deprived the rebels of any claim to legitimacy.
The revolt probably took place at Amorion, the capital of the Anatolic Theme. From there, the rebel army, comprising almost half of the Empire's available military forces, marched north and west, following the military road to Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
and then to Chrysopolis, the town that lay across the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
from the imperial capital, Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. There, Bardanes encamped for eight days, awaiting some revolt against Nikephoros inside the capital in response to his own rebellion. Since this did not materialize, and the populace proved not overtly enthusiastic, he withdrew to the great army base at Malagina
Malagina
Malagina , in later times Melangeia , was a Byzantine district in the valley of the Sangarius river in northern Bithynia, which served as a major encampment and fortified staging area for the Byzantine army...
. There, two of his associates, Michael the Amorian and Leo the Armenian, abandoned him, and were richly rewarded by Nikephoros for their defection: Michael became Count of the Tent, and Leo was appointed commander of the Foederati
Foederati
Foederatus is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the end of the Western Roman Empire...
regiment.
This desertion further discouraged Bardanes, and, reluctant to face the loyalist army in battle, he opted for a negotiated surrender through the mediation of Joseph, the hegumenos of the Kathara monastery who had officiated at Constantine VI's second marriage. Bardanes received a letter signed by the Patriarch
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
Tarasios
Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople
Saint Tarasios was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from December 25, 784 until his death in 806.-Background:...
and several leading senators
Byzantine Senate
The Byzantine Senate or Eastern Roman Senate was the continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries but was increasingly irrelevant until its eventual disappearance in the 13th century....
which guaranteed that neither he nor his subordinates would be punished if they surrendered. As a further guarantee of good faith, Nikephoros sent his own gold cross along with the letter. Satisfied by these assurances, on 8 September Bardanes left his army and, through Nicaea, sought refuge in the monastery of Herakleios at Cius
Cius
Cius or Kios , later renamed Prusias ad Mare after king Prusias I of Bithynia, was an ancient Greek city bordering the Propontis , in Bithynia , and had a long history, being mentioned by Aristotle, and Strabo. It was colonized by the Milesians and became a place of much commercial importance...
. From there, he embarked on a ship that took him to the island of Prote. Taking the monastic name Sabbas, Bardanes then entered a monastery that he had founded there in the past.
Aftermath of the revolt
After Bardanes's retirement, Nikephoros formally dismissed him and confiscated much of his property. The other thematic generals who took part in the revolt were also dismissed from their posts, along with several prominent bishops from western Anatolia, while the soldiers were left unpaid for a year.In December 803 however (Treadgold puts it in 804), a group of "Lycaonia
Lycaonia
In ancient geography, Lycaonia was a large region in the interior of Asia Minor, north of Mount Taurus. It was bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the north by Galatia, on the west by Phrygia and Pisidia, while to the south it extended to the chain of Mount Taurus, where it bordered on the...
n" (possibly Paulician) soldiers disembarked at Prote and blinded Bardanes. It is likely that this was done at the behest of the emperor himself, although in a later public statement before the Senate, Nikephoros swore that he had nothing to do with it. Although most scholars believe in Nikephoros's direct involvement, Treadgold believes that the soldiers acted on their own, since Bardanes was no longer a credible threat to the emperor. At any rate, despite pressure from the Patriarch and the Senate to punish them, and his own pledge to do so, Nikephoros let them go.
Bardanes's revolt temporarily weakened Byzantium, especially in its capability to deal with the Arab threat to the East, but Qasim's invasion was of limited scope, and his father's far larger intervention shortly after also resulted in no major military confrontations. Harun withdrew after a truce was concluded in exchange for a modest sum. Thus the revolt did not seriously affect the army or most of Anatolia. Nevertheless, it is indicative of the soldiers' dissatisfaction with Nikephoros, which would surface again in subsequent years and prove a constant source of trouble throughout his reign.
Family
Bardanes was married to a woman named Domnika, with whom he had several children. TheklaThekla, wife of Michael II
Thekla was the first Empress consort of Michael II of the Byzantine Empire.- Family :According to Theophanes the Confessor, Thekla was the daughter of an unnamed strategos of the Anatolic Theme, where Michael served. On this account, her father has been identified with the general and later rebel...
, the wife of Michael the Amorian, is usually identified with one of them, as Theophanes Continuatus
Theophanes Continuatus
Theophanes Continuatus or Scriptores post Theophanem is the Latin name commonly applied to a collection of historical writings preserved in the 11th-century Vat. gr. 167 manuscript. Its name derives from its role as the continuation, covering the years 813–961, of the chronicle of Theophanes the...
and Genesius
Genesius
Genesius may refer to:*Any of several Saints Genesius*Joseph Genesius, tenth-century Byzantine historian*Genesius Theatre in Reading, Pennsylvania...
record that Bardanes married two of his daughters to Michael the Amorian and another of his aides. Warren Treadgold identifies the second daughter with a woman named or nicknamed Barka, whom he regards as the first wife of Leo the Armenian and whom Leo divorced shortly after his accession in 813 in order to marry Theodosia
Theodosia, wife of Leo V
-Family:Theodosia was the daughter of Arsaber, a Byzantine patrician. The name and rank of her father were recorded by both Genesius and Theophanes Continuatus, the continuation to the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor. The name of her mother is unknown....
. She would then be the real mother of Leo's firstborn son, Symbatios/Constantine
Constantine (son of Leo V)
Symbatios , variously also Sabbatios or Sambates in some sources, was the eldest son of the Byzantine emperor Leo V the Armenian . Soon after the coronation of his father, he was crowned co-emperor and renamed Constantine...
. Theodosia, however, is the only clearly attested wife of Leo, and there is no evidence for a divorce and re-marriage. Leo is also named the "cousin" of Bardanes, but it is unclear whether this is literal or in the meaning of "brother in law". If the former is the case, the familial relationship alone would bar any such marriage. In addition, the tale is very likely simply a later invention, inspired by the marriage of Thekla to Michael the Amorian. A son by the name of Bryennios or Bryenes is known, who held a high official post in 813. An unnamed, unmarried daughter is recorded, as well as several other unnamed younger children, in 803; along with Domenika, they were left a part of Bardanes's fortune, part of which was donated to the poor, and the rest used to found a small monastery in Constantinople, where they retired.