David Komnenos
Encyclopedia
David Komnenos (c. 1184 – 1212) was one of the founders of the Empire of Trebizond
and its joint ruler together with his brother Alexios until his death.
and of Rusudan
, daughter of George III of Georgia
. He was a grandson of the Emperor Andronikos I
. Andronikos was dethroned and killed in 1185; his son Manuel was blinded and may well have died; at any rate he disappears from the historical record. He left two children, the Caesars
Alexios
and David. Their mother Rusundan fled either to Georgia
or to the southern coast of the Black Sea
.
, Komnenos, with the aid of the Georgian Alexios, who was then twenty two, David captured the city of Trebizond. While Alexios settled down in Trebizond to establish the empire earning himself the sneer of being "a proverbial Hylas
, called after and not seen", David continued on as the "herald and forerunner" of his brother seizing the cities of Kerasus, Oinaion, Limnia, Samsun
, Sinope
, Kotyora, Amastris
, and Pontic Herakleia. Without a doubt his march was aided by his family's popularity in the region since they had originally come from the city of Kastamonu
and also by the news of the fall of Constantinople
to the Latins.
David first started to cause trouble for the emperor of Nicaea
around 1206 when he sent his young general, surnamed Synadenos, to seize the city of Nicomedia
. However because Laskaris led his troops through a rough pass, he caught Synadenos at unawares and captured him, scatttering scattered his forces to the wind. Because of the defeat, in the words of Laskaris's panegyrist Niketas Choniates, he forcibly 'persuaded' David to venture no further than Pontic Herakleia. Later, after the failed Seljuk attempt on Attaleia, Laskaris attacked David in Pontic Herakleia and according to Choniates would have taken the city and forced David to flee from there, had not the Latins laid siege to Nicomedia. Because of this, Laskaris marched off to confront the Latins. They however, unwilling to risk an encounter, had already retreated to Constantinople.
For their temporary aid, David rewarded them with shiploads of corn and hams and also asked the Latin Emperor
of Constantinople to include him as his subject in his treaties and correspondence with Laskaris, and to treat his land as Latin territory. David preferred a nominal Latin suzerainty to annexation by the Nicaean emperor. Having thus secured his position, he crossed the Sangarios with a body of about 300 Frankish auxiliaries, ravaged the villages subject to Laskaris, and took hostages from Plousias. David withdrew, but the Franks, incautiously advancing into the hilly country, were suddenly surprised by Andronikos Gidos, a general of Laskaris, in the Rough Passes of Nicomedia, and scarcely a man of them was left.
In 1208, Laskaris was back at it again laying siege to the Herakleia. However, this time David called for aid sending a messenger to the Latin emperor Henry of Flanders
begging him to help and warning him that if he did not help him, he would suffer a serious defeat. Leaving his marshal in Adrianople to finish rebuilding the city, Henry then set off against Laskaris. When the latter heard that Henry's army was approaching, he quickly abandoned his operations against David and returned to Nicaea. Henry's army might have seized more land in Buthynia, had not an abominably cold winter swept in preventing his troops from advancing any further.
Finally however, Laskaris did succeed in prevailing over David, and the cities of Herakleia, Amastris, Neokastron, and Kotyora were taken from him. What exactly happened to David in the course of this battle is unknown because had Laskaris captured him, it would probably have been recorded in the histories. It seems likely that David might have fled to the Latin emperor, but whatever the case, he himself never saw his brother the emperor Alexios again. On December 12, 1212, David died a monk on Mount Athos
under the monkish name Daniel.
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
and its joint ruler together with his brother Alexios until his death.
Early life
Ηε was the second son of Manuel Komnenos (born 1145)Manuel Komnenos (born 1145)
Manuel Komnenos was the eldest son of Andronikos Komnenos by his first wife, whose name is not recorded....
and of Rusudan
Rusudan, daughter of Giorgi III of Georgia
Rusudan was the younger daughter of King George III of Georgia and of his wife, Burdukhan . Her elder sister was the famous Queen Tamar, who succeeded their father as ruler of Georgia....
, daughter of George III of Georgia
George III of Georgia
Giorgi III , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1156 to 1184. His reign, and that of Tamar, are seen as the 'golden age' of Georgian history, the era of empire, diplomatic success, military triumphs, great learning, cultural, spiritual, and artistic flowering.-Life:He succeeded on...
. He was a grandson of the Emperor Andronikos I
Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos I Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1183 to 1185). He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and grandson of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.-Early years:...
. Andronikos was dethroned and killed in 1185; his son Manuel was blinded and may well have died; at any rate he disappears from the historical record. He left two children, the Caesars
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
Alexios
Alexios I of Trebizond
Alexios I Megas Komnenos or Alexius I Comnenus was Emperor of Trebizond from 1204 to 1222. He was the eldest son of Manuel Komnenos and of Rusudan, daughter of George III of Georgia. He was thus a grandson of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I. Andronikos was dethroned and killed in 1185...
and David. Their mother Rusundan fled either to Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
or to the southern coast of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
.
Capture of Trebizond
In April 1204, while Constantinople was occupied with the landing of the Fourth CrusadeFourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, Komnenos, with the aid of the Georgian Alexios, who was then twenty two, David captured the city of Trebizond. While Alexios settled down in Trebizond to establish the empire earning himself the sneer of being "a proverbial Hylas
Hylas
In Greek mythology, Hylas was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians. Roman sources such as Ovid state that Hylas' father was Hercules and his mother was the nymph Melite, or that his mother was the wife of Theiodamas, whose adulterous affair with Heracles caused the war between him and her...
, called after and not seen", David continued on as the "herald and forerunner" of his brother seizing the cities of Kerasus, Oinaion, Limnia, Samsun
Samsun
Samsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.-Name:...
, Sinope
Sinope
Sinope may refer to:*Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea, historically known as Sinope** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port*Sinope , in Greek mythology, daughter of Asopus*Sinope , a moon of the planet Jupiter...
, Kotyora, Amastris
Amastris
Amastris also called Amastrine, was a Persian Princess. She was the daughter of Oxyathres, the brother of the Persian King Darius III.-Marriages:...
, and Pontic Herakleia. Without a doubt his march was aided by his family's popularity in the region since they had originally come from the city of Kastamonu
Kastamonu
Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of...
and also by the news of the fall of Constantinople
Siege of Constantinople (1204)
The Siege of Constantinople occurred in 1204; it destroyed parts of the capital of the Byzantine Empire as it was confiscated by Western European and Venetian Crusaders...
to the Latins.
David first started to cause trouble for the emperor of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
around 1206 when he sent his young general, surnamed Synadenos, to seize the city of 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...
. However because Laskaris led his troops through a rough pass, he caught Synadenos at unawares and captured him, scatttering scattered his forces to the wind. Because of the defeat, in the words of Laskaris's panegyrist Niketas Choniates, he forcibly 'persuaded' David to venture no further than Pontic Herakleia. Later, after the failed Seljuk attempt on Attaleia, Laskaris attacked David in Pontic Herakleia and according to Choniates would have taken the city and forced David to flee from there, had not the Latins laid siege to Nicomedia. Because of this, Laskaris marched off to confront the Latins. They however, unwilling to risk an encounter, had already retreated to Constantinople.
For their temporary aid, David rewarded them with shiploads of corn and hams and also asked the Latin Emperor
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
of Constantinople to include him as his subject in his treaties and correspondence with Laskaris, and to treat his land as Latin territory. David preferred a nominal Latin suzerainty to annexation by the Nicaean emperor. Having thus secured his position, he crossed the Sangarios with a body of about 300 Frankish auxiliaries, ravaged the villages subject to Laskaris, and took hostages from Plousias. David withdrew, but the Franks, incautiously advancing into the hilly country, were suddenly surprised by Andronikos Gidos, a general of Laskaris, in the Rough Passes of Nicomedia, and scarcely a man of them was left.
In 1208, Laskaris was back at it again laying siege to the Herakleia. However, this time David called for aid sending a messenger to the Latin emperor Henry of Flanders
Henry of Flanders
Henry was the second emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He was a younger son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut , and Margaret I of Flanders, sister of Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders....
begging him to help and warning him that if he did not help him, he would suffer a serious defeat. Leaving his marshal in Adrianople to finish rebuilding the city, Henry then set off against Laskaris. When the latter heard that Henry's army was approaching, he quickly abandoned his operations against David and returned to Nicaea. Henry's army might have seized more land in Buthynia, had not an abominably cold winter swept in preventing his troops from advancing any further.
Finally however, Laskaris did succeed in prevailing over David, and the cities of Herakleia, Amastris, Neokastron, and Kotyora were taken from him. What exactly happened to David in the course of this battle is unknown because had Laskaris captured him, it would probably have been recorded in the histories. It seems likely that David might have fled to the Latin emperor, but whatever the case, he himself never saw his brother the emperor Alexios again. On December 12, 1212, David died a monk on Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
under the monkish name Daniel.