Domentziolus (nephew of Phocas)
Encyclopedia
Domentziolus or Domnitziolus (Greek: Δομνιτζίολος) was a nephew of the Byzantine emperor Phocas
(r.
602–610), appointed curopalates
and general in the East during his uncle's reign. He was one of the senior Byzantine military leaders during the opening stages of the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628. His defeats opened the way for the fall of Mesopotamia
and Armenia
and the invasion of Anatolia
by the Persians. In 610, Phocas was overthrown by Heraclius
, and Domentziolus was captured but escaped serious harm.
and another also named Domentziolus
, who has sometimes been suggested as the younger Domentziolus's father. Shortly after the accession of Phocas, in 603, the younger Domentziolus was raised to the titles of vir gloriosissimus, patricius and curopalates
.
Domentziolus, however, is better known as a general in the Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628
. Phocas's elevation to the throne had not been recognized by neither the Sassanid Persian shah Khosrau II
, nor by Narses
, the Byzantine governor of the province of Mesopotamia
. The two had allied against Phocas, with Narses gathering his forces in Edessa
, while waiting for Sassanid reinforcements. In 604, Phocas appointed Domentziolus as magister militum per Orientem and sent him against the Persians. His predecessors Germanus
and Leontius had both been defeated, the former killed in battle and the latter recalled and imprisoned by Phocas.
According to the Life of St. Theodore of Syceon, Domentziolus fell into a Persian ambush but was able to escape. In 604/605, he also surrounded Narses and his troops, and persuaded him to surrender on guarantees of his personal safety. Phocas, nonetheless, had Narses executed by burning him alive. At about the same time, Dara
, an important Byzantine city in Mesopotamia, fell to the Persians. Khosrau was encouraged to cease simply raiding the Byzantine provinces, instead attempting to conquer them. In 607, he launched concurrent invasions on Mesopotamia and Armenia
.
With the Byzantine forces at the Persian front having already suffered heavy casualties in previous confrontations, Domentziolus was unable to oppose the Sassanid raids during 605. There was also little chance of further reinforcements. Phocas had concluded peace treaties with the Lombards
and Avars
in an attempt to secure control of his provinces in the Italian Peninsula
and the Balkans
. He had already stripped the Balkans of most of their military forces, reassigning them to the Persian front. But this policy had backfired with the undermanned Balkans facing a Slavic
invasion, notably endangering Thessalonica
.
While one Persian force, under Shahrbaraz
, was able to secure control of Amida
, Domentziolus concentrated his efforts on a second one under Shahin Vahmanzadegan. He was heavily defeated in the vicinity of Theodosiopolis (modern Erzurum
), and the Persians were able to recover most of Persarmenia
, which had been ceded to Byzantium in 591. In 608, Shahrbaraz and Shahin continued their respective efforts to conquer Mesopotamia and Armenia.
By 609, the Sassanid conquest of Mesopotamia and Armenia was mostly complete. Shahin next led an invasion of Cappadocia
. Domentziolus's forces were bypassed, while another kinsman of Phocas, called Sergius, attempted to face the invaders and was killed in combat. Sergius was possibly magister militum per Armeniam. Shahin managed to capture Caesarea Mazaca (modern Kayseri
), the main city of the area. His forces were then able to make raids "all the way to Chalcedon
" in Bithynia
, in the vicinity of Constantinople
.
under Heraclius the Elder
had revolted against Phocas. The situation in 609–610 was quickly becoming dire for Domentziolus and all Phocas loyalists. Their defense against the Sassanids had failed. There were Persian forces in Mesopotamia, Armenia, Syria
and the Anatolian
provinces. Rebel Byzantine forces held Africa and Egypt. Slavs were occupying northern Illyricum
. In Thessalonica and various towns of Anatolia and Syria, the Blues and Greens were settling their differences with open conflict. In areas of Syria, the Jews
were revolting and lynching Christians. Even in Constantinople, the crowds taunted Phocas for his love of liquor
, implying alcoholism
.
In 610, Shahrbaraz was approaching Antioch
. But the Persian front was not the immediate threat: the rebels of Africa were. Having secured control of Egypt, they proceeded to invade Syria and Cyprus
while a large fleet under Heraclius the Younger
, a son of the exarch, set sail for Constantinople. Supporters from Sicily
, Crete
and Thessalonica were joining his campaign. The rebels reached Constantinople in October 610. The only forces available to Phocas to defend the city were the Excubitors
of his bodyguard and the irregular forces of the Blues and Greens, the city's racing factions. Priscus
, the commander of the Excubitors, chose the moment to reveal his allegiance to Heraclius, having apparently secretly conspired for some time. The Greens also changed sides. Constantinople fell with relative ease.
Heraclius the Younger became the new Byzantine emperor. Phocas was executed, along with several of his kinsmen and loyalists. Domentziolus too was sentenced to death, but was pardoned and released after the intercession of Theodore of Syceon. Nothing further is known of him after that.
of Theodore of Syceon, Domentziolus was married to a lady named Irene, and had three sons. Elizabeth Dawes summarizes the tale given as following: "Domnitziolus, patrician and curopalates, asks Theodore to visit him in Arcadianae
. His wife Eirene has no children: the saint blesses her and promises her three children - and they will be boys. All the male and female slaves of the household are brought to Theodore for his blessing. A slave girl had long been ill, troubled by a hidden demon. He beats on her breast and the demon declares itself. Then the Saint laying her on the ground Put his foot on her neck, turned his eyes to the east and uttered a silent prayer. At the end of his prayer he recited aloud the doxology of the Holy Trinity. For some time the slave girl remained speechless and then was completely cured. Later Eirene gave birth to three sons, as the Saint had prophesied. The conception of her first son immediately followed the Saint's prayer. Emperor and Patriarch say farewell to Theodore and he returns to his monastery." Since Theodore died by 613, the tale would have to occur prior to this date.
Phocas
Phocas was Byzantine Emperor from 602 to 610. He usurped the throne from the Emperor Maurice, and was himself overthrown by Heraclius after losing a civil war.-Origins:...
(r.
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
602–610), appointed curopalates
Curopalates
Kouropalatēs, Latinized as curopalates or curopalata and Anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to that of the Komnenoi in the 12th century...
and general in the East during his uncle's reign. He was one of the senior Byzantine military leaders during the opening stages of the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628. His defeats opened the way for the fall of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and the invasion of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
by the Persians. In 610, Phocas was overthrown by Heraclius
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
, and Domentziolus was captured but escaped serious harm.
Background
The exact parentage of Domentziolus is unclear: Phocas had two other known brothers, ComentiolusComentiolus (brother of Phocas)
Comentiolus or Komentiolos was the brother of the Byzantine emperor Phocas .Nothing is known of his early life except that he was the son of Domentzia, along with Phocas and the later magister officiorum Domentziolus...
and another also named Domentziolus
Domentziolus (brother of Phocas)
Domentziolus or Domnitziolus was a brother of the Byzantine emperor Phocas .Phocas and his family were likely of Thraco-Roman origin. Phocas and Domentziolus' mother was named Domentzia. A third brother is known, named Comentiolus.In 603, Phocas appointed Domentziolus as his magister officiorum,...
, who has sometimes been suggested as the younger Domentziolus's father. Shortly after the accession of Phocas, in 603, the younger Domentziolus was raised to the titles of vir gloriosissimus, patricius and curopalates
Curopalates
Kouropalatēs, Latinized as curopalates or curopalata and Anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to that of the Komnenoi in the 12th century...
.
General in the East
Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628
The Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628 was the final and most devastating of the series of wars fought between the Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire. The previous war had ended in 591 after Emperor Maurice had helped the Sassanian king Khosrau II regain his throne. In 602, Maurice was murdered...
. Phocas's elevation to the throne had not been recognized by neither the Sassanid Persian shah Khosrau II
Khosrau II
250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II (Khosrow II, Chosroes II, or Xosrov II in classical sources, sometimes called Parvez, "the Ever Victorious" – (in Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
, nor by Narses
Narses (general under Maurice)
Narses was a Byzantine general of Armenian ancestry active during the reigns of the emperors Maurice and Phocas in the late sixth and early seventh centuries. He commanded the army in Mesopotamia under Maurice; when Phocas overthrew Maurice and seized the throne, Narses refused to recognize the...
, the Byzantine governor of the province of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia (Roman province)
Mesopotamia was the name of two distinct Roman provinces, the one a short-lived creation of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 116–117 and the other established by Emperor Septimius Severus in ca. 198, which lasted until the Muslim conquests of the 7th century....
. The two had allied against Phocas, with Narses gathering his forces in Edessa
Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...
, while waiting for Sassanid reinforcements. In 604, Phocas appointed Domentziolus as magister militum per Orientem and sent him against the Persians. His predecessors Germanus
Germanus (general under Phocas)
Germanus was a Byzantine general who served under Emperor Phocas in the early stages of the Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628....
and Leontius had both been defeated, the former killed in battle and the latter recalled and imprisoned by Phocas.
According to the Life of St. Theodore of Syceon, Domentziolus fell into a Persian ambush but was able to escape. In 604/605, he also surrounded Narses and his troops, and persuaded him to surrender on guarantees of his personal safety. Phocas, nonetheless, had Narses executed by burning him alive. At about the same time, Dara
Dara (Mesopotamia)
Dara or Daras was an important East Roman fortress city in northern Mesopotamia on the border with the Sassanid Empire. Because of its great strategic importance, it featured prominently in the Roman-Persian conflicts of the 6th century, with the famous Battle of Dara taking place before its walls...
, an important Byzantine city in Mesopotamia, fell to the Persians. Khosrau was encouraged to cease simply raiding the Byzantine provinces, instead attempting to conquer them. In 607, he launched concurrent invasions on Mesopotamia and Armenia
Byzantine Armenia
Byzantine Armenia is the name given to the Armenian part of the Byzantine Empire. The size of the territory varied over time, depending on the degree of control the Byzantines had over Armenia....
.
With the Byzantine forces at the Persian front having already suffered heavy casualties in previous confrontations, Domentziolus was unable to oppose the Sassanid raids during 605. There was also little chance of further reinforcements. Phocas had concluded peace treaties with the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
and Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
in an attempt to secure control of his provinces in the Italian Peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. He had already stripped the Balkans of most of their military forces, reassigning them to the Persian front. But this policy had backfired with the undermanned Balkans facing a Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
invasion, notably endangering Thessalonica
History of Thessaloniki
The history of the city of Thessaloniki is a long one, dating back to the Ancient Greeks. Today with the opening of borders in Southeastern Europe, since the collapse of Communism in the early 1990s, it is currently experiencing a strong revival, serving as the prime port for the northern Greek...
.
While one Persian force, under Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz or Shahrwaraz was a general, with the rank of Eran Spahbod under Khosrau II . His name was Farrokhan, and Shahrbaraz was his title...
, was able to secure control of Amida
Amida (Roman city)
Amida was an ancient city located where modern Diyarbakır, Turkey. The Roman writers Ammianus Marcellinus and Procopius consider it a city of Mesopotamia, but it may be more properly viewed as belonging to Armenia Major....
, Domentziolus concentrated his efforts on a second one under Shahin Vahmanzadegan. He was heavily defeated in the vicinity of Theodosiopolis (modern Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
), and the Persians were able to recover most of Persarmenia
Persarmenia
Nor-Shirakan or Persarmenia , also known as Adiabene, was part of Greater Armenia, but now situated on the western shore of Lake Urmia in northern Iran. Following the partition of Greater Armenia between the Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire in 387, the territory under Sassanid influence became to...
, which had been ceded to Byzantium in 591. In 608, Shahrbaraz and Shahin continued their respective efforts to conquer Mesopotamia and Armenia.
By 609, the Sassanid conquest of Mesopotamia and Armenia was mostly complete. Shahin next led an invasion of Cappadocia
Cappadocia (Roman province)
Cappadocia was a province of the Roman empire in Anatolia , with its capital at Caesarea. It was established in 17 AD by the emperor Tiberius , following the death of Cappadocia's last king, Archelaus. It was an imperial province, meaning that its governor was directly appointed by the emperor...
. Domentziolus's forces were bypassed, while another kinsman of Phocas, called Sergius, attempted to face the invaders and was killed in combat. Sergius was possibly magister militum per Armeniam. Shahin managed to capture Caesarea Mazaca (modern Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
), the main city of the area. His forces were then able to make raids "all the way to Chalcedon
Chalcedon
Chalcedon , sometimes transliterated as Chalkedon) was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor, almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari . It is now a district of the city of Istanbul named Kadıköy...
" in Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
, in the vicinity of 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:...
.
Downfall of the regime
Meanwhile, another front had opened. The Exarchate of AfricaExarchate of Africa
The Exarchate of Africa or of Carthage, after its capital, was the name of an administrative division of the Eastern Roman Empire encompassing its possessions on the Western Mediterranean, ruled by an exarch, or viceroy...
under Heraclius the Elder
Heraclius the Elder
Heraclius the Elder was an East Roman general and the father of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius . Of Armenian origin, the elder Heraclius distinguished himself in the wars against the Sassanid Persians in the 580s. Ca. 600, he was appointed as the Exarch of Africa. In 608, he rebelled with his son...
had revolted against Phocas. The situation in 609–610 was quickly becoming dire for Domentziolus and all Phocas loyalists. Their defense against the Sassanids had failed. There were Persian forces in Mesopotamia, Armenia, Syria
Syria (Roman province)
Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
and the Anatolian
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
provinces. Rebel Byzantine forces held Africa and Egypt. Slavs were occupying northern Illyricum
Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum
The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.The administrative centre of the prefecture was Sirmium , and, after 379, Thessalonica...
. In Thessalonica and various towns of Anatolia and Syria, the Blues and Greens were settling their differences with open conflict. In areas of Syria, the Jews
Jews of the Byzantine Empire
The history of the Jews in the Byzantine Empire has been well-recorded and preserved.-Background and legal standing:The juridical standing of the Jews of the Byzantine Empire was unique during the entire history of the Empire; they did not belong to the Christian Eastern Orthodox faith, which was...
were revolting and lynching Christians. Even in Constantinople, the crowds taunted Phocas for his love of liquor
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, implying alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
In 610, Shahrbaraz was approaching Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
. But the Persian front was not the immediate threat: the rebels of Africa were. Having secured control of Egypt, they proceeded to invade Syria and Cyprus
Cyprus in the Middle Ages
The Medieval history of Cyprus starts with the division of the Roman Empire into an Eastern and Western half.-Byzantine period:After the division of the Roman Empire into an eastern half and a western half, Cyprus came under the rule of Byzantium...
while a large fleet under Heraclius the Younger
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
, a son of the exarch, set sail for Constantinople. Supporters from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and Thessalonica were joining his campaign. The rebels reached Constantinople in October 610. The only forces available to Phocas to defend the city were the Excubitors
Excubitors
The Excubitors were founded in circa 460 AD as the imperial guards of the early Byzantine emperors. Their commanders soon acquired great influence and provided a series of emperors in the 6th century...
of his bodyguard and the irregular forces of the Blues and Greens, the city's racing factions. Priscus
Priscus (general)
Priscus was a leading East Roman general during the reigns of the Byzantine emperors Maurice , Phocas and Heraclius . Although the contemporary sources are markedly biased in his favour, Priscus comes across as an effective and capable military leader...
, the commander of the Excubitors, chose the moment to reveal his allegiance to Heraclius, having apparently secretly conspired for some time. The Greens also changed sides. Constantinople fell with relative ease.
Heraclius the Younger became the new Byzantine emperor. Phocas was executed, along with several of his kinsmen and loyalists. Domentziolus too was sentenced to death, but was pardoned and released after the intercession of Theodore of Syceon. Nothing further is known of him after that.
Family
According to the hagiographyHagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of Theodore of Syceon, Domentziolus was married to a lady named Irene, and had three sons. Elizabeth Dawes summarizes the tale given as following: "Domnitziolus, patrician and curopalates, asks Theodore to visit him in Arcadianae
Eminönü
Eminönü is a former district of Istanbul in Turkey, now a neighbourhood of Fatih district. This is the heart of the walled city of Constantine, the focus of a history of incredible richness. Eminönü covers the point on which the Byzantine capital was built. The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn...
. His wife Eirene has no children: the saint blesses her and promises her three children - and they will be boys. All the male and female slaves of the household are brought to Theodore for his blessing. A slave girl had long been ill, troubled by a hidden demon. He beats on her breast and the demon declares itself. Then the Saint laying her on the ground Put his foot on her neck, turned his eyes to the east and uttered a silent prayer. At the end of his prayer he recited aloud the doxology of the Holy Trinity. For some time the slave girl remained speechless and then was completely cured. Later Eirene gave birth to three sons, as the Saint had prophesied. The conception of her first son immediately followed the Saint's prayer. Emperor and Patriarch say farewell to Theodore and he returns to his monastery." Since Theodore died by 613, the tale would have to occur prior to this date.