Isaurian War
Encyclopedia
The Isaurian War was a conflict that lasted from 492 to 497 and that was fought between the army of the Eastern Roman Empire and the rebels of Isauria
. At the end of the war, Eastern Emperor Anastasius I
regained the control of the Isauria region and the leaders of the revolt were killed.
(r. 408–450) people from Isauria
, a poor and mountainous province in Asia Minor, reached for the first time high office in the Eastern Roman Empire. Emperor Leo I
(r. 457–474) deliberately promoted Isaurians to important posts in the civil and military administration as a counterbalance the power of the hitherto all-powerful Germanic elements. The Isaurians however were despised as semi-barbarians by the people of Constantinople
, who in 473 rose in an anti-Isaurian revolt in the Hippodrome
and in 475 overthrew the newly-crowned Isaurian emperor Zeno
(r. 474–475 and 476–491), killing all the Isaurians in the city in the process.
But Zeno returned to the throne the following year (476), and this time held the throne until his death in 491. Obviously under this emperor his fellow Isaurians prospered, and the opposition to them, although growing, had no chance to express itself. During this period, in 484, the Isaurian magister militum
Illus
rebelled against Zeno and fled to the East, where he supported the usurpation of Leontius
. That however ended in 488 with the capture and execution of both rebel leaders.
died and was succeeded by the silentiarius
Anastasius I
, chosen by the Empress Ariadne
. During the brief interregnum, the Constantinopolitan populace had made its views on the succession clear by cries in the Hippodrome demanding a "Roman emperor", thus rejecting the possible succession of Longinus
, Zeno's brother. In the same year, anti-Isaurian riots broke out in the Hippodrome, and Anastasius exiled Longinus the brother of Zeno, and several other Isaurians, including general Longinus of Cardala
.
In 492 the Isaurians began a revolt, but in the same year their joint forces were defeated by the Roman army, led by generals John the Scythian
and John Gibbo (John the Hunchback
), at Kotyaion in Phrygia (battle of Cotyaeum
). The Isaurian survivors took refuge in the mountain strongholds of their country and kept waging war.
In 493 the Roman general Diogenianus captured Claudiopolis
but was besieged there by the Isaurians, led by the ex-bishop Conon. To his help came John Gibbo who forced the passes and, helped by a sortie of Diogenianus', won an overwhelming victory against the Isaurians, in which Conon died.
From 494 to 497 the Isaurians closed themselves in their fortresses in the Isaurian mountains, where they were kept supplied by Longinus of Selinus
through the port of Antioch
.
In 497 John the Scythian killed Longinus of Cardala and Athenodorus, whose heads were exposed on a spear in Tarsus
, thus effectively ending the war. In 498, John Gibbo captured the last enemy leaders, Longinus of Selinus
and Indes, and sent them to the Emperor, who paraded them along the main road
of Constantinople to the Hippodrome, where they had to perform the proskynesis
in front of the imperial kathisma
.
told the Patriarch Euphemius
that he was tired of war. Euphemius reported this to John, the son-in-law of the Isaurian leader Athenodorus, who referred it back to Anastasius. The emperor had come into conflict with Euphemius before ascending to the throne; furthermore, Anastasius, who had Monophysite sympathies, had been forced by Euphemius to sign a declaration of orthodoxy before being crowned. For these reasons he decided to accuse Euphemius of treason for revealing plans to the enemy. In 496, Euphemius was excommunicated and deposed.
After the war Anastasius rewarded his generals with the consulship: John the Scythian
held the post in 498 and John Gibbo
in 499. Anastasius also ordered architect Aetherius to build the Chalke Gate to the Great Palace of Constantinople
to celebrate the victory, and the poet Christodorus
commemorated the war in a now-lost poem in six books, entitled Isaurica.
Isauria
Isauria , in ancient geography, is a rugged isolated district in the interior of South Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya province of Turkey, or the core of the Taurus Mountains. In...
. At the end of the war, Eastern Emperor Anastasius I
Anastasius I (emperor)
Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
regained the control of the Isauria region and the leaders of the revolt were killed.
Background
During the reign of Theodosius IITheodosius II
Theodosius II , commonly surnamed Theodosius the Younger, or Theodosius the Calligrapher, was Byzantine Emperor from 408 to 450. He is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian law code, and for the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople...
(r. 408–450) people from Isauria
Isauria
Isauria , in ancient geography, is a rugged isolated district in the interior of South Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya province of Turkey, or the core of the Taurus Mountains. In...
, a poor and mountainous province in Asia Minor, reached for the first time high office in the Eastern Roman Empire. Emperor Leo I
Leo I (emperor)
Leo I was Byzantine Emperor from 457 to 474. A native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace, he was known as Leo the Thracian ....
(r. 457–474) deliberately promoted Isaurians to important posts in the civil and military administration as a counterbalance the power of the hitherto all-powerful Germanic elements. The Isaurians however were despised as semi-barbarians by the people 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:...
, who in 473 rose in an anti-Isaurian revolt in the Hippodrome
Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving...
and in 475 overthrew the newly-crowned Isaurian emperor Zeno
Zeno (emperor)
Zeno , originally named Tarasis, was Byzantine Emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues...
(r. 474–475 and 476–491), killing all the Isaurians in the city in the process.
But Zeno returned to the throne the following year (476), and this time held the throne until his death in 491. Obviously under this emperor his fellow Isaurians prospered, and the opposition to them, although growing, had no chance to express itself. During this period, in 484, the Isaurian magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
Illus
Illus
Illus was a Byzantine general, who played an important role in the reigns of the Byzantine Emperors Zeno and Basiliscus.Illus supported the revolt of Basiliscus against Zeno, then switched sides, supporting the return of Zeno...
rebelled against Zeno and fled to the East, where he supported the usurpation of Leontius
Leontius (usurper)
Leontius was a general of the Eastern Roman Empire and claimant to the throne who led a rebellion against emperor Zeno in 484–488.- Biography :Leontius was of Syrian origin, coming from Dalisandus...
. That however ended in 488 with the capture and execution of both rebel leaders.
Conflict
In 491 the emperor ZenoZeno (emperor)
Zeno , originally named Tarasis, was Byzantine Emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues...
died and was succeeded by the silentiarius
Silentiarius
Silentiarius, Hellenized to silentiarios and Anglicized to silentiary, was the Latin title given to a class of courtiers in the Byzantine imperial court, responsible for order and silence in the Great Palace of Constantinople...
Anastasius I
Anastasius I (emperor)
Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
, chosen by the Empress Ariadne
Ariadne (empress)
Aelia Ariadne was the Empress consort of Zeno and Anastasius I of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Ariadne was a daughter of Leo I and Verina. Her mother was a sister of Basiliscus....
. During the brief interregnum, the Constantinopolitan populace had made its views on the succession clear by cries in the Hippodrome demanding a "Roman emperor", thus rejecting the possible succession of Longinus
Longinus (consul 486)
Flavius Longinus was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, brother of Emperor Zeno and twice consul .- Biography :Longinus came from the region of Isauria, in Asia Minor...
, Zeno's brother. In the same year, anti-Isaurian riots broke out in the Hippodrome, and Anastasius exiled Longinus the brother of Zeno, and several other Isaurians, including general Longinus of Cardala
Longinus of Cardala
Longinus of Cardala or Longinus the Bald was a high-ranking Eastern Roman Empire official and rebel leader from Isauria.- Biography :...
.
In 492 the Isaurians began a revolt, but in the same year their joint forces were defeated by the Roman army, led by generals John the Scythian
John the Scythian
John the Scythian was a general and a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire who fought against the usurper Leontius and in the Isaurian War .- Biography :John was an officer of the East Roman army...
and John Gibbo (John the Hunchback
John the Hunchback
John the Hunchback or John Gibbo was a general and a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire.- Biography :John was a native of Selymbria, modern Silivri in Turkey....
), at Kotyaion in Phrygia (battle of Cotyaeum
Battle of Cotyaeum
The Battle of Cotyaeum of 492 was fought in Phrygia Epictetus between the rebel Isaurian army led by Longinus of Cardala and the Eastern Roman army of Emperor Anastasius led by John the Scythian and John the Hunchback .The rebel forces were...
). The Isaurian survivors took refuge in the mountain strongholds of their country and kept waging war.
In 493 the Roman general Diogenianus captured Claudiopolis
Claudiopolis (Cappadocia)
Claudiopolis was an ancient city of Cappadocia mentioned by Pliny . From its name one can adduce that it was named for Roman emperor Claudius....
but was besieged there by the Isaurians, led by the ex-bishop Conon. To his help came John Gibbo who forced the passes and, helped by a sortie of Diogenianus', won an overwhelming victory against the Isaurians, in which Conon died.
From 494 to 497 the Isaurians closed themselves in their fortresses in the Isaurian mountains, where they were kept supplied by Longinus of Selinus
Longinus of Selinus
Longinus of Selinus was one of the Isaurian leaders in the Isaurian War of 492–497.- Biography :The Isaurian War started as a revolt of the Isaurians against the Empire after the emperor of Isaurian origin Zeno had died and had been succeeded not by his brother, the Isaurian Longinus but by the...
through the port of 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...
.
In 497 John the Scythian killed Longinus of Cardala and Athenodorus, whose heads were exposed on a spear in Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
, thus effectively ending the war. In 498, John Gibbo captured the last enemy leaders, Longinus of Selinus
Longinus of Selinus
Longinus of Selinus was one of the Isaurian leaders in the Isaurian War of 492–497.- Biography :The Isaurian War started as a revolt of the Isaurians against the Empire after the emperor of Isaurian origin Zeno had died and had been succeeded not by his brother, the Isaurian Longinus but by the...
and Indes, and sent them to the Emperor, who paraded them along the main road
Mese (Constantinople)
The Mese was the main thoroughfare of ancient Constantinople . The street was the main scene of Byzantine imperial processions. Its ancient course is largely followed by the modern Divanyolu Avenue.- Description :...
of Constantinople to the Hippodrome, where they had to perform the proskynesis
Proskynesis
Proskynesis refers to the traditional Persian act of prostrating oneself before a person of higher social rank....
in front of the imperial kathisma
Kathisma
A Kathisma , literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used by Eastern Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics who follow the Byzantine Rite...
.
Aftermath
In 495, the Emperor Anastasius IAnastasius I (emperor)
Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
told the Patriarch Euphemius
Patriarch Euphemius of Constantinople
Euphemius of Constantinople was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople . Theophanes calls him Euthymius. Prior to his appointment, Euphemius was a presbyter of Constantinople, administrator of a hospital for the poor at Neapolis, unsuspected of any Eutychian leanings, and is described as learned...
that he was tired of war. Euphemius reported this to John, the son-in-law of the Isaurian leader Athenodorus, who referred it back to Anastasius. The emperor had come into conflict with Euphemius before ascending to the throne; furthermore, Anastasius, who had Monophysite sympathies, had been forced by Euphemius to sign a declaration of orthodoxy before being crowned. For these reasons he decided to accuse Euphemius of treason for revealing plans to the enemy. In 496, Euphemius was excommunicated and deposed.
After the war Anastasius rewarded his generals with the consulship: John the Scythian
John the Scythian
John the Scythian was a general and a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire who fought against the usurper Leontius and in the Isaurian War .- Biography :John was an officer of the East Roman army...
held the post in 498 and John Gibbo
John the Hunchback
John the Hunchback or John Gibbo was a general and a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire.- Biography :John was a native of Selymbria, modern Silivri in Turkey....
in 499. Anastasius also ordered architect Aetherius to build the Chalke Gate to the Great Palace of Constantinople
Great Palace of Constantinople
The Great Palace of Constantinople — also known as the Sacred Palace — was the large Imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula now known as "Old Istanbul", modern Turkey...
to celebrate the victory, and the poet Christodorus
Christodorus
Christodorus , a Greek epic poet from Coptos in Egypt, flourished during the reign of Anastasius I .According to Suidas, he was the author of Patria , accounts of the foundation, history and antiquities of various cities; Lydiaka , the mythical history of Lydia; Isaurica Christodorus , a Greek epic...
commemorated the war in a now-lost poem in six books, entitled Isaurica.