Kalokyros
Encyclopedia
Kalokyros (died 971) was a pretender to the Byzantine
throne during the Russo-Byzantine Wars in the reigns of Nikephoros II
and John I Tzimiskes
.
According to the historians John Skylitzes
and Leo the Deacon
, Kalokyros was the son of a strategos
of Chersonesos. In 967 or 968, Nikephoros II
bestowed upon him the title of patrician and dispatched to the court of Sviatoslav I of Kiev
in order to persuade him to launch an invasion of the First Bulgarian Empire
, with which Byzantium was at war. Kalokyros was to pay to Sviatoslav 15,000 pounds of gold to defray the expense of the voyage.
The Greek historians also allege that Sviatoslav agreed to support Kalokyros in his ambition of gaining the imperial throne, while Kalokyros promised to reward Sviatoslav with "great, incalculable treasures from the imperial coffers" and to acknowledge his conquest of Bulgaria. During the following Russo-Byzantine conflict, Kalokyros (whom Sviatoslav reportedly loved and respected as his own brother) was captured by the Greeks at Preslav
and put to death.
The Kievan mission of Kalokyros may be the subject of an obscure record inscribed on the blank pages of a 10th-century Byzantine codex. In this document, a Greek toparch recounts his passage through the hostile country north of the Black Sea
sometime between 964 and 967. Sakharov
believes that the document describes Kalokyros's return from Kiev through Berezan Island
to Crimea
, although the accuracy of this interpretation is open to question.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
throne during the Russo-Byzantine Wars in the reigns of Nikephoros II
Nikephoros II
Nikephoros II Phokas was a Byzantine Emperor whose brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of Byzantine Empire in the tenth century.-Early exploits:...
and John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, was Byzantine Emperor from December 11, 969 to January 10, 976. A brilliant and intuitive general, John's short reign saw the expansion of the empire's borders and the strengthening of Byzantium itself.- Background :...
.
According to the historians John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
and Leo the Deacon
Leo the Deacon
Leo the Deacon was a Byzantine Roman historian and chronicler.He was born around 950 at Kaloe in Asia Minor, and was educated in Constantinople, where he became a deacon in the imperial palace. While in Constantinople he wrote a history covering the reigns of Romanus II, Nicepheros II, John...
, Kalokyros was the son of a 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 Chersonesos. In 967 or 968, Nikephoros II
Nikephoros II
Nikephoros II Phokas was a Byzantine Emperor whose brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of Byzantine Empire in the tenth century.-Early exploits:...
bestowed upon him the title of patrician and dispatched to the court of Sviatoslav I of Kiev
Sviatoslav I of Kiev
Sviatoslav I Igorevich ; , also spelled Svyatoslav, was a prince of Rus...
in order to persuade him to launch an invasion of the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
, with which Byzantium was at war. Kalokyros was to pay to Sviatoslav 15,000 pounds of gold to defray the expense of the voyage.
The Greek historians also allege that Sviatoslav agreed to support Kalokyros in his ambition of gaining the imperial throne, while Kalokyros promised to reward Sviatoslav with "great, incalculable treasures from the imperial coffers" and to acknowledge his conquest of Bulgaria. During the following Russo-Byzantine conflict, Kalokyros (whom Sviatoslav reportedly loved and respected as his own brother) was captured by the Greeks at Preslav
Preslav
Preslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
and put to death.
The Kievan mission of Kalokyros may be the subject of an obscure record inscribed on the blank pages of a 10th-century Byzantine codex. In this document, a Greek toparch recounts his passage through the hostile country north 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...
sometime between 964 and 967. Sakharov
Andrey Nikolayevich Sakharov
Andrey Nikolayevich Sakharov is an anti-Normanist Russian and Soviet historian.His major monographs include The Diplomacy of Ancient Rus and its sequel, The Diplomacy of Svyatoslav...
believes that the document describes Kalokyros's return from Kiev through Berezan Island
Berezan Island
Berezan is an island in the Black Sea at the entrance of the Dnieper-Bug estuary, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. The island measures approximately 900 metres in length by 320 metres in width...
to Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, although the accuracy of this interpretation is open to question.