Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes
Encyclopedia
Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes was a Byzantine
aristocrat and general.
and in 1237 gave him command of the recently gained and strategically important fortress of Tzouroulos in Thrace
. From this post, Tarchaneiotes successfully defended the fortress against a combined Latin
-Bulgarian
assault in the same year. Tarchaneiotes later accompanied the emperor on his campaign (in 1241) that took the city of Thessalonica. Considered, according to Akropolites, a skillful general, by 1252 he was placed as acting megas domestikos of the Byzantine army
, succeeding his deceased father-in-law Andronikos Palaiologos. In this capacity he took part in Vatatzes' last campaign, in 1252–1253 against Epirus
.
Tarchaneiotes remained acting megas domestikos into the first part of Theodore II Laskaris
' reign (1254–1258), when the post was conferred onto the new emperor's favourites, the Mouzalon
brothers Andronikos and George
. Being related to the Palaiologoi
by marriage, he supported the rise of his brother-in-law Michael VIII Palaiologos
(r. 1259–1282) to the throne. He was rewarded with the restoration to the rank of megas domestikos (ca. 1260), while his sons too received high state offices. Given that his second wife became a nun ca. 1266, he may have died before that date.
Andronikos Doukas Aprenos, and secondly to Maria-Martha Palaiologina, the eldest sister of Michael VIII Palaiologos.
From his first marriage he had one daughter, known only as "Nestongonissa", from the surname of her otherwise unknown husband (Nestongos). From his second marriage he had four children:
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...
aristocrat and general.
Life
Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes was a scion of the Tarchaneiotes family, who were prominent members of the Byzantine military aristocracy since the late 10th century. Nikephoros first appears in the reign of John III Vatatzes, who named him his epi tes trapezesEpi tes trapezes
The epi tēs trapezēs was a Byzantine court post, responsible for the imperial banquets.-History:The office, more fully known as the domestikos tēs basilikēs trapezēs , epi tēs basilikēs trapezēs or epi tēs trapezēs tou despotou , is first mentioned as extant...
and in 1237 gave him command of the recently gained and strategically important fortress of Tzouroulos in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. From this post, Tarchaneiotes successfully defended the fortress against a combined Latin
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...
-Bulgarian
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
assault in the same year. Tarchaneiotes later accompanied the emperor on his campaign (in 1241) that took the city of Thessalonica. Considered, according to Akropolites, a skillful general, by 1252 he was placed as acting megas domestikos of the Byzantine army
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...
, succeeding his deceased father-in-law Andronikos Palaiologos. In this capacity he took part in Vatatzes' last campaign, in 1252–1253 against Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
.
Tarchaneiotes remained acting megas domestikos into the first part of Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Doukas Laskaris or Ducas Lascaris was emperor of Nicaea, 1254–1258.-Life:Theodore II Doukas Laskaris was the only son of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes and Eirene Laskarina, the daughter of Emperor Theodore I Laskaris and Anna Angelina, a daughter of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and...
' reign (1254–1258), when the post was conferred onto the new emperor's favourites, the Mouzalon
Mouzalon
Mouzalon or Muzalon was the name of a Byzantine family attested in the 11th through 15th centuries, which produced a number of officials and high dignitaries. The family reached its peak in the 1250s, when it enjoyed the patronage of Emperor Theodore II Laskaris , but was largely purged after his...
brothers Andronikos and George
George Mouzalon
George Mouzalon was a high official of the Empire of Nicaea under Theodore II Laskaris . Of humble origin, he became Theodore's companion in childhood and was raised to high state office upon the latter's assumption of power. This caused great resentment from the aristocracy, which had monopolized...
. Being related to the Palaiologoi
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
by marriage, he supported the rise of his brother-in-law Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
(r. 1259–1282) to the throne. He was rewarded with the restoration to the rank of megas domestikos (ca. 1260), while his sons too received high state offices. Given that his second wife became a nun ca. 1266, he may have died before that date.
Family
Tarchaneiotes was married twice, first to a daughter of the protostratorProtostrator
Prōtostratōr was a Byzantine court office, originating as the imperial stable master, which in the last centuries of the Empire evolved into one of the senior military offices...
Andronikos Doukas Aprenos, and secondly to Maria-Martha Palaiologina, the eldest sister of Michael VIII Palaiologos.
From his first marriage he had one daughter, known only as "Nestongonissa", from the surname of her otherwise unknown husband (Nestongos). From his second marriage he had four children:
- Theodora Tarchaneiotissa, who married Basil Kaballarios and later the megas stratopedarches Baladionites. She later became a nun with the name of Theodosia.
- Michael TarchaneiotesMichael TarchaneiotesMichael Tarchaneiotes was a Byzantine aristocrat and general, active against the Turks and in the Balkans from 1278 until his death from disease in 1284.- Life :...
, protovestiariosProtovestiariosProtovestiarios was a high Byzantine court position, originally reserved for eunuchs.-History and functions:The title is first attested in 412, as the comes sacrae vestis, an official in charge of the Byzantine emperor's "sacred wardrobe" , coming under the praepositus sacri cubiculi...
and notable general. He won a major victory against the AngevinsCapetian House of AnjouThe Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
at the Siege of Berat (1280–1281)Siege of Berat (1280–1281)The Siege of Berat in Albania by the forces of the Angevin Kingdom of Sicily against the Byzantine garrison of the city took place in 1280–1281. Berat was a strategically important fortress, whose possession would allow the Angevins access to the heartlands of the Byzantine Empire...
, and died in 1283/1284 by disease whilst on campaign. - Andronikos Tarchaneiotes, megas konostaulos and governor of Adrianople. He defected to his father-in-law John I DoukasJohn I DoukasJohn I Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289....
of Thessaly. - John Tarchaneiotes, general.