Niketas Oryphas or Oöryphas ( or , fl. 860–873) was a distinguished Byzantine

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...

 official, patrician and admiral under the emperors Michael III

Michael III

Michael III , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian-Phrygian Dynasty...

 (r. 842–867) and Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886), who achieved several naval victories against the Saracen

Saracen

Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...

 raiders.

Under Michael III

Nothing is known of his early life. Several people surnamed Ooryphas are recorded in sources during the first half of the 9th century, all of them in high naval positions, but any family relation is conjectural.

Niketas Ooryphas first appears in our sources in 860, as urban prefect 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:...

, when a Rus'

Rus' (people)

The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...

 fleet suddenly appeared in the entrance to the Bosporus

Bosporus

The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...

 and started pillaging the city's suburbs. In his capacity, Ooryphas made report to Emperor Michael III, who was campaigning against the Arabs in Asia Minor. At a subsequent date he was appointed in a position in the navy

Byzantine navy

The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defense and survival of the state then its earlier iterations...

, and in 867 he was in charge of the Imperial Fleet (droungarios tou ploïmou). In this capacity he sailed with 100 ships in relief of Ragusa

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...

 against an Arab siege which had already lasted 15 months, and restored the imperial suzerainty over the coasts of Dalmatia

Dalmatia

Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....

. It is however possible that Ooryphas already had naval experience, as he may be identifiable with one of the commanders of the 853 attack

Sack of Damietta (853)

The Sack of Damietta in 853 was a major success for the Byzantine Empire. On 22 May 853, the Byzantine navy attacked the port city of Damietta on the Nile Delta, whose garrison was absent at the time...

 on Damietta

Damietta

Damietta , also known as Damiata, or Domyat, is a port and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about north of Cairo.-History:...

.

Under Basil the Macedonian

Although he had risen to high rank under Michael III and had protested the usurpation of the throne by Basil I in 867, Ooryphas was quickly won over and retained in office by the latter, and went on to become the perhaps most successful Byzantine admiral of his age.

In 869, Ooryphas led the Byzantine fleet that sailed in support of Louis II who was besieging Bari

Bari

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...

, but on arriving there, he found the Frankish army dispersed in winter quarters, and caused a diplomatic episode by referring to Louis, who claimed the title of Emperor of the Romans, merely as "king". As a result of the quarrel, the main part of the Byzantine force left, without participating in the siege of the city.

In 873, Ooryphas defeated the Saracen pirates of the Emirate of Crete

Emirate of Crete

The Emirate of Crete was a Muslim state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to the Byzantine reconquest of the island in 961....

 in the Gulf of Saros, and followed this victory up in the next year with a celebrated feat: while the Saracens were plundering the western coasts of Greece, he had his men drag his ships overland across the Isthmus of Corinth

Isthmus of Corinth

The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word "isthmus" comes from the Ancient Greek word for "neck" and refers to the narrowness of the land. The Isthmus was known in the ancient...

, thereby surprising the Saracen fleet in the Corinthian Gulf and defeating them. Ooryphas subsequently disappears from the scene, although he may have led the Imperial Fleet in its actions for a few years before being replaced by the droungarios Nasar

Nasar

Nasar , originally baptized Basil , was a distinguished Byzantine military leader in the Byzantine–Arab conflicts of the latter half of the 9th century....

, including the recapture of Bari and, briefly, of Cyprus.