Theoktistos
Encyclopedia
Theoktistos (died November 20, 855) was an influential senior Byzantine
official during the reigns of Michael II
and his son Theophilos
, and regent
for the underage Michael III
. He is noted for his administrative and political competence, for ending the Iconoclasm
, and for promoting a major renaissance in education within the Empire.
Theoktistos was a eunuch
, and was instrumental in the plot to assassinate the emperor Leo V the Armenian
in 820, which brought Michael II
and the Amorian dynasty to the throne. In return, Michael raised him to the rank of patrikios, and appointed him to the confidential court post of chartoularios tou kanikleiou ("secretary of the ink-pot"). Under Theophilos, he rose to the rank of magistros, and was appointed logothetēs tou dromou
, effectively the Empire's foreign minister. Theophilos also appointed him regent to his two-year old son Michael III shortly before his death in 842. Following Theophilos' death, a regency consisting of the empress Theodora
, Theoktistos, and the empress' brothers Bardas
and Petronas
was set up. For the next 14 years, Theoktistos effectively ruled the Empire.
In 843
, Theoktistos prevailed upon Theodora to officially sanction the re-installation of icon
worship, ending the second period of official iconoclasm
. With the installation of a new patriarch, Methodios I, the way was opened. A synod was convened in Constantinople
, and condemned iconoclasm; an event that is commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy". In the same year, Theoktistos invited his nephews, Cyril and Methodius, to the imperial capital to help with their studies and arrange the placement of Methodius as a commander of a Slavic administrative region. By continuing a sound economic policy, the regency also stocked up a considerable treasury surplus.
His foreign policies were less successful. A campaign to recover Crete
, which had been conquered in the 820s by Andalusian
exiles, failed, and in 844 he was defeated by the Caliph Al-Wathiq
of the Abbasid Empire at the Battle of Mauropotamos
in Cappadocia; a six-year truce was agreed soon after. Persecution of the Paulician sect began during Theodora's regency, and many were deported and re-settled in the Balkans. A revolt of local Slavic tribes in the Peloponnese
was put down by the local governor, the protospatharios
Theoktistos Vryennion.
Theoktistos, along with Photios and Bardas, initiated a far-reaching educational program and founded the University of Magnaura. It was during this regency that Leo the Mathematician
, Photios who taught Greek Philosophy, and later Constantine-Cyril, taught at the university. Recognizing Photios' administrative abilities, Theoktistos named Photios protoasekretis around 851, with the rank of protospatharios, although some scholars believe that the appointment of Photios as protoasekretis was much earlier, probably around 843.
During the regency, the empress' brother, Bardas, was Theoktistos' primary antagonist. In 855, Michael came of age at 16, and turned the control of the government over to his uncle Bardas, raising him to the highest rank - that of caesar
. It was then that Bardas and Michael decided to eliminate Theoktistos, who was arrested and killed.
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 during the reigns of Michael II
Michael II
Michael II , surnamed the Amorian or the Stammerer , reigned as Byzantine emperor from December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, and the first ruler of the Phrygian or Amorian dynasty....
and his son Theophilos
Theophilos (emperor)
Theophilos was the Byzantine emperor from 829 until his death in 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty, and the last emperor supporting iconoclasm...
, and regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for the underage 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...
. He is noted for his administrative and political competence, for ending the Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
, and for promoting a major renaissance in education within the Empire.
Theoktistos was a eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
, and was instrumental in the plot to assassinate the emperor Leo V the Armenian
Leo V the Armenian
Leo V the Armenian was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 813 to 820. A senior general, he forced his predecessor, Michael I Rangabe, to abdicate and assumed the throne. He ended the decade-long war with the Bulgars, and initiated the second period of Byzantine Iconoclasm...
in 820, which brought Michael II
Michael II
Michael II , surnamed the Amorian or the Stammerer , reigned as Byzantine emperor from December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, and the first ruler of the Phrygian or Amorian dynasty....
and the Amorian dynasty to the throne. In return, Michael raised him to the rank of patrikios, and appointed him to the confidential court post of chartoularios tou kanikleiou ("secretary of the ink-pot"). Under Theophilos, he rose to the rank of magistros, and was appointed logothetēs tou dromou
Logothetes tou dromou
The logothetēs tou dromou , in English usually rendered as Logothete of the Course/Drome/Dromos or Postal Logothete, was the head of the department of the Dromos, the Public Post , and one of the most senior ministers of the Byzantine Empire.- History and functions :The exact origin and date of...
, effectively the Empire's foreign minister. Theophilos also appointed him regent to his two-year old son Michael III shortly before his death in 842. Following Theophilos' death, a regency consisting of the empress Theodora
Theodora (9th century)
Theodora was a Byzantine Empress as the spouse of the Byzantine emperor Theophilos, and regent of her son, Michael III, from Theophilos' death in 842 to 855...
, Theoktistos, and the empress' brothers Bardas
Bardas
Bardas was a Byzantine noble and high-ranking minister. As the brother of Empress Theodora, he rose to high office under Theophilos . Although sidelined after Theophilos' death by Theodora and Theoktistos, in 856 he engineered Theoktistos' fall and became the regent for his nephew, Michael III...
and Petronas
Petronas (The Patrician)
Petronas the Patrician was a notable Byzantine general and leading aristocrat during the mid-9th century. The uncle of Emperor Michael III, by the time of his death, he held the titles of magistros and patrikios, and had commanded the elite Scholai and Vigla regiments.- Life :He was born to the...
was set up. For the next 14 years, Theoktistos effectively ruled the Empire.
In 843
843
Year 843 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire between the 3 sons of Louis the Pious .* Kenneth I , King of the Scots, also becomes King of the Picts, thus becoming the first...
, Theoktistos prevailed upon Theodora to officially sanction the re-installation of icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
worship, ending the second period of official iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
. With the installation of a new patriarch, Methodios I, the way was opened. A synod was convened in 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:...
, and condemned iconoclasm; an event that is commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy". In the same year, Theoktistos invited his nephews, Cyril and Methodius, to the imperial capital to help with their studies and arrange the placement of Methodius as a commander of a Slavic administrative region. By continuing a sound economic policy, the regency also stocked up a considerable treasury surplus.
His foreign policies were less successful. A campaign to recover 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....
, which had been conquered in the 820s by Andalusian
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
exiles, failed, and in 844 he was defeated by the Caliph Al-Wathiq
Al-Wathiq
Al-Wathiq ibn Mutasim was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 842 until 847 AD .-Biography:...
of the Abbasid Empire at the Battle of Mauropotamos
Battle of Mauropotamos
The Battle of Mauropotamos was a battle fought in 844 between the armies of the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate at Mauropotamos in the theme of Optimaton . The battle followed a period of inconclusive warfare along the Cilician marches and the loss of an entire Arab fleet off Cyprus...
in Cappadocia; a six-year truce was agreed soon after. Persecution of the Paulician sect began during Theodora's regency, and many were deported and re-settled in the Balkans. A revolt of local Slavic tribes in the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
was put down by the local governor, the protospatharios
Protospatharios
Prōtospatharios was one of the highest court dignities of the middle Byzantine period , awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes.-History:...
Theoktistos Vryennion.
Theoktistos, along with Photios and Bardas, initiated a far-reaching educational program and founded the University of Magnaura. It was during this regency that Leo the Mathematician
Leo the Mathematician
Leo the Mathematician or the Philosopher was a Byzantine philosopher and logician associated with the Macedonian Renaissance and the end of Iconoclasm. His only preserved writings are some notes contained in manuscripts of Plato's dialogues. He has been called a "true Renaissance man" and "the...
, Photios who taught Greek Philosophy, and later Constantine-Cyril, taught at the university. Recognizing Photios' administrative abilities, Theoktistos named Photios protoasekretis around 851, with the rank of protospatharios, although some scholars believe that the appointment of Photios as protoasekretis was much earlier, probably around 843.
During the regency, the empress' brother, Bardas, was Theoktistos' primary antagonist. In 855, Michael came of age at 16, and turned the control of the government over to his uncle Bardas, raising him to the highest rank - that of caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
. It was then that Bardas and Michael decided to eliminate Theoktistos, who was arrested and killed.