Tornikios
Encyclopedia
T'ornike also known as Tornikios or Thornikios was a retired Georgian
general and monk who came to be better known as a founder of the formerly Georgian Orthodox Iviron Monastery
on Mt Athos in the modern-day northeastern Greece
.
Tornike came from a notable Georgian noble family and was in the immediate circles of the ruling dynasty of the Bagrationi. His father, Chordvaneli, had been in the suite of the Georgian prince Ashot II Kuropalates
who had paid a visit to the Byzantine
emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos in Constantinople
in c. 950. Three of his nephews had military careers and one of them, Varazvache, held a post of katepano
(military governor) of the significant Byzantine eastern outpost Edessa
in 1037-8.
T'ornike served a very successful military and courtier career (specifically he was eristavi, a Georgian equivalent to strategos
) under the Georgian Bagratid dynasty and also gained the Byzantine title
of patrikios. He resigned his position as a general of the Georgian prince David III of Tao
in c. 963 and, under the name of Ioane (Ioannis, or John), retired to Athanasius
’ Lavra
on Mount Athos
. He was joined, in the early 970s, by another retired Georgian officer Ioane and his son Ek'vt'ime
.
In 976, a rebellion led by Bardas Skleros
broke out in the Asia
n provinces of the Byzantine Empire, the greatest upheaval of the emperor Basil II
’s early reign. Skleros had won a series of battles against the then-loyal general Bardas Phokas
and marched from the east through Anatolia
to Constantinople. Basil summoned Ioane-T’ornike to his capital to mediate the alliance with David III of Tao
, a measure that seemed to be necessary to save the situation. The monk agreed reluctantly, persuaded chiefly by his fellow monks that it would be in the best interests of the Athonite community for him to obey the imperial command. David responded vigorously and entrusted his former general the command of some 12,000 Georgian cavalry
men sent to reinforce the imperial army. The decisive battle was fought at Pankalia
near Caesarea on March 24, 979 and resulted in the crushing defeat of the rebels.
In reward for their support, David was awarded with the lifetime stewardship of the extensive lands in northeastern Anatolia, while Ioane-T'ornike was conferred with the title synkellos (assistant to patriarch
). More importantly, the victorious monk-general returned to Athos laden with the spoils of war, "precious objects" as well as twelve kentenaria (1,200 lb
) of gold, that enabled the Georgians to establish their own house on Athos, called Iviron
. Although populated now with Greeks
, the monastery is to this day known by the Greek appellation Iveron, "of the Iberians
", i.e., Georgians. The emperor also showered him with lands and privileges, granted him subsidies and exemption from taxes. The new monastic house, destined to become a vibrant center of the Georgian Orthodox culture, was jointly run by Ioane-T’ornike as ktetor (founder) and his friend Ioane
as hegoumenos (abbot).
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
general and monk who came to be better known as a founder of the formerly Georgian Orthodox Iviron Monastery
Iviron monastery
Holy Monastery of Iviron is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece...
on Mt Athos in the modern-day northeastern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Tornike came from a notable Georgian noble family and was in the immediate circles of the ruling dynasty of the Bagrationi. His father, Chordvaneli, had been in the suite of the Georgian prince Ashot II Kuropalates
Ashot II Kuropalates
Ashot II was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti with the Byzantine title of curopalates.Ashot was the second son of Adarnase I, king of Iberia/Kartli and younger brother of David II . David succeeded Adarnase as titular king of Iberia, but not as curopalates, this honorific...
who had paid a visit to the 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...
emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos 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:...
in c. 950. Three of his nephews had military careers and one of them, Varazvache, held a post of katepano
Katepano
The katepánō was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as capetanus/catepan, and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the Italian "capitaneus"...
(military governor) of the significant Byzantine eastern outpost Edessa
Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...
in 1037-8.
T'ornike served a very successful military and courtier career (specifically he was eristavi, a Georgian equivalent to 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...
) under the Georgian Bagratid dynasty and also gained the Byzantine title
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy
The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative...
of patrikios. He resigned his position as a general of the Georgian prince David III of Tao
David III of Tao
David III Kuropalates or David III the Great , also known as David II, was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid family of Tao/Tayk, a historic region in the Georgian–Armenian marchlands, from 966 until his murder in 1000...
in c. 963 and, under the name of Ioane (Ioannis, or John), retired to Athanasius
Athanasius the Athonite
Athanasius the Athonite , also called Athanasios of Trebizond , was a Byzantine monk who founded the monastic community on Mount Athos, which has since evolved into the greatest centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism....
’ Lavra
Great Lavra
This is the monastery on Mount Athos. For the monastery associated with Saint Sabbas, see Mar Saba.The Monastery of Great Lavra is the first monastery built on Mount Athos. It is located on the southeastern foot of the Mount at an elevation of 160 metres...
on Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
. He was joined, in the early 970s, by another retired Georgian officer Ioane and his son Ek'vt'ime
Euthymius of Athos
Euthymius the Athonite was a renowned Georgian philosopher and scholar, also known as Eufimius the Abasgian or St. Euthymius the Georgian...
.
In 976, a rebellion led by Bardas Skleros
Bardas Skleros
Bardas Skleros or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II in 976–979.-Background:...
broke out in the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n provinces of the Byzantine Empire, the greatest upheaval of the emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
’s early reign. Skleros had won a series of battles against the then-loyal general Bardas Phokas
Bardas Phokas
Bardas Phokas may refer to:*Bardas Phokas the Elder , Byzantine general and father of emperor Nikephoros II Phokas*Bardas Phokas the Younger , Byzantine general and rebel, son of Leo Phokas the Younger, the brother of Nikephoros II Phokas...
and marched from the east through Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
to Constantinople. Basil summoned Ioane-T’ornike to his capital to mediate the alliance with David III of Tao
David III of Tao
David III Kuropalates or David III the Great , also known as David II, was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid family of Tao/Tayk, a historic region in the Georgian–Armenian marchlands, from 966 until his murder in 1000...
, a measure that seemed to be necessary to save the situation. The monk agreed reluctantly, persuaded chiefly by his fellow monks that it would be in the best interests of the Athonite community for him to obey the imperial command. David responded vigorously and entrusted his former general the command of some 12,000 Georgian cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
men sent to reinforce the imperial army. The decisive battle was fought at Pankalia
Battle of Pankalia
The Battle of Pankalia was fought between the army loyal to the Byzantine emperor Basil II and the forces of the rebel general Bardas Skleros. It took place to the west of Caesarea, in the thema of Charsianon on March 24, 979...
near Caesarea on March 24, 979 and resulted in the crushing defeat of the rebels.
In reward for their support, David was awarded with the lifetime stewardship of the extensive lands in northeastern Anatolia, while Ioane-T'ornike was conferred with the title synkellos (assistant to patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
). More importantly, the victorious monk-general returned to Athos laden with the spoils of war, "precious objects" as well as twelve kentenaria (1,200 lb
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
) of gold, that enabled the Georgians to establish their own house on Athos, called Iviron
Iviron monastery
Holy Monastery of Iviron is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece...
. Although populated now with Greeks
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the monastery is to this day known by the Greek appellation Iveron, "of the Iberians
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
", i.e., Georgians. The emperor also showered him with lands and privileges, granted him subsidies and exemption from taxes. The new monastic house, destined to become a vibrant center of the Georgian Orthodox culture, was jointly run by Ioane-T’ornike as ktetor (founder) and his friend Ioane
John the Iberian
John the Iberian was a Georgian monk, who is venerated as a saint. A member of the Georgian nobility, he was married and served as a military commander. However, he later became a monk in Bithynia and then traveled to Constantinople to rescue his son, Euthymius the Illuminator...
as hegoumenos (abbot).
External links
- Greek Monasteries, URL accessed on June 16, 2006