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'''Katakalon Kekaumenos''' ({{lang-el|Κατακαλὼν Κεκαυμένος}}) was a prominent [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] general of the mid-11th century.
{{Short description|Byzantine general (11th century)}}
'''Katakalon Kekaumenos''' ({{langx|el|Κατακαλὼν Κεκαυμένος}}) was a prominent [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] general of the mid-11th century.


==Biography==
==Biography==
[[Image:Assedio di Messina 1040.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Siege of Messina, defended by Kekaumenos, in 1040.]]
[[Image:Assedio di Messina 1040.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Depiction of the 1040 siege of Messina, defended by Kekaumenos, from the ''[[Madrid Skylitzes]]'']]
Katakalon Kekaumenos was born in [[Koloneia]], and although apparently a member of the noble [[Katakalon]] family, according to [[John Skylitzes]] he was not of aristocratic origin.<ref name="ODB">{{harvnb|Kazhdan|1991|p=1113}}.</ref> He first distinguished himself in the [[Sicily|Sicilian]] campaign of [[George Maniakes]]. There, Kekaumenos, with the rank of ''[[protospatharios]]'', commanded a contingent from the [[Armeniac Theme]] and led the successful defence of [[Messina]] against an [[Arabs|Arab]] attack in 1040.<ref name="ODB"/><ref>{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, p. 452 and Tome II, p. 108}}.</ref>
Katakalon Kekaumenos was born in [[Koloneia on the Lykos|Koloneia]], and although apparently a member of the noble [[Katakalon]] family, according to [[John Skylitzes]] he was not of aristocratic origin.<ref name="ODB">{{harvnb|ODB|loc="Katakalon Kekaumenos" (C. M. Brand, A. Kazhdan), p. 1113}}.</ref> He first distinguished himself in the [[Sicily|Sicilian]] campaign of [[George Maniakes]]. There, Kekaumenos, with the rank of ''[[protospatharios]]'', commanded a contingent from the [[Armeniac Theme]] and led the successful defence of [[Messina]] against an [[Arabs|Arab]] attack in 1040.<ref name="ODB"/><ref>{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, p. 452 and Tome II, p. 108}}</ref>


In 1042, Emperor [[Michael V Kalaphates|Michael V]] (r. 1041–1042) charged him with quelling an uprising in [[Constantinople]]. In the next year, he defeated the [[Rus'–Byzantine War (1043)|Rus' raid]] against the imperial capital, and was named ''[[vestes]]'' and ''[[archon]]'' of the [[Danube|Danubian]] cities.<ref name="ODB"/> Under Emperor [[Constantine IX Monomachos]] (r. 1042–1055) he had a highly successful career. He served in the East as ''[[dux|doux]]'' of [[Iberia (theme)|Iberia]], and became governor of [[Ani]] after it was annexed by the Byzantine Empire in 1045, and led the local forces in the first clashes with the [[Seljuk Turks]].<ref name="G452">{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, p. 452}}.</ref> In the late 1040s, he had been promoted to the post of ''[[stratelates]]'' of the East, and participated in the campaign against the [[Pechenegs]], as second-in-command to the militarily inexperienced ''[[rhaiktor]]'' Nikephoros. During this campaign, he was seriously injured.<ref name="ODB"/><ref>{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, pp. 383–384, 387}}.</ref> In circa 1055, he was raised to ''[[magistros]]'' and named to the prestigious and powerful post of ''doux'' of [[Antioch]].<ref name="ODB"/><ref name="G452"/>
In 1042, Emperor [[Michael V Kalaphates|Michael V]] (r. 1041–1042) charged him with quelling an uprising in [[Constantinople]]. In the next year, he defeated the [[Rus'–Byzantine War (1043)|Rus' raid]] against the imperial capital, and was named ''[[vestes]]'' and ''[[archon]]'' of the [[Danube|Danubian]] cities.<ref name="ODB"/> Under Emperor [[Constantine IX Monomachos]] (r. 1042–1055) he had a highly successful career. He served in the East as ''[[dux|doux]]'' of [[Iberia (theme)|Iberia]], and became governor of [[Ani]] after it was annexed by the Byzantine Empire in 1045, and led the local forces in the first clashes with the [[Seljuk Turks]].<ref name="G452">{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, p. 452}}.</ref> In the late 1040s, he had been promoted to the post of ''[[stratelates]]'' of the East, and participated in the campaign against the [[Pechenegs]], as second-in-command to the militarily inexperienced ''[[rhaiktor]]'' Nikephoros. During this campaign, he was seriously injured.<ref name="ODB"/><ref>{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, pp. 383–384, 387}}</ref> In circa 1055, he was raised to ''[[magistros]]'' and appointed to the prestigious and powerful post of [[Duchy of Antioch|''doux'' of Antioch]].<ref name="ODB"/><ref name="G452"/>


Emperor Constantine IX's successor, [[Michael VI]] (r. 1056–1057), generally mistrusted the prominent generals and treated them badly; he refused Katakalon and [[Isaac I Komnenos|Isaac Komnenos]], both of them already ranked as ''magistroi'', promotion to the title of ''[[proedros]]'', and eventually dismissed Kekaumenos.<ref>{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, pp. 37, 130, 186, 452}}.</ref> In turn, Kekaumenos actively supported the uprising of Isaac Komnenos in 1057, and was rewarded with the title of ''[[kouropalates]]''.<ref name="ODB"/>
Emperor Constantine IX's successor, [[Michael VI]] (r. 1056–1057), generally mistrusted the prominent generals and treated them badly; he refused Katakalon and [[Isaac I Komnenos|Isaac Komnenos]], both of them already ranked as ''magistroi'', promotion to the title of ''[[proedros]]'', and eventually dismissed Kekaumenos.<ref>{{harvnb|Guilland|1967|loc=Tome I, pp. 37, 130, 186, 452}}</ref> In turn, Kekaumenos actively supported the uprising of Isaac Komnenos in 1057, and was rewarded with the title of ''[[kouropalates]]''.<ref name="ODB"/>


==Portrayal and literary activity==
==Portrayal in the sources and literary activity==
Kekaumenos apparently wrote an autobiography, which was then used as his primary source for the events of 1042–1057 by John Skylitzes in his own history. Hence, Skylitzes's narrative focuses in detail on his career and is highly laudatory of the general and his achievements.<ref name="ODB"/><ref>{{harvnb|Holmes|2005|pp=91, 111, 292–293}}.</ref> Katakalon Kekaumenos has also been put forward as the author of the so-called ''[[Strategikon of Kekaumenos]]'', but his identification with its author, known only as [[Kekaumenos]], is mostly rejected by modern scholars.<ref>{{harvnb|Kazhdan|1991|pp=1113, 1119}}.</ref>
Kekaumenos apparently wrote an autobiography, which was then used as his primary source for the events of 1042–1057 by John Skylitzes in his own history. Hence, Skylitzes's narrative describes his career in great detail and is highly laudatory of the general and his achievements.<ref name="ODB"/><ref>{{harvnb|Holmes|2005|pp=91, 111, 292–293}}.</ref> Katakalon Kekaumenos has also been put forward as the author of the so-called ''[[Strategikon of Kekaumenos]]'', but his identification with its author, known only as [[Kekaumenos]], is rejected by most modern scholars.<ref>{{harvnb|ODB|loc="Katakalon Kekaumenos" (C. M. Brand, A. Kazhdan), p. 1113; "Kekaumenos" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1119}}.</ref> He is also portrayed in the Turkish drama series "Alparslan: Büyük Selçuklu".


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|2}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
* {{cite book | last=Guilland | first=Rodolphe | author-link=Rodolphe Guilland | title=Recherches sur les Institutions Byzantines, Tomes I–II | location=Berlin | publisher=Akademie-Verlag | year=1967 | language=French | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1_MnAQAAIAAJ }}
{{refbegin|2}}
*{{cite book|last=Guilland|first=Rodolphe|title=Recherches sur les Institutions Byzantines, Tome I–II|location=Berlin, Germany|publisher=Akademie-Verlag|year=1967|language=French|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1_MnAQAAIAAJ|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last=Holmes | first=Catherine | title=Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976–1025) | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2005 | isbn=978-0-19-927968-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_h3_c0U1jVoC }}
* {{Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium|ref={{harvid|ODB}}}}
*{{cite book|last=Holmes|first=Catherine|title=Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976–1025)|location=Oxford, United Kingdom|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-19-927968-5|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_h3_c0U1jVoC|ref=harv}}

*{{cite book|editor-last=Kazhdan|editor-first=Alexander Petrovich|editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan|title=[[The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]]|location=New York, New York and Oxford, United Kingdom|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1991|isbn=978-0-19-504652-6|ref=harv}}
{{Authority control}}
{{refend|2}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Kekaumenos, Katakalon
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kekaumenos, Katakalon}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kekaumenos, Katakalon}}
[[Category:11th-century deaths]]
[[Category:11th-century deaths]]
[[Category:11th-century Byzantine people]]
[[Category:11th-century Byzantine military personnel]]
[[Category:Byzantine generals]]
[[Category:Byzantine generals]]
[[Category:Byzantine governors]]
[[Category:Byzantine governors]]
[[Category:Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine Wars]]
[[Category:Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars]]
[[Category:Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars]]
[[Category:Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Seljuk wars]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]

⚫
[[Category:Katakalon family]]
[[fr:Katakalôn Kékauménos]]
[[Category:Magistroi]]
⚫
[[pt:Katakalon Kekaumenos]]
[[Category:Byzantine governors of Antioch]]
[[tr:Katakalon Kekaumenos]]
[[Category:Protospatharioi]]
[[Category:Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Pecheneg wars]]

Latest revision as of 10:39, 27 October 2024

Katakalon Kekaumenos (Greek: Κατακαλὼν Κεκαυμένος) was a prominent Byzantine general of the mid-11th century.

Biography

[edit]
Depiction of the 1040 siege of Messina, defended by Kekaumenos, from the Madrid Skylitzes

Katakalon Kekaumenos was born in Koloneia, and although apparently a member of the noble Katakalon family, according to John Skylitzes he was not of aristocratic origin.[1] He first distinguished himself in the Sicilian campaign of George Maniakes. There, Kekaumenos, with the rank of protospatharios, commanded a contingent from the Armeniac Theme and led the successful defence of Messina against an Arab attack in 1040.[1][2]

In 1042, Emperor Michael V (r. 1041–1042) charged him with quelling an uprising in Constantinople. In the next year, he defeated the Rus' raid against the imperial capital, and was named vestes and archon of the Danubian cities.[1] Under Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (r. 1042–1055) he had a highly successful career. He served in the East as doux of Iberia, and became governor of Ani after it was annexed by the Byzantine Empire in 1045, and led the local forces in the first clashes with the Seljuk Turks.[3] In the late 1040s, he had been promoted to the post of stratelates of the East, and participated in the campaign against the Pechenegs, as second-in-command to the militarily inexperienced rhaiktor Nikephoros. During this campaign, he was seriously injured.[1][4] In circa 1055, he was raised to magistros and appointed to the prestigious and powerful post of doux of Antioch.[1][3]

Emperor Constantine IX's successor, Michael VI (r. 1056–1057), generally mistrusted the prominent generals and treated them badly; he refused Katakalon and Isaac Komnenos, both of them already ranked as magistroi, promotion to the title of proedros, and eventually dismissed Kekaumenos.[5] In turn, Kekaumenos actively supported the uprising of Isaac Komnenos in 1057, and was rewarded with the title of kouropalates.[1]

Portrayal in the sources and literary activity

[edit]

Kekaumenos apparently wrote an autobiography, which was then used as his primary source for the events of 1042–1057 by John Skylitzes in his own history. Hence, Skylitzes's narrative describes his career in great detail and is highly laudatory of the general and his achievements.[1][6] Katakalon Kekaumenos has also been put forward as the author of the so-called Strategikon of Kekaumenos, but his identification with its author, known only as Kekaumenos, is rejected by most modern scholars.[7] He is also portrayed in the Turkish drama series "Alparslan: Büyük Selçuklu".

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g ODB, "Katakalon Kekaumenos" (C. M. Brand, A. Kazhdan), p. 1113.
  2. ^ Guilland 1967, Tome I, p. 452 and Tome II, p. 108
  3. ^ a b Guilland 1967, Tome I, p. 452.
  4. ^ Guilland 1967, Tome I, pp. 383–384, 387
  5. ^ Guilland 1967, Tome I, pp. 37, 130, 186, 452
  6. ^ Holmes 2005, pp. 91, 111, 292–293.
  7. ^ ODB, "Katakalon Kekaumenos" (C. M. Brand, A. Kazhdan), p. 1113; "Kekaumenos" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1119.

Sources

[edit]
  • Guilland, Rodolphe (1967). Recherches sur les Institutions Byzantines, Tomes I–II (in French). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
  • Holmes, Catherine (2005). Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976–1025). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-927968-5.
  • Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
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