Varda Foka the Younger ( Greek Βάρδας Φωκᾶς ); ? - April 13, 989 ) - Byzantine military leader, governor of the Themes of Antioch , proclaimed emperor. He took part in three significant rebellions, both in support and against the Macedonian dynasty . Coming from Asia Minor , from a noble Cappadocian family of Armenian descent [1] , son of the Cappadocian Kurapalad Leo Foki the Younger , nephew of Emperor Nicephorus II Foki .
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And this husband, as the historian says, was similar in character to his uncle, the emperor: always preoccupied and wary, he knew how to foresee and see everything, was sophisticated in military tricks, experienced in various attacks, ambushes and in open battles. In battle, he was more determined and courageous than Sklir. The enemy, wounded by him, immediately gave up the spirit, and with one battle cry, Ward confused the whole phalanx. That was Foka.
- Michael Psell . Chronography
Content
Biography
First Rebellion
After the death of his uncle in 970, Phoca, together with his family, rebelled against the new emperor, his cousin John Tzimiskes . He was proclaimed emperor by his troops stationed in Caesarea , but soon his speech was crushed by another talented military leader, Varda Sklir . Foka and his relatives were captured and sent into exile on the island of Chios , where they spent the next seven years.
Fock vs. Skleer
In 978, Foka was released from prison by parakomenomen Vasily , cousin of Emperor Vasily II and de facto regent under the minor Vasileus. He was sent to his homeland, in Cappadocia , to raise the local nobility to fight with Ward Sklir, who rebelled against the emperor and made a claim to the throne. With the help of the Georgian cavalry, Tornikia Foka crushed the rebellion, defeating Sklir in a personal duel during the decisive battle at Pankali , despite a number of defeats suffered before. For his services to the throne, he received the right to triumph and was appointed to the honorary position of commander of the scholars. Soon, he led troops against the Muslims with the goal of recapturing Aleppo .
Second Uprising
Varda Foka in 986–987 was the governor of the Theme of Antioch . Directed against Varda Sklir, who raised a new uprising, he openly rebelled against Basil II on August 15 or September 14, 987 and proclaimed himself emperor [2] . Femu was headed by his son Leo [1] . By tricking capturing Varda Sklir captive, Varda Foka subjugated his army and moved to Constantinople.
On April 13, 989, in the battle of Abydos, Basil II defeated the rebel troops of the usurper Varda Foki. In this battle, on the side of Basil II, a six-thousand detachment was sent, sent to help the emperor of Kiev by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich . Varda Foka himself suddenly died in the midst of a battle from poison poisoned in a goblet of wine, which he drained on the eve of the battle. The rebel army proclaimed Emperor Vardou Sklier, released from prison, to agree with Basil II.
Offspring
In marriage with his cousin Adralestina, Varda Foki had two sons - Leo and Nicephorus . It is known that his grandson, also Varda Foka, was blinded by order of the authorities in 1025. It is believed that the Cretan family of Fokad comes from Varda Foki.
See also
- Varda Skleer
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 A. P Kazhdan. Armenians in the ruling class of the Byzantine Empire in the 11-12 centuries. page 150 of the Academy of Sciences of the ArmSSR 1973
- ↑ COMMENTS FOR TEXT . Date of treatment January 26, 2013. Archived February 2, 2013.
Literature
- Rosen V. R. “Emperor Vasily of Bulgaria”, Extracts from the Annals of Yahya of Antioch p.23 . - SPb. : Printing House of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1883. - 646 p.