Dolphins are a Byzantine noble family, natives of which were widely known in Byzantium.
History
The ethnicity of the genus is not known for certain. Identifying the founder of the dynasty with the commander of the Bulgarian king Samuel Nikolitsa, Gennady Litavrin calls the Bulgarian [1] . This version is based on the similarity of names, but runs into chronological contradictions [2] . About the founder of the dynasty, Kekavmen tells that he was during the reign of Basil II and the domestics of the Hellas ’exquisites. Based on this story, Paul Lemerl considers the ancestor of the family to be Greek. [2]
As Alexander Kazhdan notes, the idea of Armenian origin suggests a relationship between the Dolphins and the Kekavmen, as well as Armenian names found in the family. [2]
Famous Representatives
- Nikulitsa is the duka of Hellas; founder of the dynasty.
- Kalokir Dolphin - antipat, patrician and cathepan of Italy
- Nikulitsa Larisky - protospafarius, a large landowner in Larisa
Notes
- ↑ G. Litavrin // Rise of the Bulgarians and Wallachians in Thessaly in 1066 // Byzantine time-book. XI century., 1956 - page 124
- ↑ 1 2 3 A.P. Kazhdan. // Armenians in the ruling class of the Byzantine Empire in the 11-12 centuries. // Ch. III, part 32 “Dolphins” page 109-110 // Academy of Sciences of the ArmSSR 1973