Varda Foka the Elder ( Greek Βάρδας Φωκᾶς ; c. 878 - c. 968) - Byzantine commander, father of Emperor Nicephorus II Foki (963–969) and Kurapalat Leo Foki .
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Varda came from a noble Anatolian family whose representatives held important military posts in the Byzantine army for a long time. His father was the famous commander Nicephorus Phocas the Elder . Under the command of his older brother Leo in 917, Varda participated in the battle of Aheloy , where the Byzantines were defeated by the Bulgarians .
In 941, Varda was the governor of the Armeniakon theme when Prince Igor’s squad landed in Asia Minor . Varda repelled the attack and held on until the arrival of the main forces of John Curcouas . In 945, Emperor Constantine VII appointed him commander in chief of the armies of the east. In this post, he did not succeed in wars with the Arabs , having repeatedly been defeated by the emir of Aleppo . In 953, Varda was seriously injured in the , and after several more defeats, he was replaced by his son Nicephorus around 956.
After Nicephorus ascended the Byzantine throne, Wardes was given the title of Caesar . Varda died around 968 at the age of 90.