Rebellion of Nikephoros Phokas, 963

1. Historical context

Following the death of Romanos II (March 15, 963), rightfully the rule should have been passed on to his two sons, Basil and Constantine, who had been associated to the throne by their father soon after their birth. The two emperors were underage (five and six years old respectively) and thus were in no position to fulfil their duties. The regency of their mother, Theophano, could obviously not fill in the power vacuum that resulted, as the period of time required for the coming of age of the first successor was too long. Furthermore, the empire was in the process of recovering lost lands and gaining ascendancy over its external enemies, mainly the Arabs, while the political scene was dominated by two powerful men, the parakoimomenos Joseph Bringas and the domestikos ton scholon of the East Nikephoros Phokas. The parakoimomenos, whom Romanos II had entrusted with the administration of the state’s affairs, wished to preserve the status quo of the regency, as he believed that he had a chance of becoming sole ruler next to the two underage emperors and their mother. The presence of Nikephoros Phokas posed a threat to his plans. Nikephoros, descendant of the powerful aristocratic family of the Phokas from Asia Minor, and supreme commander of the army under Romanos II, had achieved important victories against the Arabs, like capturing Crete in 961, and successes in Syria in the following year. These wartime exploits had earned him great popularity among the people and the army. Above all, however, they made him the main expresser of the goals of the empire’s external policy and of the military aristocracy of Asia Minor, which he represented.1

2. Rebellion of Nikephoros Phokas

2.1. Events leading up to the rebellion

The relations between Theophano and Joseph Bringas were under much strain; the main reason for this was the parakoimomenos clear intentions to take control of power, which would have meant pushing the empress on the side-line. On the contrary, she was quite fond of the domestikos of the East Nikephoros Phokas, who in some sources is said to have harboured amorous sentiments towards the empress.2 According to the same sources, Theophano saw in the face of the popular and powerful noble a suitable guardian for her two young sons and a worthy husband for herself.3 Bringas, for his part, having realized Phokas’ great appeal to the populace, resorted to every conceivable measure to keep him away from the capital following his success in Crete and his victories in Syria. Thus, the domestikos of the East did not return to Constantinople after the completion of his 962 campaigns, but remained with his troops, spending the winter in Asia Minor. He was informed of Romanos II’s death while he was with his army at Tzamandos. Empress Theophano secretly sent him a letter with which she invited him to Constantinople, aiming to use him as a counterweight to the parakoimomenos’ influence. Phokas, although aware of the dangers his visit to the capital might hold, where Bringas was particularly powerful and in control of the situation, reached Constantinople in April of 963, where he was received with great enthusiasm by the people and was honoured with a triumph for his military exploits. Bringas, seeing that this was the opportune moment to neutralize his opponent, attempted to organize a conspiracy against him. Phokas realized the danger he was in, and requested the support of Patriarch Polyeuktos, who convened the senate, in which Bringas participated as well. Phokas, after being forced to affirm his loyalty to the two underage emperors by oath, was proclaimed anew supreme commander of the army. In this way, in June 963 the domestikos ton Scholon managed to depart from Constantinople for Cappadocia not only unharmed, but reinforced; in Cappadocia he begun collecting troops.

2.2. Outbreak and success of the rebellion

Following his abortive attempt to weave a conspiracy against Phokas in Constantinople, Bringas wished to organize a new plot against him. He addressed a letter to John Tzimiskes, strategos of the theme of Anatolikon, a relative and confidant of Phokas and second in command in the army, suggesting that he should arrest his superior. In return he offered him the office of domestikos ton scholon of the East, essentially the supreme command of the army, i.e. the position Phokas held until then. This scheme too, however, amounted to nothing, as John Tzimiskes revealed to Phokas the contents of the parakoimomenos’ letter. The domestikos, with the incitement of his close associates, was proclaimed emperor by the army on July 3, 963 at Caesarea and headed for the capital. While his army was approaching Chrysopolis, Bringas was organizing his resistance in Constantinople, relying on the western tagmata, and attempted to curtail the populace’s reactions caused by their discontent towards him. The father of the rebellious commander, Bardas Phokas, sought refuge in the church of Hagia Sophia, while Leo, Nikephoros’ brother, was apprehended but managed to escape and found his way to the rebel camp. On August 9, 963 and while Nikephoros Phokas had camped on the coast of Asia Minor opposite Constantinople, a personal enemy of Bringas, the former parakoimomenosBasil, an illegitimate member of the Lekapenos family,4 organized an uprising in the capital, sending his men to destroy the houses of Bringas and his supporters. With the support of the people and the Senate, Basil Lekapenos placed the fleet under his control and sent ships to transport Phokas and his army to the area of Hebdomon. On August 14, 963 the rebel invaded Constantinople, while the defeated Bringas sought refuge in Hagia Sophia; he was arrested and originally exiled to Paphlagonia and then to a monastery at Pythia, where he died two years later. On August 16, 963 Nikephoros Phokas was crowned emperor in Hagia Sophia by Patriarch Polyeuktos.

3. Consequences

The success of Nikephoros Phokas’ movement was particularly important, as it affected political developments in the empire for the next thirty years. His victory over Bringas led into his immediate seizure of power, as the guardian of the two young emperors Basil and Constantine, and his marriage to Empress Theophano, aimed at connecting him to the Macedonian dynasty and legitimizing his presence on the throne. For the two scions of the dynasty this development heralded the beginning of a period during which they would remain under the guardianship of representatives of the military aristocracy of Asia Minor. Upon their coming of age and their ascent to the throne they would have to face powerful nobles asserting their rights to power.

With Nikephoros Phokas ascent to the throne, the Phokas family reaches its apogee and becomes established in the years to come as the chief agent of power in the empire. His confidante, John Tzimiskes was rewarded with the title of magistros and the office of domestikos ton scholon of the East. This significantly bolstered his influence, allowing the opportunity to acquire a secure foothold in the army, which he later used to succeed Phokas (969). Basil Lakapenos was also significantly strengthened by the movement of 963; he returned to the fore, receiving from Phokas the office of parakoimomenos and taking on important powers in the handling of the political affairs. From this position he strongly influenced political developments, becoming in fact the chief administrator of the empire until his removal by Basil II in 985. The army, finally, emerged as the main regulator of politics during this period. From now on and until Basil II’s death (976-1025), control of the army becomes a sine qua non for anyone wishing to assume and maintain control of power. The rise of the military nobility to power, however, expressed by the figures of Nikephoros II Phokas and later John I Tzimiskes, notwithstanding the benefits it held for the empire’s military struggles in the eastern and Balkan fronts, significantly strengthened the military families of Asia Minor, which later attempted to overthrow the Macedonian dynasty in a series bloody civil wars.



1. Treadgold W.T., A History of the Byzantine State and Society (Stanford 1997), pp. 498-9.

2. Thurn, I. (ed.), Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis Historiarum (Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae 5, Berlin-New York 1973), 257.12-15.

3. Nikephoros Phokas had not attempted to exploit the popularity afforded to him by his military successes to climb to the throne, which possibly reassured Theophano of his respect to the legitimate claims of Romanos II's sons to the throne, see Cheynet J.-C, Pouvoir et contestations a Byzance (963-1210), (Paris 1990), p. 326.

4. Basil Lakapenos had been parakoimomenos during the reign of Constantine VII Porphirogennetos, but following the ascent of Romanos II to the throne had been pushed aside and replaced by Joseph Bringas. Consequently, he had his own personal agenda, and all the more reason to side with Nikephoros Phokas. See Brokkaar, W. G., "Basil Lakapenus - Byzantium in the Tenth Century", Byzantina Neerlandica 3 (1972), pp. 216-217; cf. Cheynet J.-C, Pouvoir et contestations a Byzance (963-1210) (Paris 1990), p. 326.