Leo Phokas, General
Domestic of the Schools
History
Leo was the son of Nikephoros Phokas the Elder, an eminent Byzantine general who had distinguished himself in southern Italy. His brother, Bardas, was also a senior general, as were Bardas's sons Nikephoros and Leo. Nikephoros eventually became Emperor in 963–969. Little is known about Leo's early life. During the late reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912), he married the sister of Constantine Barbaros, the Emperor's powerful parakoimomenos, and rose to the post of Domestic of the Schools. Although personally brave and not without some measure of success against the Arabs in the East, his ability as a general was rather limited. Steven Runciman attributed his rise more to his aristocratic origin and his familial connection with the parakoimomenos Constantine. During the regency of Empress Zoe Karbonopsina in 913–919, Leo is recorded as being again Domestic of the Schools and holding the dignity of magistros. In 917, he was placed in charge of a large-scale expedition against the Bulgarian Empire . The plan involved a two-pronged assault, one from the south by the main Byzantine army under Leo Phokas, and one from the north by the Pechenegs, who were to be ferried across the Danube by the Byzantine navy under Romanos Lekapenos. In the event, however, the Pechenegs did not help the Byzantines, partly because Lekapenos quarrelled with their leader (or, as Runciman suggests, might have even been bribed by the Bulgarians) and partly because they had already begun plundering on their own, disregarding the Byzantine plan. Left unsupported by both the Pechenegs and the fleet, Phokas suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Tsar Symeon at the Battle of Acheloos. The imperial army was almost annihilated, and Phokas himself barely escaped. As Symeon marched south towards the imperial capital, Constantinople, Phokas gathered a motley force and attempted to halt his advance, but was again defeated by Symeon in a surprise night attack at Katasyrtai. These military disasters weakened the regency of Zoe, and rumours began to circulate that Phokas, whose army lay encamped across the Bosporus from Constantinople, and his brother-in-law Constantine Barbaros were planning to seize the throne from the young emperor Constantine VII (r. 913–959). According to Runciman, Zoe herself possibly planned to solidify her own position by marrying the general. The Emperor's tutor, however, a certain Theodore, turned to Romanos Lekapenos; although the admiral carried a great share of the blame for the failure of the Bulgarian campaign, Romanos remained a powerful factor as his fleet was intact and ready at hand. The parakoimomenos Constantine tried to neutralize this threat by disbanding the fleet, but he was arrested by Lekapenos when he arrived to supervise the payment and discharge of the crews. With this stroke, Zoe lost all control of the situation, and at Theodore's urging, the young Emperor appointed the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos as regent. The Patriarch's first act was to dismiss Leo Phokas from his post as Domestic and replace him with John Garidas. Leo apparently believed that Lekapenos, in view of his lowly origins, could never possibly put forward a credible claim for the imperial throne. Events proved that he had severely miscalculated: on March 25, 919, Lekapenos managed to gain entrance to the imperial palace, occupied it and secured his appointment as magistros and commander of the Hetaireia. A few weeks later, he married his daughter Helena to the young Emperor and assumed the title of basileopator, becoming the virtual ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Leo Phokas was then sent a letter, in the Emperor's name, in which he was bidden not to react to these events. Inevitably, the outmaneuvered Leo rose in revolt, but failed to secure the loyalty of his troops: they began to desert to the imperial camp, especially after a letter from the young Constantine VII, which acclaimed Lekapenos as his protector and denounced Leo's rebellion, reached the rebel camp and was read aloud to them. Eventually, Leo was forced to flee, but was captured and blinded by the Emperor's agents in Bithynia. Following the discovery of a plot by some of his friends a few months later, Phokas suffered a final humiliation, being paraded through the streets of Constantinople on a mule. His fate thereafter is unknown. According to Michael Attaleiates, the family descended from the ancient Roman gens Fabia, while Ali ibn al-Athir ascribed them an Arab origin from Tarsos. Whatever their origins, the Phokades appear to have settled in Cappadocia, where their estates were concentrated and which is clearly attested as their power base and the center of their activities. Various authors have speculated on an Armenian or Georgian origin, partly to account for the frequent presence of the name "Bardas" among the family members, but none of these hypotheses can be conclusively proven. The first attested member of the family was a soldier, probably of humble origin, who was appointed tourmarches in 872. His son, Nikephoros Phokas the Elder, became a distinguished general, scoring several victories against the Arabs, especially in southern Italy, and reaching the position of Domestic of the Schools. His son, Leo Phokas the Elder, was also Domestic of the Schools, but was defeated by the Bulgarian tsar Symeon (r. 893–927), and later unsuccessfully opposed the rise of Romanos Lekapenos to the throne in 919, being captured and blinded. His brother, Bardas Phokas the Elder, already active as a general, fell in disgrace for a time, but by the time of Lekapenos's fall in 944, he was a patrikios and a high-ranking general.Relationships
History
Her father's brother... they aren't close.
She has no respect for him because he was used by a greedy woman in the imperial family and cast the rest of their family in a bad light. It almost jeopardized her marriage.
Physical Description
- Mid-Late 40s
- Dark peppered short hair and similar medium length beard
- Dark eyes
- Square jaw with a scar on his left cheek from battle
- Has a missing front bottom tooth and large ears
- Is a stern looking man until he laughs/enjoys himself then he is warm and welcoming
- Is a natural leader of men and has confident body language
- Muscular and tall like a soldier
- Likes to wear golden rings and pendants/crucifixes
- Olive-toned skin
Psychology/Behavior
- Born to a noble family so he knows many languages including Greek, Arabic, Latin, and Armenian.
- Has been groomed by his family to be a leader of men so he has a martial nature
- He is an average commander with average intelligence
- He has been sleeping with the Empress/Regent Zoe for many years, even during her time as Empress Consort during the reign of Leo VI.
- He is a strict man but also understands the everyday soldier since he has spent time with them
- He is a drinker and enjoys partying and banquets
- Is a student of Roman tactics but is not as grand as he believes himself to be
- Sincerely cares for Zoe and to a lesser degree, her son
- Values Syres' advice and is eager to utilize Syres' skills - sees him as a friend
- Is comfortable in his life and is satisfied with his military command and high position at court
Spouses
Siblings
Children
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