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Romanos Lekapenos Byzantine emperor I


Preferred Parents:
Father: Theophylaktos Abastaktos, b. 840 in Lekapena, Armenia   d. 871 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire
Mother: ? , b. ABT 840   

Family 1: Theodora Augusta,    b. 875 in ,Macedonia,Medieval States    d. 20 FEB 922 in Isle Prote, Makedonia, Greece
  1. Helen Lekapene, b. ABT 910 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire     d. 19 SEP 961 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire
  2. Agatha Lekapene Princess of Byzantium, b. ABT 912 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire     d. 970 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire
  3. Constantine co-emperor, b. ABT 912 in Istanbul, İstanbul Turkey     d. 948 in Istanbul, İstanbul Turkey
  4. Christophoros Lekapenos Co-Emperor of Byzantium, b. ABT 894 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire     d. AUG 931 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire
Sources:
  1. Title: Wikipedia -Romanos I Lekapenos (part II)
    Author: Sources[edit] Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). "Romanos I Lekapenos". The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1806. ISBN 0-19-504652-8. Runciman, Steven (1988) [1929]. The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35722-5. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Romanus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 583–584.
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanos_I_Lekapenos;
    Note: In Constantinople, he built his palace in the place called Myrelaion, near the Sea of Marmara. Beside it he built a shrine which became the first example of a private burial church of a Byzantine emperor. Moreover, he erected a chapel devoted to Christ Chalkites near the Chalke Gate, the monumental entrance to the Great Palace. End of the reign[edit] Romanos' later reign was marked by the old emperor's heightened interest in divine judgment and his increasing sense of guilt for his role in the usurpation of the throne from Constantine VII. On the death of Christopher, by far his most competent son, in 931, Romanos did not advance his younger sons in precedence over Constantine VII. Fearing that Romanos would allow Constantine VII to succeed him instead of them, his younger sons Stephen and Constantine arrested their father on 20[5] (or 16)[8] December 944, carried him off to the Prince's Islands and compelled him to become a monk. When they threatened the position of Constantine VII, however, the people of Constantinople revolted, and Stephen and Constantine were likewise stripped of their imperial rank and sent into exile to their father. Romanos died on 15 June 948,[5][9] and was buried as the other members of his family in the church of Myrelaion. Having lived long under constant threat of deposition—or worse—by the Lekapenoi family, Constantine VII was extremely resentful of them. In his De Administrando Imperio manual written for his son and successor, Romanos II, he minces no words about his late father-in-law: "the lord Romanus the Emperor was an idiot and an illiterate man, neither bred in the high imperial manner, nor following Roman custom from the beginning, nor of imperial or noble descent, and therefore the more rude and authoritarian in doing most things ... for his beliefs were uncouth, obstinate, ignorant of what is good, and unwilling to adhere to what is right and proper."[10] Family[edit] See also: Lekapenos By his marriage to Theodora (who died in 922), Romanos had six children, including: Christopher Lekapenos, co-emperor from 921 to 931, who was married to the Augusta Sophia and was the father of Maria (renamed Irene), who married Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria; Christopher's son Michael Lekapenos may have been associated as co-emperor by his grandfather. Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor from 924 to 945, died 963. Constantine Lekapenos, co-emperor from 924 to 945, died 946. Theophylaktos Lekapenos, patriarch of Constantinople from 933 to 956. Helena Lekapene, who married Emperor Constantine VII. Agatha Lekapene, who married Romanos Argyros; their grandson was Emperor Romanos III. Romanos also had an illegitimate son, the eunuch Basil, who remained influential at court, particularly during the period 976–985.
  2. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
    Author: Chapter 7: Emperors (920-945) Lekapenos
    Publication: Name: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM.htm#_Toc1905662;
    Note: ROMANOS Lekapenos ([880]-Prote Island 15 Jun 948, bur Monastery Prote Island). Symeon Magister names "Theophylactus Abastasctus" as father of "Romani…qui postea imperatorum tenuit"[1236]. No precise information has been found concerning the birth date of Romanos Lekapenos. However, given the likely chronology of the births of his children it is improbable that he was born much later than [880]. Drongarios of the fleet. He manoeuvred himself into a position of power, replaced Empress Zoe as regent in 918, married his eldest daughter to Emperor Konstantinos VII, and was granted the title basileopator. Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus" was granted "cæsaris…dignitate" 24 Sep (in 920), and crowned as Emperor ROMANOS I 17 Dec 920[1237]. He became primary emperor [20 May 921/Apr 922][1238]. His successful military campaigns contained Bulgarian expansion. Peter Tsar of the Bulgarians renewed the war with Byzantium after his accession in 927 and raided Thrace, but in Sep/Oct he made peace under which Byzantium confirmed recognition of Bulgaria's borders established by the 897 and 904 treaties and Peter's own title of Tsar. The treaty was sealed by Peter's marriage to the emperor's granddaughter[1239]. After the peace agreement with Bulgaria, Emperor Romanos turned his attention to Asia Minor, where he recaptured Melitene in 931 and 934[1240]. Rus traders attacked coastal areas near Constantinople in 941 led by a "king named Inger"[1241] who negotiated renewal of privileged trading terms with Byzantium in [944], the text being incorporated into the Primary Chronicle[1242]. Emperor Romanos was deposed by his sons 16 Dec 944 and deported to the isle of Proti where he became a monk[1243]. Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus imperator" was deposed by "Stephanum filium"[1244]. Theophanes Continuatus records the death 15 Jun "in insula…Proten" of "Romanus imperator" and his burial in the monastery there[1245]. Cedrenus records the death in July "sextæ indictionis" of "Romanus" and his burial "in Myrelæo"[1246]. [m [firstly] ([900]) ---. The primary source which indicates that Emperor Romanos married twice has not yet been identified. If there was an earlier marriage, the name and origin of the first wife are not known. Kresten and Müller point out that Symeon Magister refers to Christoforos, domestikos of the Scholai, as gambros of "the emperor". They argue that the latter must have been the reigning emperor at the time, who would have been Romanos I, whose first wife could therefore have been the daughter of this Christoforos, which would explain the introduction of this name into the Lekapenos family. They also suggest that her name may have been Maria, the name given by Christoforos to his daughter (on the assumption that she was his eldest daughter)[1247]. Zonaras records that "Christophori uxor Sophia" became augusta after "Romani uxore Theodora Augusta" died[1248]. This passage does not specify that Theodora was the mother of Christoforos: a comment to that effect would have been natural if it had been the case.] m [secondly] THEODORA, daughter of --- (-20 Feb 922, bur Myrelæus). Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus" crowned "uxorem suam Theodoram" as "Augustam" in Jan "anno 6428" (921)[1249]. Symeon Magister names "Nicetas…Romani socer", which appears to refer to the father-in-law of Romanos Lekapenos, when recording that he ejected "Nicolaum patriarcham" from his palace[1250]. However, Georgius Monachus Continuatus records that "Nicetas…patricius, Romani consocer" ejected "Nicolaum patriarcham" from his palace[1251], which clarifies that Niketas was the father-in-law of Romanos's son (see below). According to the Vita Basil, the patriarch Theofilaktos was the son of Emperor Romanos's second marriage to Theodora[1252]. Vannier interprets the same phrase to mean that Emperor Romanos had two wives, both named Theodora[1253]. Theophanes Continuatus records the death 20 Feb, in 922 from the context, of "Theodora Romani coniux"[1254]. Cedrenus records the death 20 Feb "indictione decima" of "uxor Romani Theodora" and her burial "in Myrelæ"[1255]. Mistress (1): ---. The name of Romanos's mistress is not known. However, her origin is indicated by Leo Diaconus who names her son "Basilius Nothus, Romani quondam Augusti ex Scythica femina filius"[1256]. Emperor Romanos I & his [first/second] wife had [five] children: a) CHRISTOFOROS Lekapenos (before [905]-14 Aug 932). b) STEFANOS Lekapenos (-Mytilene 18 Apr 963). c) AGATHA Lekapene . d) Unattested daughter Lekapene. m. Mousele e) Unattested daughter Lekapene. m. Romanos Saronites Emperor Romanos I & his [second] wife had [three] children: f) THEOFILAKTOS Lekapenos ([913/15]-27 Feb 956). g) HELENA Lekapene ([915]-19 Sep 961). h) KONSTANTINOS Lekapenos (-948). Emperor Romanos I had one illegitimate son by Mistress (1): i) BASILEIOS (-985).
  3. Title: The Byzantium Blogger
    Author: Published by The Byzantium Blogger Powee Celdran, currently majors in Entrepreneurial Management, a Byzantine scholar and enthusiast, historical military sketch and bathroom mural artist, aspiring historical art restorer, Lego filmmaker creating Byzantine era films and videos, and a possible Renaissance man living in modern times but Byzantine at heart. Currently manages the Instagram account byzantine_time_traveller posting Byzantine history related content
    Publication: Name: https://byzantium-blogger.blog/2020/02/07/the-ethnic-origins-of-the-byzantine-emperors/;
    Note: In 920, Romanos I Lekapenos taking full control of the regency became emperor reigning from 920-944; he was born in 870 in the town of Lekape were his name comes from in Eastern Asia Minor to a family of Armenian peasants making him a Byzantine Armenian and like Basil I, Romanos I too was of Armenian origin and a born a peasant but his father saved Basil I in battle making him a member of the palace guard and young Romanos was educated in Constantinople and eventually joined the navy and became an admiral. Romanos I’s wife was Theodora but her origins were unknown, most likely she was of Byzantine Greek descent but she died in 922, 2 years after Romanos came to power but together they had 4 sons and 2 daughters who had both Armenian and Greek DNA; the 3 sons Christopher, Stephen, and Constantine would all be co-emperors with their father while the other son Theophylact would become Patriarch of Constantinople, and one daughter Helena was married to the real emperor Constantine VII to add her father into the imperial bloodline, meanwhile Romanos had an illegitimate son too named Basil Lekapenos who would later be the head court eunuch. Though Constantine VII was the real emperor, he was brought down to the lowest level of the empire’s rulers but soon enough the eldest son Christopher had died in 931 and in 944 the 2 sons Stephen and Constantine overthrew their father but early in 945 they too were overthrown and sent to the same monastery as their father allowing Constantine VII to return and rule in full power.
    Page: A wonderful trove of art, history and tangled relationships of the Byzantine Empire
  4. Title: Wikipedia - Proti Island, Sea of Marmara, Adalar district of Constantinople
    Author: List of Armenian ethnic enclaves References[edit] ^ Schleifer, Yigal (July 19, 2007). "Turkey: Religious Minorities Watch Closely as Election Day Approaches". EurasiaNet. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Kinali, one of the smaller islands, is a favorite among Istanbul's Armenians. ^ Schleifer, Yigal (July 28, 2005). "Istanbul's isle of diversity". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Tiny Kinali, however, remains home to a bustling summertime Armenian community. ^ Jump up to: a b c "History of the Islands". Princes' Islands Tourism Development Center. 5 April 2013. Kınalıada at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality website
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kınalıada;
    Note: The ferry landing of Kınalıada (Turkish name); Proti (Greek name) Satellite photo of the Prince Islands (Kınalıada is the first one at top left) Kınalıada (Turkish: Kınalıada; Armenian: Գնալը կղզի; Greek: Πρώτη, Proti 'first') is an island in the Sea of Marmara; it is the closest of the Prince Islands to Istanbul, Turkey, lying about 12 kilometres (7 mi) to the south. Administratively, it is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul. Kınalıada means "Henna Island" in Turkish, as the land has a reddish colour from the iron and copper that has been mined here. This is one of the least forested of the Prince Islands. Proti was the island most used as a place of exile under the Byzantine Empire. The most notable exile was emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, who remained in the Monastery of the Transfiguration on Hristo Peak of the island. During the summer, approximately 90% of the population on the island was Armenian.[1][2] Services from the mainland The islands are reachable by ferry services that depart from Kabataş on the European side. The voyage takes about 25 minutes by fast ferry (deniz otobus) and 40 minutes by regular ferry (vapur). Notable residents Empress Irene (c. 752–803) - Byzantine empress[3] Michael I Rangabe (c. 770–844) - Byzantine emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (870–948) - Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (c. 1030–1072) - Exiled Byzantine emperor Zabel Sibil Asadour (1863–1934) - Armenian poet and writer[3] Eşfak Aykaç (1918–2003) - Turkish football player and coach Zahrad (1924–2007) - Armenian poet[3] Mesrob II Mutafyan (1956–2019) - Armenian Patriarch
  5. Title: Turkish archeological news - Myrelaion Church
    Publication: Name: https://turkisharchaeonews.net/object/myrelaion-church-bodrum-mosque;
    Note: This article is lengthy, but covers the history of the Lekapenos and their burial sites.
  6. Title: Wikipedia - Romanos I Lekapenos
    Author: Sources[edit] Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). "Romanos I Lekapenos". The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1806. ISBN 0-19-504652-8. Runciman, Steven (1988) [1929]. The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35722-5. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Romanus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 583–584.
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanos_I_Lekapenos;
    Note: Romanos I Lekapenos Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans Byzantine emperor Reign 17 December 920 –20 December 944 Predecessor Constantine VII (under regent rule) Successor Constantine VII (sole rule) Born c. 870 Lakape Died 15 June 948 (aged 77–78) Burial Myrelaion Monastery (in modern-day İstanbul, Turkey) Consort Theodora Issue: Christopher Stephanos Constantine Theophylact Helena Agatha Basil (illegitimate) Dynasty Macedonian dynasty/Lekapenoi Father Theophylaktos Abastaktos Romanos I Lekapenos (Greek: Ρωμανός Λεκαπηνός; c. 870 – 15 June 948), Latinized as Romanus I Lecapenus, was a Byzantine-Armenian naval admiral who became Byzantine emperor and reigned from December 920 until his deposition on December 944. Origin Romanos Lekapenos, born in Lakape (later Laqabin) between Melitene and Samosata (hence the name), was the son of an Armenian peasant[1][2] with the remarkable name of Theophylact the Unbearable (Theophylaktos Abastaktos). However, according to the Byzantinist Anthony Kaldellis, Romanos is discussed in many Byzantine sources, but none of them calls him an Armenian.[3] His father came from humble origin and that's the reason he was assumed to have been Armenian.[3] This alleged ethnicity has been repeated so often in literature that it has acquired the status of a known fact, even though it is based on the most tenuous of indirect connections.[3] Nevertheless, his father Theophylact, as a soldier, had rescued the Emperor Basil I from the enemy in battle at Tephrike and had been rewarded by a place in the Imperial Guard.[4] Although he did not receive any refined education (for which he was later abused by his son-in-law Constantine VII), Romanos advanced through the ranks of the army during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise. In 911 he was general of the naval theme of Samos and later served as admiral of the fleet (droungarios tou ploimou). In this capacity he was supposed to participate in the Byzantine operations against Bulgaria on the Danube in 917, but he was unable to carry out his mission. In the aftermath of the disastrous Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Acheloos in 917 by the Bulgarians, Romanos sailed to Constantinople, where he gradually overcame the discredited regency of Empress Zoe Karvounopsina and her supporter Leo Phokas. Rise to power On 25 March 919, at the head of his fleet, Lekapenos seized the Boukoleon Palace and the reins of government. Initially, he was named magistros and megas hetaireiarches, but he moved swiftly to consolidate his position: in April 919 his daughter Helena was married to Constantine VII, and Lekapenos assumed the new title basileopator. On 24 September 920, he was named caesar; and on 17 December, Romanos was crowned senior emperor.[5][6] In subsequent years Romanos crowned his own sons co-emperors, Christopher in 921, Stephen and Constantine in 924, although, for the time being, Constantine VII was regarded as first in rank after Romanos himself. It is notable that, as he left Constantine VII untouched, he was called 'the gentle usurper'. Romanos strengthened his position by marrying his daughters to members of the powerful aristocratic families of Argyros and Mouseles, by recalling the deposed patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, and by putting an end to the conflict with the Papacy over the four marriages of Emperor Leo VI. His early reign saw several conspiracies to topple him, which led to the successive dismissal of his first paradynasteuontes, John the Rhaiktor and John Mystikos. From 925 and until the end of his reign, the post was occupied by the chamberlain Theophanes. War and peace with Bulgaria (913-927) The first major challenge faced by the new emperor was the war with Bulgaria, which had been re-ignited by the regency of Zoe. The rise to power of Romanos had curtailed the plans of Simeon I of Bulgaria for a marital alliance with Constantine VII, and Romanos was determined to deny the unpopular concession of imperial recognition to Simeon, which had already toppled two imperial governments. Consequently, the first four years of Romanos' reign were spent in warfare against Bulgaria. Although Simeon generally had the upper hand, he was unable to gain a decisive advantage because of the impregnability of Constantinople's walls. In 924, when Simeon had once again blockaded the capital by land, Romanos succeeded in opening negotiations. Meeting Simeon in person at Kosmidion, Romanos criticized Simeon's disregard for tradition and Orthodox Christian brotherhood and supposedly shamed him into coming to terms and lifting the siege. In reality, this was accomplished by Romanos' tacit recognition of Simeon as emperor of Bulgaria. Relations were subsequently marred by continued wrangling over titles (Simeon called himself emperor of the Romans as well), but peace had been effectively established. On the death of Simeon in May 927, Bulgaria's new emperor, Peter I, made a show of force by invading Byzantine Thrace, but he showed himself ready to negotiate for a more permanent peace. Romanos seized the occasion and proposed a marriage alliance between the imperial houses of Byzantium and Bulgaria, at the same time renewing the Serbian-Byzantine alliance with Časlav of Serbia, returning independence the same year. In September 927 Peter arrived before Constantinople and married Maria (renamed Eirene, "Peace"), the daughter of Romanos' eldest son and co-emperor Christopher, and thus his granddaughter. On this occasion Christopher received precedence in rank over his brother-in-law Constantine VII, something which compounded the latter's resentment towards the Lekapenoi, the Bulgarians, and imperial marriages to outsiders (as documented in his composition De Administrando Imperio). From this point on, Romanos' government was free from direct military confrontation with Bulgaria. Although Byzantium would tacitly support a Serbian revolt against Bulgaria in 931, and the Bulgarians would allow Magyar raids across their territory into Byzantine possessions, Byzantium and Bulgaria remained at peace for 40 years, until Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria. Campaigns in the East Romanos appointed the brilliant general John Kourkouas commander of the field armies (domestikos ton scholon) in the East. John Kourkouas subdued a rebellion in the theme of Chaldia and intervened in Armenia in 924. From 926 Kourkouas campaigned across the eastern frontier against the Abbasids and their vassals, and won an important victory at Melitene in 934. The capture of this city is often considered the first major Byzantine territorial recovery from the Muslims. In 941, while most of the army under Kourkouas was absent in the East, a fleet of 15 old ships under the protovestiarios Theophanes had to defend Constantinople from a Kievan raid. The invaders were defeated at sea, through the use of Greek fire, and again at land, when they landed in Bithynia, by the returning army under Kourkouas. In 944 Romanos concluded a treaty with Prince Igor of Kiev. This crisis having passed, Kourkouas was free to return to the eastern frontier. In 943 Kourkouas invaded northern Mesopotamia and besieged the important city of Edessa in 944. As the price for his withdrawal, Kourkouas obtained one of Byzantium's most prized relics, the mandylion, the holy towel allegedly sent by Jesus Christ to King Abgar V of Edessa. John Kourkouas, although considered by some of his contemporaries "a second Trajan or Belisarius," was dismissed after the fall of the Lekapenoi in 945. Nevertheless, his campaigns in the East paved the way for the even more dramatic reconquests in the middle and the second half of the 10th century. Internal policies Romanos I Lekapenos attempted to strengthen the Byzantine Empire by seeking peace everywhere that it was possible—his dealings with Bulgaria and Kievan Rus' have been described above. To protect Byzantine Thrace from Magyar incursions (such as the ones in 934 and 943), Romanos paid them protection money and pursued diplomatic avenues. The Khazars were the allies of the Byzantines until the reign of Romanos, when he started persecuting the Jews of the empire. According to the Schechter Letter, the Khazar ruler Joseph responded to the persecution of Jews by "doing away with many Christians", and Romanos retaliated by inciting Oleg of Novgorod (called Helgu in the letter) against Khazaria.[7] Similarly, Romanos re-established peace within the church and overcame the new conflict between Rome and Constantinople by promulgating the Tomos of Union in 920. In 933 Romanos took advantage of a vacancy on the patriarchal throne to name his young son Theophylaktos patriarch of Constantinople. The new patriarch did not achieve renown for his piety and spirituality, but he added theatrical elements to the Byzantine liturgy and was an avid horse-breeder, allegedly leaving mass to tend to one of his favorite mares when she was giving birth. Romanos was active as a legislator, promulgating a series of laws to protect small landowners from being swallowed up by the estates of the land-owning nobility (dynatoi). The legislative reform may have been partly inspired by hardship caused by the famine of 927 and the subsequent semi-popular revolt of Basil the Copper Hand. The emperor also managed to increase the taxes levied on the aristocracy and established the state on a more secure financial footing. Romanos was also able to effectively subdue revolts in several provinces of the empire, most notably in Chaldia, the Peloponnese, and Southern Italy. continues part II
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