Johannes Dukas

• Preferred Name: Johannes Dukas^{[1] [2] [3]}
  
• Alternate Name: John Ducas Caesar
  
• Alternate Name: John Dukas
  
• Gender: M
  
• Burial: 1088
  
• Death: ABT 1088 in Istanbul, Turkey at LATI: N1.0136 LONG: E8.955
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Prince, Byzantine Empire
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Prince of Dukas
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Holy Roman Emperor
  
• Occupation: Prince of Dukas
  
• Birth: 1014 in Istanbul, Turkey at LATI: N1.0136 LONG: E8.955 with note: Where did the 998 come from? i don't konw now calculated 1003
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Prince/Byzantine
  
• FSID: LYBT-Y8V
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  John Doukas (or Ducas) (Greek: Ιωάννης Δούκας, Iōannēs Doukas) (died c. 1088) was the son of Andronikos Doukas, a Paphlagonian nobleman who may have served as governor of the theme of Moesia, and the younger brother of Emperor Constantine X Doukas. John Doukas was the paternal grandfather of Irene Doukaina, wife of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
  
  John Doukas
  Ιωάννης Δούκας
  Usurper of the Byzantine Empire
  Reign
  1074
  Predecessor
  Michael VII
  Successor
  Nikephoros III
  Born
  ?
  Died
  c1088
  Spouse
  Irene Pegonitissa
  Issue
  Andronikos Doukas
  Constantine Doukas
  Dynasty
  Doukas
  Father
  Andronikos Doukas
  
  Career as Caesar
  
  John Doukas, who was given the court dignity of Caesar by his brother Constantine X,[citation needed] was one of the most influential members of the court aristocracy from the death of his brother into that of Alexios I Komnenos. His wealth derived of estates in Thrace and Bithynia, and he was a close friend of the historian Michael Psellos. Although he is usually documented by the sources as a member of the court, he had begun his career as a general.[citation needed]
  
  After serving as a counsellor and supporter of his brother, John came to the fore after his brother's death in 1067 as the natural protector of the rights of his nephew Michael VII Doukas.[1] His position as Caesar and his family’s influence in the Senate meant that he was behind the opposition of the court officials to the Empress Mother Eudokia Makrembolitissa and her marriage to Romanos IV Diogenes.[2] Over the course of the next three years he became the emperor’s bitterest enemy, but his intriguing meant that the Caesar spent much of Romanos' reign in retirement on his estates in Bithynia.[citation needed] It was here that he learned that his son Andronikos Doukas had joined and then deserted the emperor in the disastrous campaign ending with the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.[3]
  
  Romanos' captivity gave John the opportunity to return to court at the request of Eudokia Makrembolitissa.[4] Joining forces with Michael Psellos, the Caesar made the Empress share power with her son, and then forced her to become a nun and retire from court affairs in October 1071.[4] He soon became the de facto head of the Government in the name of Michael VII, ordering the empire not to acknowledge Romanus as emperor, declaring that Romanos had been elevated to the throne to act for Michael, who was now able to administer the empire. The Caesar sent his sons Andronikos and Constantine to capture Romanos IV,[5] who had been released from captivity and thus ensured the sole rule of his nephew Michael VII.[6] John Doukas initially agreed to allow Romanos to resign the purple and retire to a monastery. But his hatred of Romanos was so great that he reneged on the agreement and ordered that Romanos be blinded, sending him a mocking message congratulating him on the loss of his eyes as he lay dying from the infected wound.[7][8] With the elimination of Romanos, John and Michael Psellos were supreme at court.[9]
  
  The Caesar was undone, however, by one of his own creatures, the eunuch Nikephoritzes.[10] By 1073 the eunuch had gained the confidence of Michael VII, whom he turned against his uncle. The Caesar was forced to retire to his great estates, where he amused himself by hunting in the forests near the shores of the Bosphorus.[citation needed]
  
  Rebellion of 1074
  
  In the meantime, the progress of the Seljuk Turks roused the Byzantine government into action, gathering together an army of mercenaries under the command of Isaac Komnenos. The Norman mercenaries, led by Roussel de Bailleul, rebelled against the Byzantines, crushed an imperial army, and attempted to establish an independent kingdom in Anatolia.[11][12]
  
  The situation in Asia Minor was now so dire, that in 1074 Michael was forced to order his uncle to take command of an imperial army and defeat the Norman mercenaries.[13] Fixing his headquarters at Dorylaeum, the two armies met near the bridge over the Zompi River, one of the great lines of communication between Constantinople and the central provinces in Asia Minor. Betrayed by his Frankish mercenaries and by the shameful retreat of the Asiatic reserves under the command of the future Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, John was defeated and captured together with his son Andronikos.[13] The victorious mercenaries then proceeded to advance to the shores of the Bosphorus, as a relieving force under John's younger son Constantine disintegrated when its commander suddenly died.
  
  Roussel, unsure if his mercenary force could overthrow the emperor at Constantinople, decided to act as the chief general for his own emperor. He proclaimed John Doukas emperor, easily persuading his prisoner to assume the title and dethrone his ungrateful nephew, and they continued on their way to Constantinople.[13]
  
  Michael VII and Nikephoritzes were deeply concerned about their own safety. They formed an alliance with Suleyman, concluding a formal treaty between the Byzantines and the Turks, whereby Michael gave to Suleyman the government of the provinces of which the Seljuk Turks were in possession of.[12][13] The Turks agreed to provide an army to fight on Michael’s behalf, and this army moved quickly to Mount Sophon where John Doukas and Roussel were encamped. The mercenaries were ambushed and although Roussel managed to escape,[12] John was captured, ending the rebellion.
  
  After some time as a Seljuk captive, John was ransomed by his nephew. Michael allowed him to retain his sight on condition that he renounce all imperial ambitions and he take the additional precaution of becoming a monk.[citation needed]
  
  Return to politics
  
  The tonsured Caesar retained some influence on political events. With the collapse of imperial authority late in Michael VII’s reign, he advised his nephew to abdicate[citation needed] and become a monk when Nikephoros III Botaneiates threatened Constantinople in 1078, and in 1081 he fled Constantinople to join Alexios Komnenos and to persuade him to revolt against Botaneiates and claim the throne. It was also John Doukas, who arranged for the marriage of his granddaughter Irene Doukaina to Alexios Komnenos over the objections of the latter's mother Anna Dalassene. In this change of circumstance, he abandoned the monastic habit and Alexios allowed him to resume his old position as Caesar. Remaining part of the court, he continued to advise the emperor until his death in c. 1088.[citation needed]
  
  Family
  
  Neither John nor his brother Constantine X were descended from the male branch of the ancient family of Doukas which became extinct after a revolt during the minority of Constantine VII’s reign. He was descended from the female line, and his family was originally called Doukitzes, to mark the inferiority of the modern house which had assumed the name of Doukas.[14]
  
  By his wife Irene Pegonitissa, John Doukas had at least two sons, both of whom predeceased him:
  
  Andronikos Doukas, who was the father of Irene Doukaina
  Constantine Doukas, who died in 1074
  
  For references and notes see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doukas_(Caesar)
  
  === 1072 Caesar, 1073 Thronprätendent, Brude ===
  1072 Caesar, 1073 Thronprätendent, Bruder v. Ks. Konstantin XI.
  
  === Name "Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The BYZANT ===
  Name "Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The BYZANTINE EMPIRE"
  
  === ML Call: Chts 11486,12062 ===
  ML Call: Chts 11486,12062
  
  === Line 167 from GEDCOM File not recognizab ===
  Line 167 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/ Line 741 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/
  
  === ! Europasche Stammtafeln Neue folge vol. ===
  ! Europasche Stammtafeln Neue folge vol. 2 tafel 178;
  
  === --Other Fields ®64 ===
  --Other Fields ®64
  
  === Ancestral File Number: GG55-81 ===
  Ancestral File Number: GG55-81
  
  === Line 69917 from GEDCOM File not recogniz ===
  Line 69917 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: TITL [PRINCE OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE]/ Line 69926 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: FAMC @04593014@
  
  === Line 2028 from GEDCOM File not recogniza ===
  Line 2028 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/ Line 943 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/ Line 219 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/
  
  === !BIRTH-SPOUSE-CHILDREN: Ancestral File; ===
  !BIRTH-SPOUSE-CHILDREN: Ancestral File; ; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, CD-ROM dated 21 Aug 1992, Information submitted by...; St George Regional Family History Center/FamilySearch Home Field Trial, searched Jan 1995; according to notes, Ioannis was a 'Prince of the Byzantine Empire'
  
  === ?? Line 127: (New PAF RIN=7144) 1 NAME I ===
  ?? Line 127: (New PAF RIN=7144) 1 NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/
  
  === ! ! RELATIONSHIP: Patron, H. Reed Black ===
  ! ! RELATIONSHIP: Patron, H. Reed Black, is 28th G G Son.
  
  === ?? Line 82966: (New PAF RIN=9157) 1 NAME ===
  ?? Line 82966: (New PAF RIN=9157) 1 NAME Ioannis Prince Of The Byzantine Empire /DUKAS/ ?? Line 28473: (New PAF RIN=20808) 1 NAME Ioannis Prince Of The Byzantine Empire /DUKAS/
  
  === TITLE: Prince of the Byzantine Empire ===
  TITLE: Prince of the Byzantine Empire
  
  === !NAME: Ioannis Dukas, Prince Of The BYZA ===
  !NAME: Ioannis Dukas, Prince Of The BYZANTINE EMPIRE
  
  === ruled 1222-1254 Holy Roman Emperor. ===
  ruled 1222-1254 Holy Roman Emperor.
  
  === Line 943 from GEDCOM File not recognizab ===
  Line 943 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/ Line 1249 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The /BYZANTINE EMPIRE/
  
  === ?? Line 14947: (New PAF RIN=1181) 1 NAME ===
  ?? Line 14947: (New PAF RIN=1181) 1 NAME Ioannis Dukas Prince Of The/BYZANTINE EMPIRE/
  
  === !AFN:G6SZ-57 ===
  !AFN:G6SZ-57
  
  === GEDCOM provided by Carolyn Proffitt Winc ===
  GEDCOM provided by Carolyn Proffitt Winch GEDCOM provided by Carolyn Proffitt Winch

• m. 1045

1. Andrōnikos Doukas, b. 1036 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire     d. 14 OCT 1077 in Constantinople, Anatolia, Byzantine Empire

1. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ionnes\John -
   Author: Europäische Stammtafeln, J.A. Stargardt Verlag Marburg., Detlev Schwennicke, Editor {1978-1992}, Page number: ii-178
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   
2. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ionnes\John -
   Author: The Plantagenet Ancestry, by William Henry Turton {1968}, Page number: 208
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   
3. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ionnes\John -
   Author: Royalty for Commoners, 2nd Ed; Roderick W Stuart {1988}, Page number: 215-34
   Note: Source Media Type: Book