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Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder

Type Figure Region Byzantine Empire Time c. 1035–1080 Also known as Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder、Nicephorus Bryennius the Elder、Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος

Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder was an 11th-century Byzantine military noble and general who rebelled against Michael VII in 1077 and was defeated and…

Timeline

  1. 1021–1030Adrianople (Orestias) · Macedonian themeThe Bryennios family was based in Adrianople, belonged to the Thracian military nobility, and held frontier and theme offices for generations; by the 1020s the family already had local influence in politics and the army in the late Macedonian dynasty.
  2. 1071–1076Dyrrhachium · Dyrrhachium themeHe commanded the left wing at Manzikert in 1071, one of the few generals who performed adequately; governor of the Bulgarian theme in 1072–1073 to quell a revolt, he was later promoted to governor of the Dyrrhachium theme, controlling Balkan western defenses.
  3. 1077–1078Outskirts of Constantinople and Thrace · Byzantine EmpireProvoked by dissatisfaction with Michael VII's Seljuk treaty and a list of those marked for assassination, he raised troops and declared himself emperor in November 1077, besieging Constantinople and burning and plundering the suburbs; in 1078 he was defeated by Alexios Komnenos at Kalavrye, blinded, and later pardoned by Nikephoros III.

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