Theophobos or Theophobus (Greek: Θεόφοβος), originally Nasr, was a Persian or Kurdish commander in Byzantine service under Emperor Theophilos (r. 829–843).
Originally he was a member of the Khurramite sect in western Iran, which was being persecuted by the Abbasid Caliphate. In 833, they were defeated by Caliph al-Mu'tasim (r. 833–842).[1] Thus, in 834, Nasr with some fourteen thousand other Khurramites, crossed Armenia and fled to the Byzantine Empire.[2][3] There they converted to Christianity, were given widows from military families as wives, and enrolled into the Byzantine army in the so-called "Persian tourma".[3] Nasr, now baptized Theophobos ("fearful/respectful of God"), was placed at the head of these troops, named patrikios and given the hand of either Theophilos' sister or his sister-in-law in marriage.[1]
Theophobos and the new Khorramite corps campaigned with Theophilos in his successful 837 campaign in the region of the upper Euphrates, where they brutally sacked the city of Sozopetra/Zapetra.[1][4][5][6] In the same year, some 16,000 more Khurramites fled into the Empire, following the definite suppression of their religion in Azerbaijan.[7]
Theophobos also participated in the campaign of 838 against the invasion of Caliph al-Mu'tasim (r. 833–842). He was present at the catastrophic Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Anzen, where he reportedly saved the Emperor's life on several occasions.[1][5][8] In the aftermath of the battle, the "Persian" troops assembled at Sinope and declared Theophobos emperor, most likely against his will.[5] The exact reason behind this move or sequence of events are unclear. However, after the defeat at Anzen, the rumour had spread to Constantinople that Theophilos had been killed, and it appears that Theophobos, who was possibly an iconodule (as opposed to the staunchly iconoclast Theophilos) was put forth among the Empire's elite as the new emperor.[5][9]
At any rate, Theophobos quickly engaged in secret negotiations with the Emperor, who in 839 led an army against the rebels. Theophobos agreed to surrender and was restored to his high offices, while his men, numbering some 30,000, were reportedly split up into regiments of 2000 men and divided among the districts.[9][10] As Theophilos' health declined however, and in order to prevent any usurpation of the throne from his infant son and heir, Michael III (r. 842–867), in 840 or 842, Theophilos had his brother-in-law Petronas secretly execute Theophobos by decapitation.[11][12]