Pothos Argyros (10th century)
Pothos Argyros (Greek: Πόθος Ἀργυρός; fl. c. 910 – after 958) was a Byzantine general active in the first half of the 10th century.
Life
He was the son of the magistros Eustathios Argyros, Drungary of the Watch under Leo VI the Wise (ruled 886–912).[1][2] In ca. 910, Pothos and his brother Leo Argyro were serving at court as manglabites (personal bodyguards of the emperor),[1][2] when their father was poisoned after being suspected by Leo for plotting against him. The two brothers brought their father's body for burial to their ancestral monastery of Saint Elizabeth in the Charsianon district.[2][3]
Pothos and Leo both followed military careers. In ca. 921 Pothos was appointed to the post of Domestic of the Schools by Romanos I (r. 920–944) and sent to supervise the border with Bulgaria. Pothos participated in the disastrous defeat against the Bulgarians in the Battle of Pegae in March 922, but survived. He is attested again in 958, holding the rank of patrikios and the post of Domestic of the Excubitors, when he defeated the Magyars in battle.[1][2]
References
Sources
- Guilland, Rodolphe (1967). Recherches sur les institutions byzantines, Tome I (in French). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag. p. 441.
- Tougher, Shaun (1997). The Reign of Leo VI (886-912): Politics and People. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-9-00-410811-0.
| Preceded by Adralestos |
Domestic of the Schools 920/1–922 |
Succeeded by John Kourkouas |