Philippikos Bardanes

Philippikos

A coin of Philippikos
Emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Reign 11 December 711– 3 June 713
Predecessor Justinian II
Successor Anastasius II
Died 713
Father Nikephorus
Twenty Years' Anarchy
Chronology
Leontios 695698
Tiberios III 698705
Justinian II 705711
with Tiberius as co-emperor, 706711
Philippikos Bardanes 711713
Anastasios II 713715
Theodosios III 715717
Succession
Preceded by
Heraclian dynasty
Followed by
Isaurian dynasty

Philippikos or Philippicus (Greek: Φιλιππικός) was Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 711 to 713.

Biography

Philippicus was originally named Bardanes (Greek: Βαρδάνης, Vardanis; Armenian: Վարդան, Vardan); he was the son of the patrician Nikephorus, who was of Armenian extraction from an Armenian colony in Pergamum.[1]

Relying on the support of the Monothelite party, he made some pretensions to the throne on the outbreak of the first great rebellion against Emperor Justinian II; these led to his relegation to Cephalonia by Tiberius Apsimarus, and subsequently to his banishment to Cherson by order of Justinian. Here Bardanes, taking the name of Philippicus, successfully incited the inhabitants to revolt with the help of the Khazars. The successful rebels seized Constantinople, and Justinian fled (only to be assassinated soon afterward, unable to rally substantial support in the provinces); Philippikos took the throne.

Reign

Among his first acts were the deposition of the orthodox patriarch Cyrus of Constantinople, in favour of John VI, a member of his own sect, and the summoning of a conciliabulum of Eastern bishops, which abolished the canons of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. In response the Roman Church refused to recognize the new Emperor and his patriarch. Meanwhile, Tervel of Bulgaria plundered up to the walls of Constantinople in 712. When Philippicus transferred an army from the Opsikion theme to police the Balkans, the Umayyad Caliphate under Al-Walid I made inroads across the weakened defenses of Asia Minor.

In late May 713 the Opsikion troops rebelled in Thrace. Several of their officers penetrated the city and blinded Philippicus on June 3, 713 while he was in the hippodrome.[2] He was succeeded for a short while by his principal secretary, Artemius, who was raised to the purple as Emperor Anastasius II. He died in the same year.

See also

Bibliography

References
  1. Charanis, Peter (1959). "Ethnic Changes in the Byzantine Empire in the Seventh Century". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. Dumbarton Oaks. 13: 23–44. JSTOR 1291127. doi:10.2307/1291127.
  2. Theophanes 1982, p. 79.
Sources

Further reading

Philippikos Bardanes
Born: ? Died: 714
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Justinian II
Byzantine Emperor
11 December 711 – 3 June 713
Succeeded by
Anastasius II
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