Sarantapechos (Greek: Σαραντάπηχος, Sarantápēchos),[note 1] feminine form Sarantapechaena (Greek: Σαρανταπήχαινα, Sarantapḗchaina), was a Byzantine Greek noble family originating from Athens.[1][2] The family is attested in the second half of the eighth century, as well as in the early ninth century and is thought to have been of political influence in central Greece at the time.[3][4] Very few members are known of the family, the first and most prominent being Irene of Athens, who, after her marriage to emperor Leo IV, became empress consort, later regent, and finally the first empress regnant of the Byzantine Empire in 797.[5]
| Sarantapechos Σαραντάπηχος | |
|---|---|
| Noble family | |
| Country | Byzantine Empire |
| Place of origin | Athens, Hellas |
| Founded | 8th century |
| Titles | Patrician, Spatharios, Empress |
| Members | Irene of Athens, Constantine Sarantapechos, Theophylact Sarantapechos, Leon Sarantapechos |
| Connected members | Theophano of Athens |
| Connected families | Isaurian dynasty |
History
editName and early accounts
editThe name Sarantapēchos, from Greek σαράντα saránta ('forty') and πήχυς pḗchys ('cubit'), was probably a reference to one particularly tall member who gave the epithet to his family and reflected a common Byzantine tradition of name-giving based on physical attributes, geographical origins or a particular trade.[6] Variations of the name include "Tessarakontapechys", from Ancient Greek tessarakonta ('forty') and the latinized form Serantapicus.
The Kitāb al-‘Uyūn mentions a Byzantine patrician of the early 8th century as "son of forty cubits" which is generally understood as the Arabic translation of the Greek Sarantapechos. During the 717 siege of Constantinople, he delivers a message from emperor Leo III to the Arab general Maslama negotiating a peace treaty.[7] This patrician is occasionally identified with Beser (Βησήρ; from his Arabic given name Bashir), a Byzantine from Pergamon, who abandoned Christianity when he was captured by the Arabs as a child, but later gained his freedom and returned to the empire.[8][9] Both Greek and Syriac sources mention an apostate named Beser as a company of emperor Leo, but it remains uncertain whether Beser is in fact the messenger who is mentioned in the Kitab al-Uyun.[10] The nickname Tessarakontapechys is also given by John of Jerusalem to an iconoclast Jewish magician who is said to have tricked Yazīd II with a prophecy into having all icons in his realm destroyed.[10] Scholars have questioned whether the patrician "son of forty cubits" and the iconoclast magician could be associated, but a connection between them is generally unlikely.[10][7][11] While the patrician could have been an early ancestor of the Sarantapechos family,[7] the historicity of the magician is generally doubted and he is sometimes considered a legendary figure.[11][12][13]
Background
editThe earliest known member of the Sarantapechos family, Irene Sarantapechaina, appears in the Byzantine sources during the second half of the 8th century, starting with her marriage to the future emperor Leo IV in 769.[5] Based on information supplied from the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor, it is clear that the family was well established in the region and known by their family name.[6] Scholars conclude that the family was wealthy and likely of political significance in the Helladic theme, based on the fact that Irene travelled to Constantinople in order to become the bride of the emperor's son.[4][14] The alliance with the Sarantapechos family is thought to have been a result of serious calculation, as the emperor Constantine V sought to strengthen his control over remote and critical areas of his empire. By binding an established local Orthodox family, the emperor expected to expand his influence in mainland Greece, gain local support, and secure the conversion and assimilation of the invading Slavic tribes.[15] Upon arriving in Constantinople in 769, Irene was not named as a member of the Sarantapechos family, which might suggest that the name was not well known throughout the empire, or most likely that her father was dead. Irene would, indeed, later claim to be an orphan.[6]
Known members
editConstantine Sarantapechos, Irene's relative –usually suggested brother-in-law or uncle– was a patrician and maybe a strategos (military commander) of the Byzantine theme of Hellas. Constantine's son and therefore Irene's nephew or cousin, Theophylact (Θεοφύλακτος), was a spatharios and is mentioned as having been involved in suppressing an uprising against Constantine V's sons in 799.[3][5][16] Another patrician named Leon Sarantapechos is mentioned in 802; based on his surname he was likely a member of the family, but the exact relation is unknown.[17] Irene herself would place some of her relatives in positions of prominence, with a cousin –or sister– marrying the Bulgar khan Telerig,[18][5][16] and another relative, Theophano of Athens, marrying the future Byzantine emperor Staurakios.[19][20] The monk Nicetas the Patrician, who was probably a member of the Monomachos family,[21] is likely to have been a distant relative of Irene.[22][23]
The construction of several Byzantine churches during Irene's reign has been attributed to Irene or her relatives, including the Little Metropolis in central Athens.[24] During the ninth century, family members are said to have moved to Corinthia, Peloponnese, where they settled in the village Sarantapecho, which is thought to have been named after them.[25] Due to its strategic location, the village was strongly fortified against invaders, with a few traces of this fortification remaining visible today.[26]
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^ [saraˈndapixos]; also found as 'Sarantapechys' (Σαραντάπηχυς) or 'Tessarakontapechys' (Τεσσαρακοντάπηχυς), lit. '[tall as] forty cubits'.
- ^ Speake 2021, p. 823; Woodacre 2013, p. 12
- ^ Bury 2015, pp. 482–483, 494; Vasiliev 1958, pp. 234, 254
- ^ a b Garland 1999, p. 73.
- ^ a b Treadgold 1997, p. 572 :"As early as the later eighth century, the Tessaracontapechys family of Athens was important enough to have a family name and to send their relative Irene to Constantinople as the bride of the emperor's son".
- ^ a b c d PBW, Eirene 1.
- ^ a b c Herrin 2002, p. 55.
- ^ a b c "Serantapechos". De Gruyter. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ Griffith 2002, pp. 294–296.
- ^ The 43rd Annual Byzantine Studies Conference at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis. (2017) BYZANTINE STUDIES CONFERENCE
- ^ a b c Griffith 2002, pp. 297–298.
- ^ a b "Tessarakontapechys". De Gruyter. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ Humphreys 2021, p. 525.
- ^ Barnard 1974, pp. 21–22.
- ^ Curta 2006, p. 116 :"Both Empress Irene and Theophano, Staurakios' wife, were born into rich families from Athens".
- ^ Herrin 2002, pp. 56–57.
- ^ a b "Konstantinos Serantapechos". De Gruyter. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "Leon Serantapechos". De Gruyter. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ Curta 2006, p. 88.
- ^ Davids 2002, p. 112.
- ^ Petrovich Kazhdan 1991, p. 221.
- ^ Guentcho 2003, Chapter I.
- ^ "Niketas". De Gruyter. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ Brubaker & Haldon 2011, pp. 393–394.
- ^ Freely 2004, p. 231.
- ^ Papandreadis G., Nikolaos (2001). History & Folklore of Zacholis [Ιστορία & Λαογραφία της Ζαχόλης] (in Greek).
- ^ Balla, Photeini (2009-01-01). "ΕΥΡΩΣΤΙΝΗΣ ΠΕΡΙΗΓΗΣΗ Ιστορία και μνημεία της περιοχής από την αρχαιότητα έως και τους ύστερους βυζαντινούς χρόνους". Δήμος Ευρωστίνης.
References
edit- Garland, Lynda (1999), "Irene (769–802)", Byzantine Empresses: Women and Power in Byzantium, AD 527–1204, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-14688-3
- Herrin, Judith (2002), Women in purple : rulers of medieval Byzantium, London : Phoenix, ISBN 1-84212-529-X
- Treadgold, Warren (1997), A History of the Byzantine State and Society, Stanford University Press, ISBN 9780804779371
- Curta, Florin (2006), Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521815390
- Bury, J.B. (2015), A History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene (395 A.D. to 800 A.D), Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1108083188
- Martindale, J.R. (2001). Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire. ISBN 978-1-897747-32-2.
- Davids, Adelbert (2002), The Empress Theophano: Byzantium and the West at the Turn of the First Millennium, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521524674
- Freely, John (2004). Strolling through Athens: Fourteen Unforgettable Walks through Europe's Oldest City. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. ISBN 978-1-85043-595-2.
- Woodacre, Elena (2013). Queenship in the Mediterranean: Negotiating the Role of the Queen in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras. Springer. ISBN 978-1137362834.
- Petrovich Kazhdan, Aleksandr (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195046528.
- Vasiliev, Alexander (1958). History of the Byzantine Empire 324-1453. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299809250.
- Humphreys, Mike (2021). A Companion to Byzantine Iconoclasm. Brill. ISBN 978-9004339903.
- Griffith, Sidney H. (2002). The Beginnings of Christian Theology in Arabic: Muslim-Christian Encounters in the Early Islamic Period. Ashgate. ISBN 086078889X.
- Barnard, Leslie William (1974). The Graeco-Roman and Oriental Background of the Iconoclastic Controversy. Brill. ISBN 9789004039445.
- Speake, Graham (2021). "Irene c.752–803". Encyclopedia of Greece and the Hellenic Tradition. Routledge. ISBN 978-1135942069.
- Brubaker, Leslie; Haldon, John (2011). Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era, C. 680-850, A History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521430937.
- Guentcho, Banev (2003). "Niketas the Patrician". Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor (in Greek). Foundation of the Hellenic World.