Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

NICEPHORUS II

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 648 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

NICEPHORUS II . (See also:

Phocas), See also:emperor 963–969, belonged to a Cappadocian See also:family which had produced several distinguished generals. He was See also:born about 912, joined the See also:army at an See also:early See also:age, and, under See also:Constantine VII., became See also:commander on the eastern frontier. In the See also:war with the See also:Saracens he began with a severe defeat (956), which he retrieved in the years following by victories in See also:Syria. In 96o he led an expedition to See also:Crete, stormed See also:Candia after a ten months' See also:siege, and wrested the whole See also:island from the Saracens. After receiving the unusual honours of a See also:triumph, he returned to the See also:east with a large and well-equipped army. In the See also:campaigns of 962–63 by brilliant See also:strategy he forced his way through See also:Cilicia into Syria and captured See also:Aleppo, but made no permanent conquests. Upon the See also:death of See also:Romanus II. he returned to See also:Constantinople to defend himself against the intrigues of the See also:minister Bringas. With the help of the See also:regent See also:Theophano and the See also:patriarch, he received supreme command of the eastern forces, and being proclaimed emperor by these marched upon the See also:capital, where meanwhile his partisans had overthrown his enemy Bringas. Thanks to his popularity with the army, Nicephorus was crowned emperor by the See also:side of Romanus's See also:infant sons, and in spite of the patriarch's opposition married their See also:mother Theophano. During his reign he continued to wage numerous See also:wars. In 964–966 he definitely conquered Cilicia and again overran See also:Mesopotamia and Syria, while the patrician Nicetas recovered See also:Cyprus.

In 968 he reduced most of the fortresses in Syria, and after the fall of See also:

Antioch and Aleppo (969), which were recaptured by his lieutenants, secured his conquests by a See also:peace. On his See also:northern frontier he began a war against the Bulgarians, to whom the Byzantines had of See also:late been paying See also:tribute (967), and by instigating an attack from the Russians distracted their See also:attention effectively. Nicephorus was less successful in his western wars. After renouncing his tribute to the Fatimite caliphs, he sent an expedition to See also:Sicily under Nicetas (964-65), but was forced by defeats on See also:land and See also:sea to evacuate that island completely. In 967 he made peace with the Saracens of See also:Kairawan and turned to defend himself against their See also:common enemy, See also:Otto I. of See also:Germany, who had attacked the See also:Byzantine possessions in See also:Italy; but after some initial successes his generals were defeated and driven back upon the See also:southern See also:coast. Owing to the care which he lavished upon the proper See also:maintenance of the army, Nicephorus was compelled to exercise rigid See also:economy in other departments. He retrenched the See also:court largesses and curtailed the immunities of the See also:clergy, and although himself of an ascetic disposition forbade the See also:foundation of new monasteries. By his heavy imposts and the debasement of the coinage he forfeited his popularity with the See also:rest of the community, and gave rise to riots. Last of all, he was forsaken by his wife, and, in consequence of a See also:conspiracy which she headed with his See also:nephew See also:John Zimisces, was assassinated in his sleeping apartment. Nicephorus was the author of an extant See also:treatise on military See also:tactics which contains valuable See also:information concerning the See also:art of war in his See also:time.

End of Article: NICEPHORUS II

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
NICEPHORUS I 		[next]
NICEPHORUS III

Site © 2006 - Net Industries