Nicephorus II Phocas
At a glance:
- Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Royalty, Rulers, Nobility, Military History
- Subcategories: Empires, Dynasties, Emperors, Caesars, Khans, Byzantine Empire
- Curriculum: Medieval History/Middle Ages, Eastern European History, Middle Eastern History
Article abstract: Military significance: From 963 to 969, Byzantine emperor Nicephorus II annexed Cyprus and most of northern Syria, revived Byzantine heavy armored cavalry, and provoked a Russian attack on his overbearing neighbor, Bulgaria.
A Byzantine nobleman, Nicephorus II Phocas rose to become a senior army commander fighting in Crete and northern Syria. In 963, he seized the Byzantine throne when the emperor, Romanus II, died unexpectedly. Nicephorus began a systematic campaign against the Hamdānid Amirs of Syria. After breaking through the Cicilian range...
[The entire page is 309 words long]
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