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John Doukas Komnenos (1126 – September 1176) was a son of Andronikos Komnenos. Through his father, he was a grandson of Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos. He was doux (military governor) of Cyprus from 1155 until his death.

Life

Born in 1126 as the oldest child of the sebastokrator Andronikos Komnenos and his wife Irene, John became orphaned when his father died in 1142. John then came under the protection of his uncle, Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180), to whom he remained close throughout his life: in his palatial residence in Constantinople, where he commissioned mosaics depicting the martial deeds of the emperors of the Komnenian dynasty, an inscription lauded Manuel as his "spiritual father" and even a "second god". In his youth he was lauded for his beauty, his pale complexion and blond hair.

John is first mentioned on campaign in 1146, against the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. In 1148 John took part in a tournament in the Western style held at Heraclea, where he was wounded and lost an eye to the lance strike of an Italian knight. As a recompense, Emperor Manuel I gave him the high rank of protosebastos and appointed him to the office of protovestiarios. This provoked the envy and enmity of the future Andronikos I Komnenos. This rivalry deepened in the following years, as Andronikos became the lover of John's younger sister, Eudokia, and as a result of a public quarrel in 1154; in the same year, John accused his cousin of intending to assassinate Emperor Manuel, while Andronikos openly proclaimed that he wanted to "cut the head of my biggest enemy", meaning John. This statement led Emperor Manuel to imprison Andronikos.

John fought in the Byzantine–Hungarian wars in 1150, winning a victory against a Hungarian detachment near the Strymon river. It may be during this campaign that he received a wound to the thigh, and lost the little finger of his left hand. In 1151, John was doux (military governor) of Sardica (modern Sofia, Bulgaria), was doux of Naissus (modern Nish, Serbia) c. 1154/5, and then governor of Cyprus in 1155.

In 1156, Cyprus was attacked by Raynald of Châtillon and Thoros II, Prince of Armenia; Thoros and Raynald both conducted widespread plundering of the island: the Franks and Armenians marched up and down the island robbing and pillaging every building that they saw, churches and convents as well as shops and private houses. The crops were burnt; the herds were rounded up, together with all the population, and driven down to the coast. John opposed the attack but was captured by Raynald and Thoros and was taken prisoner to Antioch.

The nightmare lasted about three weeks; then, on the rumour of an imperial fleet in the offing, Raynald gave the order for re-embarkation. The ships were loaded up with booty; and every Cypriot was forced to ransom himself.

John was released, since in May 1157 he took part in a church council in the Palace of Blachernae.

He took part in the Battle of Myriokephalon under Manuel I. The Byzantines were defeated and John Doukas was killed during the battle, shortly after 17 September 1176.

Family

John Doukas was married around 1146 to a woman from the Taronites family, whose first name is unknown. She likely was a descendant of Maria Komnene, sister of Alexios I Komnenos, and Michael Taronites. The couple had several daughters and at least one son, but not all of them are known by name:

1. Maria (c. 1154 – 1208/1217), married firstly to Amalric I of Jerusalem; from this marriage she had a daughter, the future Isabella I of Jerusalem and then married secondly to Balian of Ibelin, amongst the children produced from this marriage was John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut.
2. Alexios Komnenos, led a rebellion against Andronikos I Komnenos, but was captured, blinded and imprisoned, died unmarried in 1187.
3. (probably) Theodora (fl. 1140) wife of Bohemond III, prince of Antioch.

References

1. Niketas Choniates, Liber III Rerum a Manuele Comneno Gestarum, 2, p. 135.
2. ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 142–143.
3. Varzos 1984, pp. 143, 145.
4. Varzos 1984, p. 145.
5. ^ Varzos 1984, p. 146.
6. ^ Varzos 1984, p. 147.
7. Varzos 1984, p. 148.
8. ^ Varzos 1984, p. 149.
9. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187.
10. A History of Armenia
11. Runciman (1978), Vol. 2, pp. 347-8.
12. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187.
13. Varzos 1984, p. 151.
14. Varzos 1984, p. 154.
15. Varzos 1984, p. 143.
16. Varzos 1984, pp. 144–145.
17. Niketas Choniates, Imperiii Andronici Comneni, Liber 1, 8, p. 384.

Sources

• Runciman, Steven (1952). A History of the Crusades, Volume II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. B. Thessaloniki: Centre for Byzantine Studies, University of Thessaloniki. OCLC 834784665.

• 1126 births
• 1176 deaths
• 12th-century Byzantine people
• Komnenos dynasty
• Byzantine governors of Cyprus
• Byzantines killed in battle
• Protovestiarioi
• Protosebastoi
• Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Seljuk wars
• Byzantine prisoners of war