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Upon Phokas' death at the Battle of Abydos in 989, Skleros succeeded him as the leader of the rebellion: "The truth was, the men who had enrolled in
Skleros's army were no longer divided in their loyalties: every one of them was a declared rebel. Their leader inspired them with his own resolute determination and bound them into one coherent body. By favours he won their loyalty, by his kindliness he earned their devotion. He reconciled their differences, ate at the same table as his men, drank from the same cup, called them by name, and by his flattery bound them to his allegiance" (
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284:, Skleros was "a man who was not only a competent planner, but extremely clever in carrying out his schemes, possessed of vast wealth (no mean asset in one who aimed at a throne), with the prestige of royal blood and of success in great wars, with all the military caste at his side to help on his enterprise."
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In 987 Skleros was finally recalled to his homeland by Phokas, who took advantage of the
Bulgarian wars to aim at the crown. Skleros promptly mustered an army to support Phokas's cause, but his plans of profiting from the attendant disorders were frustrated when Phokas had him committed to prison.
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and even Muslim rulers who all vowed to support his claims to the imperial crown. He successfully stirred up rebellion among his relatives and adherents in the Asian provinces, rapidly making himself master of
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The date of his surrender to the authorities is disputed, as are the circumstances. In 991 Skleros, a blinded and broken man, then residing in semi-captivity in
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After the Asian potentates refused to support his further operations against
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After he had shown himself equal to dealing with the fiercest enemies of
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The bloodline of Bardas
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in the East, where his family demesnes were situated. He came to an understanding with
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Clash between the armies of
Skleros and Phokas, miniature from the Madrid Skylitzes
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Upon hearing the news of his deposition, Skleros came to an agreement with local
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defeated Phokas in two battles, but the latter was victorious in a third
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Having lost supremacy at sea, Skleros at once laid siege to the town of
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Fourteen
Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus
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Proclamation of
Skleros as Emperor, miniature from the
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and died several days later, presumably on April 2.
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in 980. They resided in honourable captivity at the
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commanders defected to
Skleros's side, he dashed to
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336:raided the Aegean and attempted to blockade the
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385:Skleros instantly left Nicaea for the East and
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234:Bardas belonged to the great family of the
265:, who was his brother-in-law and a fellow
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451:. The famous rebel accepted the title of
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
544:. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005,
512:. New York: Penguin Classics. pp.
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399:Rebellion of Bardas Phokas the Younger
362:Meanwhile, Basil recalled from exile
242:. His mother Gregoria descended from
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
218:general who led a wide-scale Asian
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467:. One of Basil's nieces married
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16:10th-century Byzantine general
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576:10th-century Byzantine people
226:during the years 976 to 979.
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355:and progenitor of the
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210:: Βάρδας Σκληρός) or
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275:general in the East
254:in 970. During the
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465:Romanos III
459:Descendants
453:curopalates
393:Later years
330:Dardanelles
167:2 April 991
146:Native name
586:991 deaths
560:Categories
491:References
338:Hellespont
240:Asia Minor
230:Background
172:Allegiance
69:newspapers
413:Byzantium
380:Tornikios
359:dynasty.
288:Rebellion
220:rebellion
216:Byzantine
175:Byzantine
596:Basil II
479:See also
449:Bulgaria
445:Basil II
368:Sebastea
357:Komnenoi
311:Caesarea
306:Georgian
302:Armenian
277:in 976.
267:Armenian
224:Basil II
535:Sources
405:Baghdad
315:Antioch
244:Basil I
236:Skleroi
212:Sclerus
183:General
159:Sclerus
83:scholar
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345:Nicaea
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