Chaldia

Not to be confused with Chaldea.

Χαλδία, θέμα Χαλδίας Theme of Chaldia Theme of the Byzantine Empire ca. 820–1091/1095 1091/1095–1098 1126–1140 1204–1461 Map of the administrative structure of the Byzantine Empire in 1025. Chaldia's strategic location in the north-easternmost corner of the Empire is evident. Capital Trapezus Historical era Middle Ages  - Establishment as a theme ca. 820  - Autonomy from Byzantine rule after Seljuk incursions 1091/1095–1098  - Rebellion of Constantine Gabras 1126–1140  - Autonomy from Byzantine rule after Fourth Crusade 1204  - Fall to the Ottomans 1461

Chaldia (Greek: Χαλδία, Khaldia) was a historical region located in the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Its name was derived from a people called the Chaldoi (or Chalybes) that inhabited the region in Antiquity. Chaldia was used throughout the Byzantine period and was established as a formal theme, known as the Theme of Chaldia (Greek: θέμα Χαλδίας), in circa 820. During the late Middle Ages, it formed the core of the Empire of Trebizond until its fall to the Ottomans in 1461. Chaldia is not to be confused with Chaldea located in Mesopotamia.

Geography

Initially, the name Chaldia was consigned to the region around Gümüşhane,^[1] but in middle Byzantine times, the name was extended to include the coastal areas, and thus the entire province around Trabzon. Forming the easternmost part of the Pontus region, Chaldia was bounded to the north by the Black Sea, to the east by Lazica, the westernmost part of Caucasian Iberia, to the south by Cappadocia and Armenia Minor, and to the west by the western half of Pontus. Its main cities were the two ancient Greek colonies, Kerasus (modern Giresun) and Trapezus (modern Trabzon), situated in the coastal lowlands. The mountainous interior to the south, known as Mesochaldia ("Middle Chaldia"), was more sparsely inhabited and described by Procopius as "inaccessible", but rich in mineral deposits, especially lead, but also silver and gold. The mines of the region gave the name Argyropolis ("silver town", modern Gümüşhane) to the principal settlement.

History

The first local inhabitants, the Chalybes, were counted among the earliest ironsmith nations by Classical writers. Indeed, the Greek name for steel is chalybas (Greek: χάλυβας), possibly deriving from them.^[2] The first Greek colony was that of Trapezus, founded by Greek traders from Miletus, traditionally dated to 756 BC. Greek colonization was restricted to the coast, and in later ages Roman control remained likewise only nominal over the tribes of the interior.^[1] The coastal regions, however, belonged to the Roman province of Pontus Polemoniacus. Only during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I were the warlike tribes, the Sannoi or Tzannoi, subdued, Christianized, and brought under central rule.^[3] Justinian included the entire region in the newly constituted province of Armenia I Magna with Trapezus as its capital (under Emperor Maurice, it was renamed Armenia III). In the latter part of the 7th century, with the establishment of the theme system, the region became part of the Armeniac Theme, until circa 820, when it formed the new theme of Chaldia, again with Trapezus as its capital.^[4] Until the eastern gains in the latter 10th century, Chaldia remained the northeastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire. During the periods 1091/1095-1098 and 1126-1140, the theme was practically autonomous from the Byzantine government. During the first period, under its doux, Theodore Gabras, the region had been cut off from the remaining Byzantine territories by the Seljuk Turks, while during the second period, doux Constantine Gabras had rebelled against Emperor John II Komnenos. Following the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the region became part of the new Empire of Trebizond. Indeed, by the 14th century, the Empire was reduced practically to the territory of the old theme.^[5] The Empire of Trebizond managed to survive through successive upheavals by a combination of its inaccessible location, a small but capable army, and a sound diplomacy based on marriage alliances, before finally falling to the Ottomans in 1461. Even thereafter, isolated fortresses in the interior continued to resist. Only in 1479 was the region subdued, when the castle of Golacha, the last remaining Christian stronghold in Asia Minor, fell. Significant numbers of Pontic Greeks remained in the region throughout the Ottoman period, until the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Talbert 2000, p. 1226.
2. ^ Smith 1854, p. 602.
3. ^ Evans 2000, p. 93.
4. ^ Treadgold 1995, p. 31.
5. ^ Treadgold 1997, p. 817.

Sources

• Evans, James Allan Stewart (2000). The Age of Justinian: The Circumstances of Imperial Power. London, United Kingdom and New York, New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415237260. http://books.google.com/books?id=Oh2_SCMSDtAC. 
• Smith, William (1854). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company. http://books.google.com/books?id=tPBWAAAAMAAJ. 
• Talbert, Richard J. A. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World: Map-by-Map Directory. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691049458. http://books.google.com/books?id=x_FHmc_E2uQC. 
• Treadgold, Warren T. (1995). Byzantium and Its Army, 284–1081. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-3163-2. http://books.google.com/?id=xfV0LkMNaLUC. 
• Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2. http://books.google.com/?id=nYbnr5XVbzUC. 

Further reading

• Bryer, Anthony; Winfield, David (1985). Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. ISBN 0-88402-122-X. http://books.google.com/books?id=54kVAQAAMAAJ. 
• Gyftopoulou, Sofia; Papadaki, Irene (March 10, 2005). "Chaldia (Byzantium)" (HTML). Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World: Asia Minor. Foundation of the Hellenic World. http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/Forms/fLemma.aspx?lemmaid=6797&contlang=58. Retrieved 16 June 2011.