Melias (general of Lykandos)

Melias (Greek: Μελίας) or Mleh (Armenian: Մլեհ, often Mleh-mec, "Mleh the Great" in Armenian sources)^[1] was an Armenian prince who entered Byzantine service and became a distinguished general, founding the theme of Lykandos and participating in the campaigns of John Kourkouas against the Arabs.

A member of the lower naxarar nobility, possibly from the Varazhnuni clan, he first appears in historical sources as a vassal of Ashot the Long-armed, an Armenian prince who entered imperial service in ca. 890. As part of Ashot's Armenian contingent, he fought on the Byzantine side at the disastrous battle of Bulgarophygon against the Bulgarians. Ashot himself perished in this battle, along with he larger part of the Byzantine force.^[2][3] Melias escaped and returned to his service at the Byzantine eastern frontier. There he fought the Arabs, particularly the emirate of Melitene, and established a semi-autonomous lordship in the hills west of this city. After participating in the failed aristocratic rebellion of Andronikos Doukas against Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912) in 905 however, Melias and many other Armenian nobles were forced to flee to Melitene to escape retribution.^[3][4] In 908 however, Leo pardoned the rebels, who returned to assume positions of authority in the eastern frontier. Melias was first appointed as tourmarches of the region of Trypia "in Euphrateia" and then as kleisourarches, i.e. commander of a kleisoura, a fortified frontier command. This kleisoura was the district around the fort of Lykandos, which Melias rebuilt, and which was settled by Armenians. For the next decades, it would be one of the main Byzantine bases of attack against the Arabs.^[5]

Almost immediately, Melias set about expanding his province. Excelling in the small-scale border warfare, he seized and fortified the nearby mountain regions of Tzamandos and Symposion.^[6] The threat that this new province and Melias' activities posed on Melitene is recognized in Arab sources, and in 909 or 912, a major assault was launched against him, but was successfully repulsed. In 915, Melias and his men raided Arab territory as far as Germanikeia (modern Kahramanmaraş).^[3][4] In recognition of this valour and loyalty, by 916 the kleisoura of Lykandos was raised to the status of a full theme, with Melias as its strategos with the rank of patrikios and later magistros.^[7] In the next year, Melias and his troops took part in the campaign against Bulgaria that led to yet another disastrous defeat at Acheloos.^[8] In the campaigns of John Kourkouas, which began in 926, Melias played a prominent role. In 927, Kourkouas and Melias attacked Melitene, and succeeded in storming the city, although the citadel held out. As a result, Melitene pledged vassalage to the Empire.^[9][10] In the event, Melitene soon renounced the treaty, and was placed again under siege by the Byzantines. According to an Arab account, Melias tried to infiltrate the city by disguising some of his troops as artisans, but the ploy was foiled. Nevertheless, the city soon after agreed to host a Byzantine garrison.^[11][12] In 930, Melias raided the territory near Samosata, but was defeated by the Arab general Nedjm, and one of his sons was captured and taken to Baghdad.^[13] Nothing further is recorded of his activities in the East. He died in 934.^[3]

His descendants however continued to play an important role in Lykandos and the Byzantine army: another Melias is recorded as serving with John Tzimiskes, both during the reign of Nikephoros II Phokas (963–969) and during Tzimiskes' own reign, until his death in 973.^[3][14] It has also been suggested that the memory of Melias has been preserved in the figure of the apelates Melementzes in the acritic epic Digenes Akritas.^[3]

References

1. ^ The name comes from Arabic malīh, "beautiful", "fine". Melias is probably the Malikh al-Armani of Arab chroniclers. Whittow (1996), p. 315
2. ^ Whittow (1996), pp. 315–316
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Kazhdan (1991), p. 1334
4. ^ ^{a b} Whittow (1996), p. 316
5. ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 1258, 1334
6. ^ Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (1840), pp. 33, 228
7. ^ Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (1840), p. 228
8. ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 474
9. ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 479
10. ^ Runciman (1988), p. 136
11. ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 480
12. ^ Runciman (1988), pp. 138–139
13. ^ Runciman (1988), p. 139
14. ^ Whittow (1996), p. 356

Sources

• Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (1840), Niebuhr, Barthold Georg, ed., De thematibus et de administrando imperio, E. Weber, http://books.google.com/books?id=NdQFAAAAQAAJ 
• Guilland, Rodolphe (1967) (in French), Recherches sur les institutions byzantines, Tome II, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, pp. 189–190 
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6 
• Runciman, Steven (1988), The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521357227, http://books.google.com/books?id=XHVzWN6gqxQC 
• Treadgold, Warren T. (1997), A History of the Byzantine State and Society, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, ISBN 978-0804726302, http://books.google.com/books?id=nYbnr5XVbzUC 
• Whittow, Mark (1996), The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0-520-20496-4