John Doukas (son of Nikephoros Bryennios)

John Doukas (Greek: Ἰωάννης Δούκας, c. 1103 – after 1173) was a Byzantine aristocrat and military commander.

Life

Born around 1103, John was a younger son of the general and historian Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger and Anna Komnene, the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118).^[1] In the sources, he is never referred to with the surnames "Komnenos" or "Bryennios", but always with the name "Doukas", which he inherited from his maternal grandmother, Empress Irene Doukaina.^[2] He married at the same time as his older brother, Alexios, in 1122. John too married a princess from an unnamed Caucasian principality, whose original name is not known. She had come to the Byzantine court at a young age, become a ward of Irene Doukaina and Anna Komnene, and received the name Theodora.^[3]

John was active as a military commander, but few details are known about his career.^[4] In 1138 he was away on campaign against the Seljuk Turks near the Sangarios River, when his wife died.^[5] Later, likely during the reign of Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180), John fought against the Turks in Anatolia, against the Italo-Normans, and in the Caucasus (likely against Georgia).^[6] In 1140/1142 John married a second time. The name and identity of his wife are not known, other than that she was a Byzantine noblewoman noted for her intelligence and education.^[7] The historian Konstantinos Varzos hypothesizes that she was possibly the daughter of the senior official Michael Hagiotheodorites.^[8]

In 1166, John participated in a church synod that tried the bishop of Lampe for heresy.^[6] Both Eustathius of Thessalonica and Constantine Manasses praise John's bravery in their works, as well as his erudition.^[9] John died some time after 1173.^[10]

Issue

From his first marriage, John had a son, Nikephoros, who likely died at an early age, certainly before 1144.^[11]

From his second marriage, John had several children:

• Nikephoros (c. 1144–1173), he was of a scholarly inclination and a student of Eustathius of Thessalonica. He became a sebastos and epi ton deeseon. He married and had offspring, whose names are unknown.^[12]
• Andronikos (born c. 1148), became a sebastos and had a military career. Little is known about his life or his family.^[13]
• Alexios (born c. 1150), became a sebastos and had a military career. Little is known about his life or his family.^[14]
• Manuel (born c. 1160), is only mentioned on the occasion of his brother Nikephoros' death in 1173. Nothing is known about his life or his family.^[15]
• Several daughters, whose number of names are not known^[16]