The End of Axouch

The rise of John Axouch from captive Turk to Byzantine megas domestikos and sebastor can be found here. Although he was treated well by one emperor (Alexios I), favored highly by the next (John II), and maintained in his high status by the third (Manuel), he was not immune to the whims of rulers, as you shall see.

It involves a dinner party consisting of the emperor's (Manuel's) family. The presence of Axouch at the dinner shows how integrated he was with the Comnenos clan. A debate arose concerning the martial prowess of Manuel versus his father, John II. Axouch was John's closest companion his whole life, so it is not surprising that Axouch praised the abilities of his friend above those of his friend's son.

Manuel's older brother, Isaac (whom we are told was preferred by Axouch as the next emperor, but John wanted Manuel instead), agreed with Axouch. A cousin, Andronikos, argued for Manuel's superiority. Tempers flared and Isaac attacked Andronikos with a sword, but the blow did not strike because Manuel had his own sword ready and saved Andronikos. (Andronikos would later usurp the throne from Manuel's son, Alexios II.)

Manuel, unhappy with the unfavorable comparison with his father, took the imperial seal from Axouch, who could no longer approve documents. This anecdote tells us that Axouch, besides being commander of the army, also was in charge of civil administration.

Despite this incident, he was still in charge of the military, and still respected enough for it that his ties to the Comnenos family continued. Axouch had a son whom he named for the man who first brought him to Constantinople, Alexios. Alexios married Maria, the daughter of John II's eldest son Alexios who had died before John. Alexios Axouch became second-in-command of the Byzantine army (until he was forced into a monastery in 1167, having been accused of treason). Axouch also had a daughter, Eudokia, who married Stephen Comnenos, a great-nephew of Alexios I.

...which brings us back to Alexios I Comnenos, who was given Axouch as a captive after the Siege of Nicaea during the First Crusade. There is much more to that story and Alexios' involvement in the Nicaea event, which I'll tell you about tomorrow.

John Axouch, from War Prize to Commander

In June of 1097, the First Crusade captured Nicaea, at that time under the control of the Seljuk Turks. An attempt at defense by Kilij Arslan failed, after which Nicaea surrendered rather than allow the Crusaders to break the walls. (There is much more to that surrender that needs addressing soon.)

As in many such cases, captives from noble families were taken in order to guarantee good behavior on the part of the conquered. One of these was John Axouch, given to Emperor Alexios I as a present. Alexios took him to Constantinople where Axouch became a companion to Alexios' son John Comnenos (shown above; there are no available representations of John Axouch).

The two were constant companions and close friends. When Alexios died and his son became Emperor John II Comnenos, he appointed his close friend megas domestikos, essentially commander-in-chief of the army. Axouch was also given the court title of sebastos, equivalent to the Roman augustus, meaning "venerable one." Members of the imperial family were required to treat him with the greatest respect.

This generated hostility among the royal family, which Axouch wisely tried to ameliorate. When a plot against John by his sister Anna was foiled, John wanted to give Axouch all her properties, but Axouch refused, knowing how much the action would increase the enmity felt towards him by the royals. He also (we are told) persuaded John to reconcile with his sister and let her keep her property.

John liked to be personally involved in military campaigns, and the two worked well together. For example, Axouch would be sent ahead to begin a siege, and John would follow up with more of the army to swiftly conclude the taking of a city.

John died after being wounded while hunting on a campaign in Cilicia. Axouch quickly traveled back to Constantinople in order to reach it before news of the death did. The urgency was to ensure that John's younger son Manuel succeeded him, rather than the older Isaac. This may have had something to do with Isaac's reputation for being irascible, or perhaps in order to fulfill a prophecy. Some historians of the time claim that Axouch was close to Isaac, and tried to persuade John that the elder son was a better candidate. They also say Manuel was suspicious of the friendship between Axouch and Isaac.

Whatever the case, the truth is that Manuel became emperor and confirmed Axouch in his position as megas domestikos. There were troubles ahead, however, which I will tell you about tomorrow.

John the Beautiful

As the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Comnenos, John had the status of Porphyrogenitus, "born to the purple." He had an older and well-educated sister, Anna, who had hoped that she and her husband would rule after Alexios' death, but it was not to be. Her brother became Emperor John II Comnenos, the second emperor of what is called the Comnenian Restoration that lasted more than a century.

He was known as John the Good or John the Beautiful, but this was a reference to his character, not his physical appearance (he was short, and his eyes and hair and complexion were so dark that he was also called "the Moor"). He was pious, dignified, and (notable for a medieval ruler) known to be faithful to his wife (Irene of Hungary, venerated as a saint). A just ruler, supposedly he never had anyone executed outside of what the law demanded.

He was also a good general and strategist. Unlike his father and other emperors, he did not use his family to fill high positions (which in the past created opportunities for family members to consider conspiracies and coups). He appointed several men from outside his family connections, distributing (and diluting) power among several different clans.

His closest friend and advisor was John Axouch, who was himself so moral that, when John offered him all the property of John's sister Anna (because John had uncovered a conspiracy of which she was a part), Axouch declined. Axouch was a Turk who had been captured at the Siege of Nicaea and given to Alexios as a gift. John appointed Axouch as the megas domestikos, the Grand Domestic, making him commander-in-chief of the Byzantine armed forces.

John II's policies did lead to resentment among his family. His younger brother, Isaac, was conspiring against John, and in 1130 when John was about to have him arrested for it, Isaac fled first to a Danishmend emir, then to the Seljuk Sultan of Rum, and also to the Prince of Armenia. Isaac was apparently seeking aid from these rulers. Isaac had some support in Constantinople, and John had to hurry back home from a campaign upon learning that there was a plan to put Isaac on the throne. A reconciliation of the brothers in 1138 was short-lived: a year later Isaac was exiled to Heraclea, on the coast of the Black Sea, far from Constantinople.

During his reign, John personally led all military campaigns to expand territory or put down rebellions. He is regarded as the most successful of the Comnenian emperors. His death was accidental. While hunting wild boar in Cilicia in southern Turkey, he cut his hand on a poisoned arrow. We assume he did not bother treating the cut, which became infected; he died several days after the incident, on 8 April 1143. Of his surviving sons, he named the younger, Manuel, to be his heir rather than the older Isaac. Isaac was known to be irritable, while Manuel had distinguished himself on campaign. John Axouch argued for the older Isaac, but was a faithful supporter of Manuel when the choice was made.

There is another theory offered to explain the choice of Manuel over Isaac, and it is the odd AIMA prophecy. This is a quirky one, which I'll save for tomorrow.