Artsruni-Senaichereim Family in the Byzantine Administration of the Eleventh-Century Balkan Themes

Abstract

In 2009, Valentina S. Shandrovskaia published a seal of Sebatas Senaichereim, protospatharios and strategos of the theme of Servia and dated it from the late of the tenth to the early eleventh centuries. Anton S. Mokhov dated this molybdoboullon to the second half of the 980s. Additionally, the latter used John Skylitzes’s account that Nikephoros Xiphias, following the order of the Emperor Basil II the Bulgar Slayer, destroyed and razed to the ground all the fortresses in the regions of Servia and Soska to claim that the destruction of the fortress of Servia and the liquidation of this theme date to 1018. This paper doubts the said interpretations. The paper’s author considers that the family name of Senaichereim included into the patronymic of Sebatas contradicts the dates proposed by A. S. Mokhov. The Senaichereim family descended from the king of Vaspurakan (Armenia) Senekerim Artsruni. He and his family appeared in Byzantium in 1021. His descendants could become the Senaicheriem family only after his death ca 1024. Therefore, Sebatas’ reign in Servia possibly dates to the 1020s, and the theme of Servia could hardly be liquidated in 1018.

Keywords

• византия
• балканы
• фема сервия
• васпуракан
• сенахерим
• сфрагистика