John Curcuras (otherwise spelled Gungan or Curcuras) is a forgotten military hero of the so-called 'Byzantine' empire, or that part of the Roman empire that survived the fall of the West. In his own day Curcuras was celebrated by Roman chroniclers as the equal of Trajan and Flavius Belisarius, so I thought it worth taking a closer look at his career.
Curcuras belonged to a family of Armenian descent with a strong military tradition. He was born in the village of Dokeia Darbidoun (now Tokat in modern Turkey) and educated in the Scriptures by his kinsman, Christopher, the bishop or metropolitan of Gangrai. His grandfather, also John, had been commander of the Hikanatoi, one of the Roman tagmata or elite guard units stationed near the capital, Constantinople.
This earlier John had taken part in a conspiracy against the Emperor Basil I the Macedonian (reigned 867-86). Although widespread, including no less than sixty-six Roman senators, the conspiracy was a failure. Basil, one of the strongest of Eastern emperors, conducted a public trial of the conspirators in the Hippodrome of Constantinpole. The rebels were condemned to beatings and forcible tonsure, then made to walk naked behind the emperor in a festive procession. Afterwards they were banished and their possessions confiscated. Fortunately for our John Curcuras, the family managed to claw their way back into favour.
His father, probably named Romanos, was a wealthy official in the imperial palace. Thus, the disgrace of the grandfather was not passed down the generations, and the Curcuras remained an important part of the landed Roman aristocracy.
Attached is an image of Basil I and his son and successor, Leo 'the Wise'.
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