John was born in present-day
Çemişgezek in
Tunceli Province. His father was a scion of the
Kourkouas family, a clan of
Armenian origin that had established itself as one of the chief families among the
Anatolian military aristocracy by the early 10th century. His mother belonged to the
Phokas Byzantine aristocratic clan from Cappadocia, probably of
Greek-
Armenian origin. Scholars have speculated that "
Tzimiskes" was derived either from the Armenian (), meaning "red boot", or from an Armenian word for "short stature", as explained by
Leo the Deacon. A more favorable explanation is offered by the medieval Armenian historian
Matthew of Edessa, who states that Tzimiskes was from the region of Khozan, from the area called
Chmushkatzag. Khozan was located in the region of Paghnatun, in the Byzantine province of
Fourth Armenia (
Sophene). Either way, "Tzimiskes" was a surname used by other members of John's family, as the Armenian historian
Stepanos Asoghik refers to him as the "grandson of Č‘mškik". Tzimiskes was born in 924 or 925, as Leo the Deacon states that he died aged 51, to an unnamed member of the
Kourkouas family and the sister of the future Emperor
Nikephoros II Phokas. Both the
Kourkouai and the
Phokadai were distinguished
Cappadocian families, and among the most prominent of the emerging military aristocracy of
Asia Minor. Several of their members had served as prominent army generals, most notably the great
John Kourkouas, who conquered
Melitene and much of Armenia. Contemporary sources describe Tzimiskes as a rather short but well-built man, with reddish blonde hair and beard and blue eyes who was attractive to women. He seems to have joined the army at an early age, originally under the command of his maternal uncle Nikephoros Phokas. The latter is also considered his instructor in the art of war. Partly because of his familial connections and partly because of his personal abilities, Tzimiskes quickly rose through the ranks. He was given the political and military command of the theme of Armenia before he turned twenty-five years old. His marriage to Maria Skleraina, daughter of
Pantherios Skleros and sister of
Bardas Skleros, linked him to the influential Skleros family. Little is known about her; she died before his rise to the throne, and the marriage was apparently childless. The contemporary historian
Leo the Deacon remarks that she excelled in both beauty and wisdom. == Rise to the throne ==