Philippicus was originally named Bardanes; he was the son of the patrician Nicephorus, who was of
Armenian extraction from an Armenian colony in
Pergamum. The Armenian background of Philippicus has been supported by
Byzantinist historians
Peter Charanis and
Nicholas Adontz, and disputed by
Anthony Kaldellis. Kaldellis adds that Bardanes was probably born and raised in the Byzantine realm, as his father Nicephorus possibly was. Contemporaneous sources attest to Bardanes' tutoring, scholarly interests, learning and eloquence, all of which were in Greek. which Kaldellis also denies. Byzantine researcher Toby Bromige felt Kaldellis was too dismissive of the Armenian ancestry of certain Byzantine individuals. Relying on the support of the
Monothelite party, he made some pretensions to the throne on the outbreak of the first great rebellion against Emperor
Justinian II. Instead, the position of emperor was taken first by
Leontius and then by
Tiberius III, who relegated Bardanes to
Cephalonia. When Justinian regained power Bardanes was banished to
Cherson, where he took the name Philippicus and incited the inhabitants to revolt with the help of the
Khazars. The successful rebels drove Justinian out of
Constantinople, and Philippicus took the throne. Justinian was subsequently seized and beheaded; his son Tiberius was likewise apprehended by Philippicus's officers, Ioannes and
Mauros, and killed in a church. Justinian's principal officers, such as
Barasbakourios, were also massacred. for execution. Scene from the 12th century
Manasses Chronicle Reign Among the first acts of Philippicus were the deposition of
Cyrus (the orthodox
patriarch of Constantinople) in favour of
John VI (a member of his own sect), and the summoning of a
conciliabulum of Eastern bishops, which abolished the canons of the
Sixth Ecumenical Council. In response, the
Roman Church refused to recognize the new emperor and his patriarch. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian ruler
Tervel plundered up to the walls of Constantinople in 712. When Philippicus transferred an army from the
Opsikion theme to police the
Balkans, the
Umayyad Caliphate under
Al-Walid I made inroads across the weakened defenses of
Asia Minor. In late May 713 the Opsikion troops rebelled in
Thrace. Several of their officers penetrated the city and
blinded Philippicus on June 3, 713 while he was in the hippodrome. He was succeeded for a short while by his principal secretary, Artemius, who was raised to the purple as Emperor
Anastasius II. He died in the same year. ==See also==