The Opsician Theme ( Greek : θέμα Ὀψικίου , thema Opsikiou ) or simply Opsikion (Greek: [θέμα] Ὀψίκιον , from Latin : Obsequium ) was a Byzantine theme (a military-civilian province) located in northwestern Asia Minor (modern Turkey ). Created from the imperial retinue army, the Opsikion was the largest and most prestigious of the early themes, being located closest to Constantinople . Involved in several revolts in the 8th century, it was split in three after ca. 750, and lost its former pre-eminence. It survived as a middle-tier theme until after the Fourth Crusade .
20-588: The Opsician theme was one of the first four themes, and has its origin in the praesential armies of the East Roman army . The term Opsikion derives from the Latin term Obsequium ("retinue"), which by the early 7th century came to refer to the units escorting the emperor on campaign. It is possible that at an early stage, the Opsikion was garrisoned inside Constantinople itself. In the 640s, however, following
40-719: A controversy arose in the Frankish kingdom , resulting in the creation of Libri Carolini . The last outburst of iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire was overcome at the Council of Constantinople (843) , which reaffirmed the adoration of icons in an event celebrated as the Feast of Orthodoxy . The Council of Trent (XIX Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church) in 1563 confirmed iconodulism. But this council, unlike
60-656: Is also referred to as iconophilism (also iconophily or iconophilia from Greek : εἰκόνα – icon (image) + Greek : φιλέω – love ) designating a positive attitude towards the religious use of icons. In the history of Christianity , iconodulism (or iconophilism) was manifested as a moderate position, between two extremes: iconoclasm (radical opposition to the use of icons) and iconolatry (idolatric veritable (full) adoration of icons). In contrast to moderate or respectful adoration , various forms of latria of icons ( iconolatry ) were also starting to appear, mainly in popular worship. Since veritable (full) adoration
80-482: The tagmata . Consequently, the reduced Opsikion was downgraded from a guard formation to an ordinary cavalry theme: its forces were divided into tourmai , and its count fell to the sixth place in the hierarchy of thematic governors and was even renamed to the "ordinary" title of stratēgos by the end of the 9th century. In the 9th century, he is recorded as receiving an annual salary of 30 pounds of gold, and of commanding 6,000 men (down from an estimated 18,000 of
100-851: The Byzantine Empire and lasted through the 8th and the 9th centuries. The most famous iconodules (proponents of the veneration of icons) during that time were saints John of Damascus and Theodore the Studite . The controversy was instigated by the Byzantine Emperor Leo ;III in 726, when he ordered the removal of the image of Christ above the Chalke Gate of the imperial palace in Constantinople. A wider prohibition of icons followed in 730. St. John of Damascus argued successfully that to prohibit
120-549: The Dardanelles to the Halys River , with Ancyra as its capital. The exact date of the theme's establishment is unknown; the earliest reference points to a creation as early as 626, but the first confirmed occurrence is in 680. It is possible that it also initially included the area of Thrace , which seems to have been administered jointly with the Opsikion in the late 7th and early 8th centuries. The unique origin of
140-828: The Komnenian period , and was united with the Aegean theme sometime in the 12th century. It apparently also survived after the Fourth Crusade into the Empire of Nicaea . George Akropolites records that in 1234, the Opsician theme fell under the "Italians" ( Latin Empire ). East Roman army Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
160-406: The Opsikion was reflected in several aspects of the theme's organization. Thus the title of its commander was not stratēgos (στρατηγός, "general") as with the other themes, but komēs (κόμης, "count"), in full komēs tou basilikou Opsikiou ( κόμης τοῦ βασιλικοῦ Ὀψικίου , "Count of the imperial Opsikion "). Furthermore, it was not divided into tourmai , but into domesticates formed from
180-609: The Opsikion were in command of a pre-eminent theme, and since that theme was located closest to the imperial capital Constantinople , these counts often challenged the authority of their emperors. Already in 668, on the death of Emperor Constans II in Sicily , the count Mezezius had staged an abortive coup. Under the patrikios Barasbakourios , the Opsikion was the main power-base of Emperor Justinian II (r. 685–695 and 705–711). Justinian II had captured many Slavs in Thrace, and
200-549: The Opsician stratēgos , George Peganes, rose up along with the Thracesian Theme against Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886), then the junior co-emperor of Michael III (r. 842–867), and in c. 930, Basil Chalkocheir revolted against Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944). Both revolts, however, were easily quelled, and are a far cry from the emperor-making revolts of the 8th century. The theme existed through
220-740: The Opsician theme against the Isaurian emperors were not only the result of its counts' ambition: the Opsicians were staunchly iconodule , and opposed to the iconoclast policies of the Isaurian dynasty. As a result, Emperor Constantine V set out to weaken the theme's power by splitting off the new themes of the Boukellarioi and the Optimatoi . At the same time, the emperor recruited a new set of elite and staunchly iconoclast guard regiments,
SECTION 10
#1732772706533240-406: The Opsicians supported the rise of Leo III the Isaurian (r. 717–740) to the throne, but in 718, their count, the patrikios Isoes, rose up unsuccessfully against him. In 741–742, the kouropalatēs Artabasdos used the theme as a base for his brief usurpation of Emperor Constantine V (r. 741–775). In 766, another count was blinded after a failed mutiny against the same emperor. The revolts of
260-556: The details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 546756909 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:45:06 GMT Iconodule Iconodulism (also iconoduly or iconodulia ) designates the religious service to icons (kissing and honourable veneration, incense, and candlelight). The term comes from Neoclassical Greek εἰκονόδουλος ( eikonodoulos ) (from Greek : εἰκόνα – icon (image) + Greek : δοῦλος – servant ), meaning "one who serves images (icons)". It
280-462: The disastrous defeats suffered during the first wave of the Muslim conquests , the remains of the field armies were withdrawn to Asia Minor and settled into large districts, called "themes" ( themata ). Thus the Opsician theme was the area where the imperial Opsikion was settled, which encompassed all of north-western Asia Minor ( Mysia , Bithynia , parts of Galatia , Lydia and Paphlagonia ) from
300-461: The elite corps of the old army, such as the Optimatoi and Boukellarioi , both terms dating back to the recruitment of Gothic foederati in the 4th–6th centuries. Its prestige is further illustrated by the seals of its commanders, where it is called the "God-guarded imperial Opsikion " ( θεοφύλακτον βασιλικόν ὀψίκιον ; Latin: a Deo conservandum imperiale Obsequium ). Since the counts of
320-551: The emperor settled them in the Opsikion to boost its military strength. However, most of these transplanted soldiers deserted to the Arabs during their first battle . In 713, the Opsikian army rose up against Philippikos Bardanes (r. 711–713), the man who had overthrown and murdered Justinian, and enthroned Anastasios II (r. 713–715), only to overthrow him too in 715 and install Theodosios III (r. 715–717) in his place. In 717,
340-479: The old Opsikion ). The thematic capital was moved to Nicaea . The 10th-century emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos , in his De Thematibus , mentions further nine cities in the theme: Cotyaeum , Dorylaeum , Midaion , Apamea Myrlea , Lampsacus , Parion , Cyzicus and Abydus . In the great Revolt of Thomas the Slav in the early 820s, the Opsikion remained loyal to Emperor Michael II (r. 820–829). In 866,
360-689: The use of icons was tantamount to denying the incarnation , the presence of the Word of God in the material world. Icons reminded the church of the physicality of God as manifested in Jesus Christ . Kissing and respected worship ( Greek : «ἀσπασμόν καί τιμητικήν προσκύνησιν» ; Latin : «osculum et honorariam adorationem» ), incense and candles for icons was established by the Second Council of Nicaea (Seventh Ecumenical Council ) in 787. The Council decided that icons should not be destroyed, as
380-430: Was advocated and practiced by the iconoclasts , nor veritable (full) worshiped or adored ( Greek : «ἀληθινήν λατρείαν» ; Latin : «veram latriam» ), as was practiced by iconolatrists , but they needed to be kissed and they needed respectful worship as symbolic representations of God, angels or saints. Such a position was approved by Pope Adrian I , but due to mis-translations of conciliar acts from Greek into Latin,
400-452: Was reserved for God alone, such an attitude towards icons as objects was seen as a form of idolatry . In reaction to that, the idolatrous misuse of icons was criticized and by the beginning of the 8th century some radical forms of criticism ( iconoclasm ) were also starting to emerge, arguing not only against adoration of icons, but also against any form of adoration and use of icons in religious life. The iconoclastic controversy emerged in
#532467