Byzantine conquests in the East in the 10th century. The campaigns of Nikephoros II Phocas and John Tzimiskes as described in the Byzantine sources.

Abstract

The thesis is concerning with the military campaigns in the East, led by two Byzantine Emperors – Nikephoros II Phocas and John Tzimiskes. In these campaigns, which occurred in the 10th century, both emperors achieved significant territorial gains at the expense of the Arab state. The goal of the thesis is to examine these campaigns as they occurred in the works of two Byzantine historians – Leo the Deacon and John Skylitzes – and to compare the events as they occurred in each work. By this, I intend to analyse the Byzantine perception of the campaigns, its development in time and the circumstances, under which the perception occurred.