Editing Nikephoros II Phokas (section)

== Early life and career ==
Nikephoros Phokas was born around 912. From his paternal side, he belonged to the [[Phokas (Byzantine family)|Phokas family]]{{sfn|Whittow|1996|p=9}} which had produced several distinguished generals, including Nikephoros' father [[Bardas Phokas the Elder|Bardas Phokas]], brother [[Leo Phokas the Younger|Leo Phokas]], and grandfather [[Nikephoros Phokas the Elder]], who had all served as commanders of the field army (''[[domestikos ton scholon|domestikos tōn scholōn]]''). From his maternal side he belonged to the [[Maleinos|Maleinoi]], a powerful Anatolian Greek family which had settled in [[Cappadocia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Krsmanović|2003|loc={{Plain link|url=http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/Forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaid=7766&boithimata_State=&kefalaia_State=#chapter_1 Chapter 2}}}}: "The Maleinos lineage was among the members of the old byzantine aristocracy, emerging during the 9th century. It was a family of greek origin with close bonds to the region of Asia Minor. It has been presumed that the surname Maleinos is related to the name place Malagina of Bithynia, a location in the theme of Boukellarion during the 9th century. If one accepts that presumption, one should look for the old estates of the family in the fertile valley of the Sangarios river. It is safe, however, to consider the region of Charsianon as the homeland of the family, according to evidence dating back to the end of the 9th century, or the whole of Cappadocia in a wider sense. It is known that the members of the wealthy Maleinos family had estates in the area of jurisdiction of the theme of Charsianon, the wider region of Caesarea of Cappadocia and Ankyra of Galatia."</ref><ref name="ODB">{{harvnb|Kazhdan|1991|p=1276}}.</ref> Early in his life Nikephoros had married Stephano. She had died before he rose to fame, and after her death he took an oath of chastity.

{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
|name=Nikephoros II Phokas 
|titles= Emperor of the Romans, Kallinikos
|feast_day=December 11
|venerated_in=[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
|image=Icon of St. Nikephoros II Phokas.jpg
|imagesize=128
|caption=[[Icon]] of St. Nikephoros by [[Theophanes the Cretan]]
|attributes=Imperial attire
|patronage= [[Great Lavra|Great Lavra of Mount Athos]]
}}

=== Early Eastern campaigns ===

Nikephoros joined the army at an early age. He was appointed the military governor of the [[Anatolic Theme]] in 945 under Emperor [[Constantine VII]]. In 954 or 955 Nikephoros was promoted to [[Domestic of the Schools]], replacing his father, [[Bardas Phokas the Elder|Bardas Phokas]], who had suffered a series of defeats by the [[Hamdanid Dynasty|Hamdanids]] and by the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasids]]. The new position essentially placed Nikephoros in charge of the eastern Byzantine army. From 955, the Hamdanids in [[Aleppo]] entered a period of unbroken decline until their destruction in 1002. In June 957 Nikephoros managed to capture and destroy [[Hadath|Adata.]] The Byzantines continued to push their advantage against the Arabs until the collapse of the Hamdanids, except for the period from 960 to 961, when the army turned its focus to the [[Siege of Chandax|reconquest of Crete]].

=== Conquest of Crete ===
{{main|Siege of Chandax}}
[[File:Byzantines under Nikephoros Phokas besiege Chandax.png|thumb|left|upright=1.35|Depiction of the [[Siege of Chandax]] by Phokas, winter 960–61]]

From the ascension of Emperor [[Romanos II]] in 959, Nikephoros and his younger brother [[Leo Phokas the Younger|Leo Phokas]] were placed in charge of the eastern and western field armies respectively. In 960, 27,000 [[watercraft rowing|oarsmen]] and [[marine (military)|marines]] were assembled to man a fleet of 308 ships carrying 50,000 troops.{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=495}}{{sfn|Norwich|1991|pp=175–178}} At the recommendation of the influential minister [[Joseph Bringas]], Nikephoros was entrusted to lead this expedition against the Muslim [[Emirate of Crete]], and he led his fleet to the island and defeated a minor Arab force upon disembarking near Almyros. He soon began a nine-month siege of the fortress town of [[Heraklion|Chandax]], where his forces suffered through the winter due to supply issues.{{sfn|McMahon|2021|p=65}} Following a failed assault and many raids into the countryside, Nikephoros entered Chandax on 6 March 961 and soon wrested control of the entire island from the Muslims.{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|pp=493–495}} Upon returning to [[Constantinople]], he was denied the usual honor of a [[Roman triumph|triumph]], but was permitted an [[ovation]] in the [[Hippodrome of Constantinople|Hippodrome]].{{sfn|Norwich|1991|p=961}}

===Later Eastern campaigns===

Following the conquest of Crete, Nikephoros returned to the east and marched a large and well-equipped army into [[Cilicia]]. In February 962, he captured [[Anazarbos]] and threatened the major city of [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]], which had recently ceased to recognize the Hamdanid Emir of [[Aleppo]], [[Sayf al-Dawla]].{{sfn|Kaldellis|2017|p=39}} Nikephoros continued to ravage the Cilician countryside and won an open battle against [[Ibn al-Zayyat (governor of Tarsus)|Ibn al-Zayyat]], governor of Tarsus, who killed himself after the defeat. Thereafter, Nikephoros returned to the regional capital of [[Kayseri|Caesarea]]. Upon the beginning of the new campaigning season al-Dawla entered the Byzantine Empire to conduct raids, a strategy which left Aleppo dangerously undefended. Nikephoros soon took [[Manbij|Syrian Hierapolis]].{{sfn|Kaldellis|2017|p=49}} In December, an army split between Nikephoros and [[John I Tzimiskes]] [[Sack of Aleppo (962)|marched towards Aleppo]], quickly routing an opposing force led by [[Naja al-Kasaki]]. Al-Dawla's force caught up with the Byzantines, but he too was routed, and Nikephoros and Tzimiskes entered Aleppo on 24 December.{{sfn|Kaldellis|2017|p=39}} The loss of the city would prove to be both a strategic and moral disaster for the Hamdanids. It was probably on these campaigns that Nikephoros earned the sobriquet "Pale Death of the Saracens".<ref>{{cite book |last=Gregory |first=Timothy E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KIFJiOCSYc8C&pg=PA263 |title=A History of Byzantium |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4443-5997-8 |location=Malden |page=263}}</ref>