Editing Nikephoros II Phokas (section)

=== 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]].