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Birth:          ABT  985 
Death:          1032 
Cause of Death: suicide

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_Diogenes
Constantine Diogenes (Greek: ???sta?t???? ????????; died 1032) was a prominent 
Byzantine general of the early 11th century, active in the Balkans. He served with 
distinction in the final stages of the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria under Emperor 
Basil II, and occupied high commands in the Balkans until his arrest in 1029, as the 
result of his participation in a conspiracy against Emperor Romanos III Argyros. 
Imprisoned and forced to enter a monastery, he committed suicide in 1032 during an 
inquest on a further conspiracy. He was the father of Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes.

Biography[edit]

Constantine Diogenes is the first notable member of the noble Cappadocian Diogenes 
family, which played an important role in 11th-century Byzantium.[1] Diogenes began 
his career as a commander of one of the western tagmata during the reign of Basil II 
(r. 976–1025), in the latter's campaigns against Bulgaria.[1] In 1014, he participated in 
the decisive Byzantine victory at the Battle of Kleidion (July 29),[2] and he 
subsequently succeeded Theophylact Botaneiates as commander (doux) of 
Thessalonica with the rank of patrikios, making him the second-most senior general of 
the Empire in the Balkans after David Arianites.[3][4] Following the death of Tsar 
Samuel of Bulgaria in October, Diogenes and Nikephoros Xiphias were dispatched to 
the region of Moglena as the vanguard of the emperor and the main army. During this 
campaign, Diogenes constructed the fortress of Mylobos, as attested in a founder's 
inscription.[5]

The conquest of Moglena was completed in 1015 or 1016. In 1017, Diogenes and 
David Arianites led troops to plunder the fertile plain of Pelagonia, where they 
captured many prisoners and livestock.[5] Soon after, Basil II placed Diogenes in 
charge of the tagmata of the Scholai of the West and of Thessalonica, and tasked him 
with pursuing Tsar Ivan Vladislav. The Bulgarian ruler set up an ambush for his 
pursuers, but Basil was informed in time, and led the rest of his troops to Diogenes' 
aid, scattering the Bulgarians.[5]

After Ivan Vladislav's death in February 1018, Diogenes was charged with mopping up 
the last remaining centres of Bulgarian resistance. He took Sirmium and was named its 
commander (archon); his authority extended over the vassal Serbian statelets of 
Raška. His title was possibly that of "strategos of Serbia" (Greek: st?at???? Se?ß?
a?), which is attested in a seal attributed to him.[3][6] Diogenes was ordered by Basil 
II to subdue Sermon, the ruler of Sirmium, to consolidate Byzantine control of the 
northern Balkans. Consequently, Diogenes invited Sermon to a meeting at the estuary 
of the river Sava in the Danube, where each would only be accompanied by three 
attendants. Diogenes had hidden his sword in the folds of his clothes, and struck 
Sermon down. He then marched his army into Sirmium, taking possession of the town. 
Sermon's wife was sent as a captive to Constantinople.[5][7]

Around 1022 or 1025, Diogenes succeeded Arianites as overall Byzantine commander 
(strategos autokrator) of conquered Bulgaria. In this capacity, he repelled a large 
Pecheneg invasion in 1027.[3][8][9] The same year, he was withdrawn south to 
Thessalonica but retained, at least nominally, his role as overall commander, as 
attested by another seal naming him "anthypatos, patrikios and doux of Thessalonica, 
Bulgaria and Serbia".[10][11]

Diogenes had been married to an anonymous daughter of Basil Argyros, brother of 
Emperor Romanos III Argyros (r. 1028–1034), but in 1029 he was accused, along with 
other prominent Balkan generals such as Eustathios Daphnomeles, of conspiring 
against the emperor with the porphyrogennete princess Theodora. He was transferred 
east as strategos of the Thracesian Theme but, as soon as his complicity in the affair 
was confirmed, was recalled to Constantinople. There he was imprisoned, beaten and 
publicly paraded in the Mese along with the other conspirators, and later tonsured and 
forced to enter the Stoudios Monastery.[1][5][12] Theodora herself was placed in a 
convent, but she apparently continued to conspire with Diogenes, who planned to 
take advantage of Romanos's absence on campaign in the East in 1032 to escape to 
the Balkans. The plot was leaked to Romanos by Theophanes, metropolitan of 
Thessalonica, and the conspirators were arrested. Diogenes was brought to the 
Palace of Blachernae for interrogation by John the Orphanotrophos, but he committed 
suicide, throwing himself off a wall, rather than confess under torture and implicate his 
fellow conspirators.[3][5][13]

Constantine's son Romanos Diogenes became a successful general and eventually 
rose to become emperor in 1068–71.[3][14]


Marriage To ----- ----- ()
    m.  

Notes

Parents
ARGYROS Basil (ABT  970 - AFT 1023)
----- ----- ()

Children by ----- ----- 
DIOGENES Romanos IV (ABT 1020 - 1072)

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