John Doukas - Career

Career

Doukas is first attested in an imperial document in 1166. In 1176 he participated at the Battle of Myriokephalon as a military commander. The day after the battle he led an attack against the Seljuk Turks but they did not stand and fight and he failed to enforce the renewal of a general engagement. In 1185 he supported his nephew Isaac II Angelos in overthrowing Andronikos I Komnenos and seizing the imperial throne. Isaac II rewarded him with the high court dignity of sebastokratōr. For a while John Doukas was now the second most prominent man in the Empire, and in 1186 he led one of the exeditions against Peter and Asen, who had rebelled, trying to re-establish the independence of Bulgaria. In spite of his advanced age, John acquitted himself with some success. The suspicious emperor deprived him of his command, and in 1195 the elderly John supported the usurpation of his other nephew, Isaac's brother Alexios III Angelos.

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