Antigonos 1 was the son of Bardas 5: Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (p. 180), IV 41 (p. 205), V 12 (p. 229), V 17 (p. 236), Leo Gramm. 238, Georg. Mon. Cont. 824, Ps.-Symeon 665. He was nephew of Petronas 5 (q.v.) and brother of Anonymus 42: Leo Gramm. 238, Georg. Mon. Cont. 824, Ps.-Symeon 665. Presumably he also had a sister, Anonyma 9 (wife of Symbatios 1). He was born in 853 or 854; when he was nine or ten (in 863, see below), he held office as commander of the imperial tagmata and Scholai (ὁ τοῦ Βάρδα τότε τῶν βασιλικῶν ταγμάτων τε καὶ σχολῶν ἦρχεν υἱός, παῖς ἔτι κομιδῇ περὶ δέκα ἢ ἐννέα ἔτη που ὤν - ὄνομα τούτῳ Ἀντίγονος): Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (p. 180). He was appointed domestikos of the Scholai in succession to his father (προβάλλεται δὲ Μιχαὴλ Ἀντίγονον τὸν υἱὸν Βάρδα δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν): Leo Gramm. 238, Georg. Mon. Cont. 824, Ps.-Symeon 665. Because of his age his uncle Petronas 5 was sent, officially as his deputy (as ek prosopou - ἐκ προσώπου), to lead the expedition against the Arabs which ended in the battle of Poson in 863: Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (p. 180). Following the success of this campaign, Petronas 5 replaced Antigonos 1 as domestikos: Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (p. 183). Patrikios and domestikos of the Scholai, Antigonos gave an expensive and elaborate banquet in an imperial building attended by his father and other relatives, including Theophilos 7, and by many leading senators, among them Konstantinos 41, and by some visiting representatives of the Bulgars: Theoph. Cont. V 12 ( p. 229) (the date of this was when Basilios 7 was still in service under Theophilos 7). He still held this post (or possibly he was reappointed, after the death of Petronas 5) when his father was murdered at Kepoi in Thrakesion in 866; in addition Antigonos had the titles anthypatos and patrikios; he was apparently present with his troops, a circumstance which caused the conspirators to hesitate; Theoph. Cont. IV 41 (p. 205) (ὅ τε γὰρ δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν Ἀντίγονος τούτῳ μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς ὑὶος ἐπειθάρχει καὶ ἤγετο), V 17 (p. 236) (the conspirators hesitated διὰ τὸ τὸν ἀνθύπατον καὶ πατρίκιον Ἀντίγονον τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ δομέστικον τὸ τηνικαῦτα τῶν βασιλικῶν τυγχάνειν σχολῶν).

According to Genesius, he was a favourite of the kaisar Bardas 5; he was sent with Konstantinos 41 to visit Theophiliskos (Theophilos 7); he reported back to the kaisar the exploits at wrestling of Basilios 7, the future emperor: Genesius IV 26. Son of the kaisar Bardas 5, he was a patrikios and commander of the Scholai (δἈντιγόνῳ τῷ πατρικίῳ καὶ καθηγεμονεύοντι τῶν σχολῶν) at Kepoi when Bardas 5 was killed: Genesius IV 22. He was separated from his father at horse races when the murder was carried out: Genesius IV 23.

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