Boiditzes 1

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitM IX
Dates838 (taq) / 845 (ob.)
PmbZ No.1019
Variant NamesBouditzes;
Boodes
ReligionChristian;
Muslim
LocationsAmorion (Galatia)
OccupationSoldier
Textual SourcesBar Hebraeus, Chronographia, tr. E. A. W. Budge, The Chronography of Abu 'l-Faraj (London, 1932; repr. Amsterdam, 1976) (history);
Genesii, Josephi, Regum Libri Quattuor, eds. A. Lesmüller-Werner and I. Thurn, CFHB 14 (Berlin, 1978) (history);
Georgius Monachus, Chronicon, ed. C. de Boor, corr. P. Wirth (Stuttgart, 1978) (chronicle);
Leo Grammaticus, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1842) (chronicle);
Martyres XLII Amorienses (BHG 1209), ed. B. Vasilievskii and P. Nikitin, Mémoires de l'Académie imp. de Saint-Pétersbourg, 8th series, 7.2 (1905), pp. 38-56 (hagiography);
Martyres XLII Amorienses (BHG 1210), ed. B. Vasilievskij and P. Nikitin, Mémoires de l' Académie imp. de Saint-Pétersbourg, 8th series, 7. 2 (1905), pp. 38-56 (hagiography);
Martyres XLII Amorienses (BHG 1211) (ed. B. Vasilievskij and P. Nikitin, Mémoires de l' Académie imp. de Saint-Pétersbourg, 8th series, 7.2 (1905), 1-7; ed. Latyshev, Menologium I 190-97 (hagiography);
Martyres XLII Amorienses (BHG 1212), ed. B. Vasilievskij and P. Nikitin, Mémoires de l' Académie imp. de Saint-Pétersbourg, 8th series, 7.2 (1905), pp. 8-21 (hagiography);
Martyres XLII Amorienses (BHG 1213) (ed. B. Vasilievskij and P. Nikitin, Mémoires de l' Académie imp. de Saint-Pétersbourg, 8th series, 7.2 (1905), pp. 22-36 (hagiography);
Martyres XLII Amorienses (BHG 1214) (ed. B. Vasilievskij and P. Nikitin, Mémoires de l' Académie imp. de Saint-Pétersbourg, 8th series, 7. 2 (1905), pp. 61-78 (hagiography);
Pseudo-Symeon, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838), pp. 603-760 (history);
Scylitzes, Ioannes, Synopsis Historiarum, ed. J. Thurn (Berlin, 1973) (history);
Theophanes Continuatus, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838) (history);
Zonaras = Ioannis Zonarae Epitome Historiarum, libri XIII-XVIII, ed. Th. Büttner-Wobst, (Bonn, 1897) (history)

Boiditzes 1 is described as of humble origin (ἀνήρ τις τῶν ὑποβεβηκότων): Theoph. Cont. III 34 (p. 130). An army officer and an old acquaintance of Konstantinos 30 and Konstantinos 31, described as a traitor and an apostate who betrayed the city of Amorion to the Arabs in 838: Mart. XLII Amor., (BHG 1211), p. 4 (τις ἐν τῇ φρουρᾷ τοῦ ἡμετέρου στρατοῦ ἄρχων ποτὲ γεγονὼς καὶ γνώριμος τοῖς ἁγίοις, ὃν φασι καὶ προδότην τῆς μεγάλης ἐκείνης πόλεως τοῦ Ἀμορίου γενέσθαι, τῶν Σαρακηνῶν μύστης καὶ τῆς Χριστοῦ πίστεως ἔξαρνος, τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν Βοώδης), (BHG 1214), p. 71.

The chronicle tradition derived from Symeon Magister reports that Boiditzes 1 betrayed Amorion in cooperation with a pupil of the philosopher Leo 19 called Manikophagos 1: Leo Gramm. 224 (Βοιδίτζης), Ps.-Symeon 638 (Βουδίτζης), Georg. Mon. Cont. 805 (Βοιδίτζης). According to Theophanes Continuatus Boiditzes 1 revealed to the Arabs a point in the fortifications which was weak and offered to meet them there and enable them to take the city: Theoph. Cont. III 34 (p. 130).

An apostate, Boiditzes 1 betrayed Amorion to the Arabs: Scyl., p. 78, 22-28. Amorion would not have fallen without his treachery: Zon. XV 29. 16. A traitor who betrayed Amorion to the Arabs; Boiditzes 1's nickname was derived from bous (ᾧ βοὸς ὑποκοριζόντως ὄνομα κατ'ἀλογιστίαν προσεκέκλητο): Genesius III 11. Afterwards Boiditzes 1 accompanied the Arabs back home; shortly before the captives (the forty-two martyrs of Amorion) were executed he visited them and tried to persuade them to apostatise and save their lives; the date was 5 March 845: Theoph. Cont. III 35 (p. 132) (on 5 March; ὁ τὸ Ἀμόριόν τε προδοὺς καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀρνησάμενος Βοïδίτζης), Mart. XLII Amor., (BHG 1211), p. 5 (Boiditzes 1 spoke to Konstantinos 31, who wrote an account), Mart. XLII Amor., (BHG 1214), p. 71, Ps.-Symeon 639.

A tradition reported in Pseudo-Symeon and not in other sources based on Symeon Magister states that after the execution of the martyrs the caliph had Boiditzes 1 also executed, on the grounds that, if he had been a genuine Christian, he could not have become a Muslim: Ps.-Symeon 639.

One of the nobles in Amorion during the siege by the Arabs; with two other nobles and the unnamed bishop Boiditzes 1 appealed to the caliph al-Mu`tasim 1 to allow the evacuation of the city; when the request was refused, Boiditzes 1 promised to surrender the city to the Arabs and on his return Boiditzes 1 persuaded the soldiers that there was no further point in fighting; the Arabs then occupied the city and seized the leaders, including Bodin (sic): Bar Hebr., p. 137.

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