Petronas 5 was the brother of the empress Theodora (Theodora 2, wife of the emperor Theophilos 5): Vita Anton. Iun. (BHG 142 Addit.) 10, Nicetas, Vita Ignatii 525A (τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος θεῖος πρὸς μητρὸς ὢν), Leo Gramm. 216, 227-8, Georg. Mon. Cont. 793, 810, Ps.-Symeon 627, Theoph. Cont. IV 22 (p. 174), Scyl., p. 93, Const. Porph., De Cer. II 42 (Reiske, 647), Zon. XV 25. 26, XVI 3. 20. He had also a brother, Bardas 5, and three other sisters, Kalomaria 1, Sophia 1 and Eirene 4: Theoph. Cont. IV 22 (pp. 174-175). One sister of his (Anonyma 4) was married to Theophobos 1: Leo Gramm. 215, Georg. Mon. Cont. 793, Ps.-Symeon 626. Brother of Bardas 5: Theoph. Cont. IV 16 (p. 167), IV 25 (p. 180), Scyl., p. 93. He and Bardas 5 were the unnamed siblings of Theodora 2 who were patrikioi and like their mother (Theoktiste 1) urged her to restore the veneration of icons: Genesius IV 2 (τῶν αὐταδέλφων αὐτῆς πατρικίων). Maternal uncle of the emperor Michael III (Michael 11): Nicetas, Vita Ignatii 525A (τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος θεῖος πρὸς μητρὸς ὢν). Uncle of Antigonos 1: Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (p. 180).

Droungarios of the Vigla in the reign of the emperor Theophilos 5 (Πετρωνᾶ δρουγγαρίου τῆς βίγλας ὄντος); he is the subject of an anecdote told to illustrate Theophilos 5's concern for justice and dated during his tenure of this post; he was the object of a complaint by a widow lady (Anonyma 5) at Constantinople; she alleged that building extensions to his property were encroaching on hers; the emperor ordered her complaint to be investigated and, when it was upheld, had Petronas 5 publicly beaten, his house demolished and the site given to the widow lady: Leo Gramm. 216, Georg. Mon. Cont. 793-794, Ps.-Symeon 627-628, Zon. XV 26. 26-34. He married a daughter of Myron 2 (πενθερῷ τοῦ Πετρῶνα): Leo Gramm. 218, Georg. Mon. Cont. 796, Ps.-Symeon 632. He had a son, Marianos 5: Leo Gramm. 253, Georg. Mon. Cont. 839, Ps.-Symeon 687. In 842 Petronas 5 and the (unnamed) logothetes (see Theoktistos 3) went by night to the palace of Boukoleon and on instructions from the emperor Theophilos 5, then in his last illness, murdered Theophobos 1: Leo Gramm. 228, Georg. Mon. Cont. 810, cf. Ps.-Symeon 646. Allegedly one of those who tried to persuade Symeon the Stylite (Symeon 13) not to condemn the emperor Theophilos 5: Acta Davidis, Symeonis et Georgii 246, 1. In 843 he made a gift to Georgios 135: Acta Davidis, Symeonis et Georgii 252, 15-19. Under the emperor Michael 11 he was a patrikios and held office as strategos of the Thrakesioi; he was sent by Michael 11 and Bardas 5 to seize Theodora 2 and her daughters, tonsure them and confine them to the palace of Ta Karianou: Theoph. Cont. IV 22 (p. 174) (στρατηγὸς κατὰ τὸ Θρακήσιον καὶ πατρίκιος τηνικαῦτα) (the date of this was 858, see Theodora 2). The chronicle tradition derived from Symeon the Logothete does not mention his name in connection with the arrest of Theodora 2; cf. Leo. Gramm. 237, Georg. Mon. Cont. 823, Ps.-Symeon 658. Patrikios: Vita Anton. Iun. (BHG 142 Addit.) 10, Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (p. 180). He fell desperately ill and left the city for the Church of SS Kosmas and Damian (at Blachernai); there he recovered following the intervention of Antonios the Younger (Antonios 12) with his prayers; his son (see Marianos 5) also fell ill and was cured by Antonios 12, and thereafter Petronas 5 was devoted to Antonios 12 and considered becoming a monk himself, being deterred allegedly only by the arguments of Antonios 12 himself: Vita Anton. Iun. (BHG 142 Addit.) 10-12. Patrikios; possibly in August 864 (see Ignatios 1) he was informed by the emperor Michael 11 of his willingness to cease the persecution of the patriarch Ignatios 1, and he delivered this message to Ignatios 1, guaranteed by the enkolpion of the emperor: Nicetas, Vita Ignatii 525A-B. When strategos of the Thrakesioi he was sent to oppose Amr 2 and the Paulician forces (perhaps in 856 or 857); on this campaign he exercised the office of domestikos of the Scholai on behalf of his brother, whose other duties prevented him from doing so: Theoph. Cont. IV 16 (p. 167) (ἀντεστρατεύετο δὲ αὐτοῖς Πετρωνᾶς, τὴν τοῦ δομεστίκου τότε ἀρχὴν διοικῶν; λόγῳ μὲν γὰρ Βάρδα ταύτην διέπειν ἐδέδοτο, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ σχολάζειν οὗτος ἠναγκάζετο ὡς ἐπίτροπος, τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἠξίου, στρατηγὸν ὄντα τῶν Θρακησίων, πράγματι ταύτην διέπειν καὶ διοικεῖν), Scyl., p. 93 (cited under Bardas 5). This appears to be on a different occasion from the 863 campaign; see below. In 863, according to the account in Theophanes Continuatus IV 25 (p. 179), Petronas 5, brother of the empress and strategos of the Thrakesioi thema (τὸν Πετρωνᾶν, ἀδελφὸν τῆς βασιλίσσης τυγχάνοντα καὶ τῶν Θρακησίων τὴν στρατηγίδα διέποντα) was ordered by Michael 11 to lead the largest possible Roman army and prevent the continued ravaging of Roman territory by the Arab forces under Amr 2; while retaining his post as strategos of the Thrakesioi theme (p. 181; ἔχων καὶ τὸ θέμα τῶν Θρακησίων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ), Petronas 5 was appointed deputy of the domestikos of the Scholai by his brother Bardas 5 (ἐδίδου τὸ ταύτης προσωπεῖον τέως τῷ ἀδελφῷ; p. 180), in place of his nephew Antigonos 1, who was still a child, to lead a major expedition against the Arab forces under Amr 2; on receipt of the emperor's commission he visited the monk Ioannes (i.e. Antonios 12) at Mt Latros, the Holy Mountain near Ephesos, for advice and was told to march with confidence against the Arabs because God was protecting him; near a place called Poson, close to the river Lalakaon and a spring called Guris, he found Amr 2 encamped, and took steps to encircle him there; he stationed the troops under the strategoi of the Armeniakoi (Anonymus 206), the Boukellarioi (Anonymus 207), Koloneia (Anonymus 208) and Paphlagonia (Anonymus 209) to the north, the strategoi of the Anatolikoi (Anonymus 210), the Opsikion (Anonymus 211) and Cappadocia (Anonymus 212) and the kleisourarchs of Seleukeia (Anonymus 213) and the Charsianon (Machairas 1) to the south, and himself with the Thrakesioi thema and the troops of the four imperial tagmata and of the strategoi of Thrake (Anonymus 215) and Macedonia (Anonymus 216) to the west; the Arabs were trapped by this and in the ensuing battle they all perished together with their commander, Amr 2; Petronas 5 returned to Constantinople full of praise for the monk's foresight and received a triumphal welcome from the emperor Michael 11 and Bardas 5; he was then given the command of domestikos of the Scholai in his own right (p. 183: ὁ μὲν Πετρωνᾶς τὸ τοῦ δομεστίκου οὐκέτι προσωπεῖον καθυπεκρίνετο, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν ἐλάμβανεν ἐκ βασιλέως τιμήν): Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (pp. 179- 183). The same events are described, with some variations, in the other sources. When in office as strategos of the Thrakesioi (στρατηγοῦντος τοῦ φιλοχρίστου Πετρωνᾶ εἰς τὸ τῶν Θρακησίων θέμα), he received orders from the emperor Michael 11 to stop two invading Arab armies from plundering the countryside but also to avoid battle with them; he was joined by Antonios 12 and they went to the camp of Plateia Petra, where Antonios 12 promised that if he disobeyed the emperor and joined battle he would win a great victory and kill the Arab leader; he joined battle and won a great success, killing the Arab leader Ambros (Amr 2); he then returned to Constantinople, where the emperor and the senate gave him a rapturous welcome: Vita Anton. Iun. (BHG 142 Addit.) 14-15.

According to the chronicle tradition from Symeon the Logothete, he held the post of strategos of the Anatolikoi (στρατηλάτης ὢν τῆς Ἀνατολῆς) at the time; he and Nasar 1 ambushed the Arab army under Amr 2 when it withdrew after an incursion into Roman territory and put it to flight at a place called Lalakaon; Amr 2 was killed in the rout and his head brought to Petronas 5 (cf. Anonymus 45); back in Constantinople, Petronas 5 and Nasar 1 celebrated their victory in the hippodrome: Leo Gramm. 238-239, Georg. Mon. Cont. 825, Ps.-Symeon 666. Zonaras does not distinguish the earlier from the later campaign against Amr 2; Petronas 5, sent with a large army against the Arabs, took courage after consulting a famous monk who foretold victory; he defeated the Arabs at Poson/Lalakaon and returned in triumph to Constantinople, where he was then promoted to the post of domestikos of the Scholai (ὑπεδέχθη μετὰ τιμῆς καὶ τῶν σχολῶν προεβλήθη δομέστικος; apparently in succession to Manuel 6): Zon. XVI 3. 20-28. Petronas 5 died not long afterwards: Zon. XVI 3. 29. On Lalakaon see Ramsay, Historical Geography, p. 77, Vasiliev, Byzance et les Arabes I, pp. 251ff., Ostrogorsky, History, p. 227. The date was probably 864, after the baptism of the Bulgar ruler Boris 1 (in 863/864).

The battle was that of Poson. Following this triumph Petronas 5 is said to have given Antonios 12 a permanent residence in his own house: Vita Anton. Iun. (BHG 142 Addit.) 16. Antonios 12 fell ill and died (on 11 November) and Petronas 5 also fell ill and died at the same time: Vita Anton. Iun. (BHG 142 Addit.) 17-18. The date was 865 (the only date consistent with the data on the life of Antonios 12 himself); see F. Halkin, "Saint Antoine le Jeune et Petronas le vainqueur des arabes en 863 (d'apres un texte inedit)", in Anal. Boll. 62 (1944), pp. 196-197. According to Theophanes Continuatus, when the monk informed Petronas 5 of his own impending death, Petronas 5 expressed the wish not to continue living; the monk promised that the death of Petronas 5 would follow shortly after his own, and Petronas 5 in fact did die very soon after the monk: Theoph. Cont. IV 25 (pp. 183- 184). On the relationship between Antonios 12 and Petronas 5, see further Halkin, op. cit., pp. 199-202.

Brother of Theodora 2 and Bardas 5, he was created commander of the Scholai (ὁ ἄναξ ... προχειρίζεται τοῦτον ἡγεῖσθαι τοῦ τάγματος τῶν σχολῶν) and sent to lead the Roman forces against Amer (Amr 2), whom he met and defeated at the battle of Porson (sic), on the frontier of Paphlagonia and the Armeniac theme; for this he received the dignity of magistros (ὁ Πετρωνᾶς τῇ τῶν μαγίστρων εὐκλείᾳ σεμνύνεται), at Easter of indiction 10: Genesius IV 15.

Petronas 5, domestikos of the Scholai, was buried in the church of the monastery of Ta Gastria in Constantinople, like his mother Theoktiste 1, his sister Theodora 2 and three of her daughters: Const. Porph., De Cer. II 42 (Reiske, 647).

Petronas 5 patrikios once detained a runner for the Green faction, Bambaloudes 1, so that he could not take part in pre- race trials; on orders from the emperor the runner was allowed to take part in a race, which he won: Const. Porph., De Cer. I 71 (Reiske, 358; Vogt, c. 80, p. 158).

Magistros and domestikos of the basilikai Scholai; owner of a seal: Schlumberger, Sig., p. 360, no. 3, corrected by Seibt, Bleisiegel, p. 124 (rev.: Πετ[ρ]ωνᾷ [μαγίσ(τρωι)] (καὶ) δωμ[εστίκ(ῳ)] τῶν θ[εοφ]υλάκ[τ(ων)] [β(ασιλικῶν)] σχολ(ῶν)). He perhaps held these titles from 863 until his death in 865; see Guilland, Recherches I 437. 568. Cf. Halkin, op. cit., pp. 196, 199-202; ODB 1644f. According to Zacos and Veglery 2673, he was one of three kaisars who may have been the father of a daughter called Maria who is known only from her seal (see Maria 9); but was this man ever a kaisar?

(Publishable link for this person: )