Skleros
The Skleros were a prominent Byzantine noble family whose members served as military commanders, senior officials, landholders, and imperial relatives from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Skleros, also known in the plural as the Skleroi and in Latinized forms as Sclerus, was a Byzantine aristocratic family active chiefly from the ninth through the eleventh centuries, with isolated members documented as late as the fourteenth century. It was not a commercial brand in the modern sense, but a hereditary noble house whose name appeared in military, governmental, diplomatic, and ecclesiastical records. The family originated in northeastern Asia Minor, probably around Melitene or the theme of Sebasteia, and later held substantial estates in the Anatolic Theme. Its ethnic background is uncertain. Historians have traditionally described the family as Armenian because of its Anatolian origins, while other interpretations propose a mixed Greek–Armenian background. The Greek meaning of the surname, associated with hardness or severity, does not by itself establish a specific ethnic origin. The earliest known Skleros was a strategos of the Peloponnese in 805. Leo Skleros held the same office in 811, suggesting that the family had already entered the Byzantine military aristocracy by the early ninth century. A later member appears in connection with the Arab frontier around the 840s. The family recovered influence under Emperor Basil I, when Theodore Skleros held the high titles of magistros and anthypatos. His sons Antony and Niketas became patrikioi; Antony served as strategos of Hellas, while Niketas may have held a senior naval command and led a diplomatic mission to the Magyars in 894. The family reached its political peak through Bardas Skleros in the late tenth century. Bardas became one of the empire’s leading generals and held the post of domestikos ton scholon of the East. He helped suppress the revolt of Bardas Phokas the Younger and defeated a Rus' invasion in 970. Marriage alliances also connected the Skleroi with the Phokas family and with the imperial house. Constantine Skleros married Sophia Phokaina, and Constantine’s daughter Theophano married Holy Roman Emperor Otto II in 972. These connections made the family an important participant in Byzantine and wider European dynastic politics. After the death of Emperor John I Tzimiskes in 976, Bardas Skleros rebelled against the regime formed around the young Basil II. His first revolt was defeated in 979, after which he and close relatives sought refuge in the Abbasid Caliphate. Returning in 987, Bardas initially allied with his former rival Bardas Phokas, but the alliance collapsed and Skleros was imprisoned. Following Phokas’s defeat and death, Bardas briefly resumed resistance before reconciling with Basil II. He received the title kouropalates and retired to Didymoteichon. The Skleroi retained influence during the eleventh century, although their prominence gradually shifted from frontier command to court and civil administration. Basil Skleros held high rank under Constantine VIII, was temporarily exiled and mutilated, and was later rehabilitated under Romanos III Argyros, whose sister Pulcheria he married. Their daughter became the second wife of Constantine Monomachos, later Emperor Constantine IX. Maria Skleraina, another member of the family, became Constantine IX’s influential companion, while her brother Romanos held senior military and provincial offices. Romanos’s rivalry with George Maniakes was connected with the latter’s rebellion, and Romanos supported the successful revolt that brought Isaac I Komnenos to power in 1057. After the eleventh century, the family declined as a major military dynasty. The Skleroi did not establish marriage ties with the Komnenian imperial dynasty, and surviving references increasingly concern civil officials, judges, administrators, and landholders rather than supreme commanders. Members are nevertheless recorded in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, including individuals associated with Constantinople, Macedonia, Thrace, Antioch, Serres, and the metropolis of Zichnoi. The family’s historical significance rests on its long participation in Byzantine aristocratic politics, its military leadership during periods of internal conflict, and its connections to several imperial regimes.
History
The Skleros family emerged from northeastern Asia Minor and entered the Byzantine military aristocracy by the early ninth century. Its precise ethnic origin remains debated: traditional accounts associate it with Armenians from the eastern Anatolian frontier, while the available evidence also permits a mixed Greek–Armenian background. The family’s name is Greek in form and is commonly connected with the idea of hardness or severity. Early records place members in the Balkans, including the strategia of the Peloponnese in 805 and 811. This geographic pattern indicates that the family’s influence was not confined to its Anatolian homeland and that its members were integrated into the empire’s system of provincial military administration. During the reign of Basil I, the family regained prominence after a period of uncertain status. Theodore Skleros held the titles magistros and anthypatos in 869–870. His sons Antony and Niketas continued the family’s advancement: Antony served as strategos of Hellas, while Niketas may have been associated with the imperial fleet and represented the empire in negotiations with the Magyars in 894. The Skleroi subsequently became less visible during the reign of Leo VI, whose court favored rival aristocratic houses such as the Doukai and Phokades. A possible member, the general Pantherios, rose through several provincial commands and briefly became domestikos ton scholon in 944–945 during the final phase of the Lekapenian regime. The family’s greatest prominence came with Bardas Skleros. First recorded as a patrikios and provincial commander in 956, he became domestikos ton scholon of the East under John I Tzimiskes. He defeated the Rus' in 970 and helped suppress the revolt of Bardas Phokas the Younger. His family’s political position was strengthened by marriages into the Phokas and imperial circles. Constantine Skleros married Sophia Phokaina, and their daughter Theophano married Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor. These alliances gave the Skleroi significance beyond the Byzantine court itself. The accession of Basil II brought a direct confrontation. The emperor’s regent, Basil Lekapenos, viewed Bardas Skleros as a threat and reassigned him to the eastern frontier. Bardas rebelled in 976, was defeated in 979, and went into exile in the Abbasid Caliphate. He returned in 987 and attempted another challenge to Basil II, first cooperating with and then being betrayed by Bardas Phokas. After Phokas’s defeat, Bardas continued resistance briefly before reaching an accommodation with Basil II. He was granted the title kouropalates and allowed to retire at Didymoteichon. The Skleroi survived this conflict and remained important under Basil II and his successors. Basil Skleros held the rank of patrikios under Constantine VIII, suffered exile and blinding, and later recovered his position under Romanos III Argyros. His marriage to Pulcheria Argyropoulina connected the family to the imperial household, and their daughter later married Constantine Monomachos. During Constantine IX’s reign, Maria Skleraina became the emperor’s favored companion, while Romanos Skleros advanced through military and provincial offices. His rivalry with George Maniakes contributed to the political crisis that culminated in Maniakes’s revolt. Romanos also supported Isaac I Komnenos’s successful uprising in 1057. The family’s prominence diminished after the eleventh century. Unlike some rival aristocratic houses, the Skleroi did not form close marriage links with the Komnenian dynasty. Later members were more often civil administrators, judges, landholders, or court officials. Records mention Andronikos Skleros as a senior bureaucrat, Nicholas and Michael Skleros as high-ranking officials, and Leo Skleros as a civil governor and treasury administrator. Later references include Seth Skleros, who was punished for alleged magic in the 1160s, Romanos Skleros around the turn of the thirteenth century, a landholding Skleros at Serres in 1336, and Demetrios Skleros, an official near Zichnoi in 1362. These scattered attestations show that the family name survived after its political peak, although the Skleroi no longer constituted one of the empire’s dominant military dynasties.
First recorded Skleros as strategos of the Peloponnese
[1]The earliest known member of the family held the Byzantine provincial military command of the Peloponnese.
Leo Skleros holds the Peloponnesian command
[1]Leo Skleros occupied the same strategic office, possibly indicating a close family connection to the earlier commander.
Theodore Skleros reaches senior court rank
[1]Theodore Skleros is recorded as magistros and anthypatos during the reign of Basil I.
Bardas Skleros enters the historical record
[1]Bardas appears as a patrikios and commander of the theme of Kaloudia, beginning his rise to the highest levels of the military aristocracy.
Bardas Skleros defeats the Rus'
[1]As domestikos ton scholon of the East, Bardas helped defeat a Rus' invasion of Byzantine territory.
Theophano Skleraina marries Otto II
[1]Theophano, a daughter of Constantine Skleros, married Otto II, linking the family to the Holy Roman imperial dynasty.
Bardas Skleros begins his first revolt
[1]After being demoted following John I Tzimiskes’s death, Bardas rebelled against the government formed around Basil II.
First revolt defeated
[1]An imperial army led by Bardas Phokas the Younger defeated Bardas Skleros, who then sought refuge in the Abbasid Caliphate.
Skleros returns and renews his challenge
[1]Bardas returned to Byzantium and allied with Bardas Phokas in a renewed attempt to challenge Basil II.
Romanos Skleros supports Isaac I Komnenos
[1]Romanos Skleros was among the supporters of the revolt that brought Isaac I Komnenos to the imperial throne.
Products and positioning
A Byzantine aristocratic family and military-political lineage, rather than a modern consumer or corporate brand.
Sources1 sources
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