Michael Bourtzes Michael Bourtzes ( , ca . 930 / 935 – after 996 ) was a leading Byzantine general of the latter 10th century . He became notable for his capture of Antioch in 969 , but fell into disgrace by the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas ( r . 963 – 969 ) . Resentful at the slight , Bourtzes joined forces with the conspirators who assassinated Phokas a few weeks later . Bourtzes re - appears in a prominent role in the civil war between Emperor Basil II ( r . 976 – 1025 ) and the rebel Bardas Skleros , switching his allegiance from the Byzantine emperor to the rebel and back again . Nevertheless , he was re - appointed as " doux " of Antioch by Basil , a post he held until 995 , when he was relieved because of this failures in the war against the Fatimids . Biography . Career under Nikephoros II and John I Tzimiskes . Michael Bourtzes was the first prominent member of the Bourtzes family , originating in the upper Euphrates region , which went on to become one of the major clans of the Byzantine military aristocracy during the 11th century . He first came to prominence in late 968 , when he was appointed by Nikephoros II as " patrikios " and " strategos " of the small theme of Mauron Oros ( " Black Mountain " ) and tasked to lead the forces blockading the city of Antioch . Acting against Nikephoros ' s orders not to assault the city in his absence , in the late autumn of 969 , Bourtzes persuaded a traitor inside the city to surrender one of the wall ' s main towers , which he then promptly occupied . He then defended this post against repeated attacks of the city ' s defenders for three days , until the reinforcements led by Peter Phokas arrived and secured the city for the Byzantines . Despite his major role in this success , Bourtzes ' s reward was distinctly lacking : angry at him for disobeying his orders , or , according to another account , for laying fire and destroying much of the city , Emperor Nikephoros dismissed him from his post and appointed a kinsman of his , Eustathios Maleinos , as the first governor of Antioch . Angered by this perceived injustice , Bourtzes joined a conspiracy involving a number of other prominent generals who were discontent at Nikephoros , chief amongst them John Tzimiskes . On the night of 10 / 11 December 969 , a group of these conspirators , including Tzimiskes and Bourtzes , managed to gain access to the imperial Boukoleon Palace by sea , and proceeded to murder the emperor and install Tzimiskes as his successor . Despite his prominent role in the assassination of Nikephoros II , the historical sources barely mention Bourtzes for the duration of Tzimiskes ' s reign ( r . 969 – 976 ) . Yahya of Antioch records that he oversaw the repairs carried out to the walls of Antioch following an earthquake , but he does not appear to have been placed in command there . Rather , at the time of Tzimiskes ' s death in January 976 , he is stated by John Skylitzes to have commanded the elite " tagma " of the " Stratelatai " in the army of Bardas Skleros . Career under Basil II . At the point of Tzimiskes ' s death , imperial power reverted to the legitimate emperors , the young brothers Basil II and Constantine VIII . In view of their youth and inexperience , however , government essentially continued to be exercised by the powerful " parakoimomenos " , Basil Lekapenos . Almost immediately , the " parakoimomenos " moved to forestall any moves by one of the powerful Anatolian magnates to seize the throne and reign as a supposed " guardian " of the two young emperors , like Phokas and Tzimiskes had done . A general reshuffle of the most important army posts in the East followed , interpreted by later historians like Skylitzes as a move to weaken the position of over - powerful " strategoi " . At this point , Bourtzes was appointed commander of the troops in Syria , with his seat at Antioch ; indeed , he seems to have been the first to be titled " doux " of Antioch . Almost immediately , he set out in a deep raid into Fatimid - controlled Syria , reaching Tripolis and returning with much booty . In spring , however , Bardas Skleros , the newly appointed " doux " of Mesopotamia and one of Tzimiskes ' s chief supporters , rose in revolt and proclaimed himself emperor at his base in Melitene . Bourtzes was commanded by Constantinople to lead his force north , join the army of Eustathios Maleinos , now governor of Cilicia , and block the rebel from crossing the Antitaurus Mountains . Leaving his son in control of Antioch , Bourtzes complied and marched north . In the ensuing battle at the fortress of Lapara , however , the combined loyalist force was routed , with Bourtzes being the first to retreat according to the chroniclers . Soon after , he deserted the imperial camp and joined Skleros . In the autumn of 977 , he was deployed in command of Skleros ' s forces shadowing the operations of the imperial army advancing from Kotyaion to Iconium . The two forces became entangled in an impromptu fight , which ended in a bloody defeat for the rebels . After this , Bourtzes again switched sides and rejoined the imperial army , now led by Bardas Phokas . Uniquely amongst the military leaders who had revolted against him , Basil II continued to rely on Bourtzes and entrusted him again with the critical position of " doux " of Antioch in 990 – 995 . In November 989 , Bourtzes took the city over from Leo Phokas , the son of Bardas , who himself had submitted to the emperor only months earlier . From this position , Bourtzes led the defense of the imperial frontier in a renewed bout of fighting with the Fatimids under Manjutakin . In 992 , he put down a rebellion of the Muslim population of Laodicea , Antioch ' s seaport , and deported them to Anatolia . In the same year , however , he also suffered a defeat in battle , and then another at the banks of the Orontes , near Apamea , on 15 September 994 . These failures , as well as accusations that he had exacerbated the conflict by imprisoning a Fatimid ambassador , brought Basil ' s displeasure upon him . In 995 , as the Byzantine forces in the East had been weakened by their defeats , the Fatimids laid siege to Aleppo , the Empire ' s major Arab client . Basil himself had to interrupt his operations against Bulgaria and turned to the East in a lightning campaign to relieve the city . At around that time , he also dismissed Bourtzes from his post and replaced him with Damian Dalassenos . Nothing more is known of Michael Bourtzes after that . He did , however , have at least three sons , Michael , Theognostos , and Samuel , known because they conspired against Emperor Constantine VIII ( sole emperor in 1025 – 1028 ) after he blinded Michael ' s son , named Constantine , in 1025 / 1026 .