Nikephoros had steadily risen through the ranks of the military, to the point that he was given an important command by Romanos IV at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.
Nikephoros terus meningkat melalui jajaran militer, sampai-sampai dia diberi perintah penting oleh Romanos IV di Pertempuran Manzikert pada tahun 1071.