Gregory Gabras

Gregory Gabras (Greek: Γρηγόριος Γαβρᾶς) was the son of the Byzantine governor of Trebizond, Theodore Gabras who was involved in a minor unsuccessful rebellion against the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos around the year 1091.

As Gregory’s father was an important governor and a formidable general, Alexios I was keen to align him with the imperial family. Consequently, Gregory was with his father in Constantinople during the late 1080s when he became engaged to a daughter of Alexios’ brother, the sebastokrator Isaac Komnenos. Gregory was left with the imperial court as his father returned to Trebizond.

Shortly afterwards Gregory’s mother died, and his father soon remarried, this time to a noblewoman of the Alani who happened to be the first cousin of Isaac Komnenos’ wife. When this became known in the capital, Gregory’s engagement was quietly broken off as they were now considered close relatives and according to civil and the ecclesiastical laws, such marriages were forbidden. Alexios, however, was worried about Theodore’s reaction, so he kept Gregory at the court as a hostage in order to ensure Theodore’s continued good behaviour, reassuring Theodore with the claim that he was contemplating marrying Gregory to one of his own daughters.

Theodore soon returned to the capital and hatched a plan to abduct his son and return with him to Trebizond. He took the boy as far as the port of Pharus before fleeing by ship into the Euxine. Alexios was soon advised and he responded by sending a squadron of ships to capture father and son. They overtook Theodore near the town of Aeginus and advised him to hand over his son to the emperor’s representatives. To persuade him they once again reiterated the emperor’s desire to marry Gregory to one of his daughters. Seeing he had no choice Theodore complied and Gregory soon found himself once again sequestered within Constantinople.

On his return Alexios only ratified the marriage-contract by the usual legal formalities and placed Gregory in the care of one of the Empresses’ attendants, the eunuch Michael. Michael soon instituted a rigorous educational and martial program for the boy, which Gregory soon grew to resent. He disliked his tutor, had a hard time following the rules, and was irritated at not being treated with the respect a future member of the imperial family deserved. His thoughts soon turned to how he could escape from the court and return to his father.

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Wikipedia