John Axuch
| John Axouch | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1087 |
| Died | c. 1150 |
| Allegiance | Byzantine Empire |
| Rank | Megas domestikos |
| Commands held | Commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army |
| Battles/wars | Campaigns of John I Komnenos, Battle of Beroia, Siege of Corfu |
John Axouch or Axouchos, also transliterated as Axuch (Greek: Ἰωάννης Ἀξούχ or Ἀξοῦχος, flourished circa 1087 – circa 1150) was the commander-in-chief (megas domestikos) of the Byzantine army during the reign of Emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–1143), and during the early part of the reign of his son Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180). He may also have served as the de facto chief of the civil administration of the Byzantine Empire.
John was a Turk by birth (referred to anachronistically as a "Persian" by John Kinnamos). As a child, he had been captured at Nicaea in 1097. Given to Alexios I Komnenos as a present, he was raised in the imperial household. Growing up, he was a constant companion of John Komnenos, Alexios's heir. When the latter ascended the throne as John II in 1118, he appointed John Axouch as megas domestikos with the court title of sebastos. He was the emperor's only close personal friend and confidant, and all members of the imperial family were required to make obeisance to him. After foiling a plot against his throne and life by his sister Anna and her husband Nikephoros Bryennios (who betrayed the plot), John II tried to give his sister's confiscated property to Axouch. Axouch wisely refused as he realised that it would have further soured his relations with the imperial family and make him unpopular with the higher aristocracy. Axouch also asked the emperor for clemency for Anna, and the two siblings were reconciled, at least to a degree.
Thanks in part to the abilities of Axouch, the new emperor was able to deal with the initial difficulties of asserting his authority over the imperial family without alienating them entirely. Because of this domestic ascendancy John II was able to concentrate on an aggressive foreign policy throughout most of his reign.
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