Empire of Trebizond: Map & History

History

The city of Trebizond was the capital of the theme of Chaldia, which according to the 10th century Arab geographer Abulfeda was regarded as being largely a Lazican port. Chaldia had already shown its separatist tendencies in the 10th and 11th centuries when it came under the control of a local leader named Theodore Gabras, who according to Anna Komnene regarded Trebizond and its hinterlands "as a prize which had fallen to his own lot" and conducted himself as an independent prince. The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos confirmed him as governor of Chaldia but kept his son at Constantinople as a hostage for his good conduct.

Nevertheless, Gabras proved himself a worthy guardian by repelling a Georgian attack on Trebizond.

Origins

Trebizond already had a long history of autonomous rule before it became the center of a small empire in the Late Middle Ages. Due to its natural harbours, defensible topography and access to silver and copper mines, Trebizond became the pre-eminent Greek colony on the eastern Black Sea shore soon after its founding. Its remoteness from Roman capitals gave local rulers the opportunity to advance their own interest. In the centuries before the founding of the empire the city had been under control of the local Gabras family, which – while officially still remaining part of the Byzantine Empire – minted its own coinage.

Economy

The economy of the Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461) was defined by its strategic position at the southeastern terminus of the historic Silk Road and its control of the southern coast of the Black Sea. Inheriting the commercial infrastructure of the Byzantine province of Chaldia, the empire flourished as a major entrepôt, funneling the wealth of Persia, Armenia, and the broader Asian interior towards Genoese, Venetian, and other Western European markets.

Culture

Christianity strongly influenced society in the Empire of Trebizond. According to the Acts of Vazelon, which were written by contemporary monks, most peasants in the Matzouka region of the Empire had first names relating to Christian religious figures. Last names often referred to Christian saints, trades, and place names.

In the relatively limited territory of the kingdom of the Grand Komnenoi (known as the "Empire of Trebizond") there was enough room for three dioceses: Trebizond, which was the only diocese established far in the past, Cerasous and Rizaion in Lazika, both formed as upgraded bishoprics. All three dioceses survived the Ottoman conquest (1461) and generally operated until the 17th century, when the dioceses of Cerasous and Rizaion were abolished.