Miriarcha is the name given in theChronicon breve normannicum to theByzantine general who led the defence of theCatapanate of Italy in 1060–1062. The anonymous chronicler has, however, misinterpreted theGreek titlemerarches (commander of a division, merarch) as a name.[1] The actual name of the general is unknown,[1] and since the rank ofmerarches is not otherwise clearly attested in southern Italy his exact function is not known either.[2] Probably the office was immediately below that of the catapan.[3]
In the spring and summer of 1060, theNormans under DukeRobert Guiscard with his brothersMauger andRoger conquered several cities in ByzantineApulia and expelled the last Byzantine garrisons fromCalabria. In response, the new Byzantine emperorConstantine X dispatched reinforcements under the command of a merarch. They arrived inBari in October 1060.[1]
Although his title implies that he had command of only a small army,[1] the merarch managed to retake the cities ofTaranto,Brindisi,Oria andOtranto. These were the first Byzantine victories over the Normans since the latter's arrival in southern Italy.[4] In 1061, the merarch advanced north into Norman territory, laying siege to the walled town ofMelfi in the heart ofthe Norman county. He was aided in this by the revolt of the city ofTroia, which Guiscard had to besiege before he could turn his attention to the Byzantines.[1]
In January 1061, reinforced by troops that had been fighting with Roger inMuslim Sicily,[5] Guiscard took the Byzantine city ofAcerenza and Roger tookManduria. Joining forces, they forced the merarch to raise the siege of Melfi. By February, the situation had been stabilized and Roger returned to Sicily. The merarch did not undertake any further offensive operations in 1061.[1] That year, Constantine sent a new catapan,Maruli,[6] the first to set foot in Italy since 1058.[4] Overall command thus passed to the catapan and the position of the merarch was downgraded.[7] In 1062, the Normans took the offensive, capturing Brindisi and Oria. The merarch was captured in the fighting at Brindisi.[4] The annalistLupus Protospatharius mentions this in his account of 1062.[7]
The merarch has sometimes been identified withAbulchares,[8] who was appointed catapan in 1064 according to theAnonymus Barensis. This identification is based onJohn Skylitzes, who makes Abulchares the Byzantine commander in 1061. In fact, the latter's dating is off and he is clearly referring to the same man as theAnonymus under 1064 and not to the merarch who arrived in 1060.[1]