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Niketas Choniates | |
|---|---|
| Νικήτας Χωνιάτης | |
 Choniates in an ancient manuscript | |
| Born | c. 1155 |
| Died | 1217 (aged 61–62) |
| Occupations |
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| Family | Michael Choniates (brother) |
Niketas orNicetas Choniates (Medieval Greek:Νικήτας Χωνιάτης;c. 1155 – 1217), whose actual surname wasAkominatos (Ἀκομινάτος), was aByzantine Greek historian and politician. He accompanied his brotherMichael Akominatos toConstantinople from their birthplaceChonae (from which came his nickname, "Choniates" meaning "person from Chonae"). Nicetas wrote a history of the Eastern Roman Empire from 1118 to 1207.
Nicetas Akominatos was born to wealthy parents around 1150 inPhrygia in the city ofChonae (near the modern Honaz in Turkey). BishopNicetas of Chonae baptized and named the infant; later he was called "Choniates" after his birthplace. When he was nine, his father dispatched him with his brotherMichael toConstantinople to receive an education. Niketas' older brother greatly influenced him during the early stages of his life.
He initially secured a post in the civil service, and held important appointments under theAngelos emperors (among them that ofGrand Logothete or Chancellor) and was governor of thetheme ofPhilippopolis at a critical period. After thesack of Constantinople during theFourth Crusade in 1204, he fled toNicaea, where he settled at the court of theNicaean emperorTheodore I Lascaris, and devoted himself to literature. He died in 1217.
His theological work,Thesaurus Orthodoxae Fidei, although extant in a complete form in manuscripts, has been published only in part. It is one of the chief authorities for theheresies and heretical writers of the 12th century.
Umberto Eco's novelBaudolino[1] is set partly at Constantinople during the Crusader conquest. The imaginary hero, Baudolino, saves Niketas during the sacking of Constantinople, and then proceeds to confide his life story to him.
Niketas is a major character inAlan Gordon's murder mysteryA Death in the Venetian Quarter (New York: St. Martin's Minotaru, 2002).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Acominatus, Michael".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
