Anemas (died 971)
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Al-Nu'mān ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Shuʿayb ibn ʿUmar al-Qurṭubī, known by the Byzantines as Anemas (Greek: Ἀνεμᾶς), was the son of the last Emir of Crete, Abd al-Aziz ibn Shu'ayb. Following the Siege of Chandax and the reconquest of Crete by the Byzantines, Al-Nu'man and his father were taken as prisoners to Constantinople, where Al-Nu'man converted to Christianity, him and his father were displayed during the triumph of the conqueror and future emperor Nikephoros II Phokas.[1]
Dorostolon
| Anemas al-Nu'man ibn Abd al-Aziz | |
|---|---|
| Died | around 24 July 971 Dorostolon |
| Father | Abd al-Aziz ibn Shu'ayb |
| Religion | Islam, later Eastern Christianity |
Upon settling in Constantinople, Anemas converted to Christianity and joined the Byzantine army as a member of the imperial bodyguard.[2][3]
When the emperor John I Tzimiskes campaigned against the Kievan Rus' in 971, Anemas joined the expedition and went on to fight in a number of engagements during the Siege of Dorostolon.[3] According to Leo the Deacon, during a sally of the besieged Rus', Anemas personally engaged and killed their second-in-command, Ikmor.[4] On the next day (Leo gives it as Friday the 24th of July, but the 24th was a Monday) the Rus' launched a determined all-out attack around sunset, hoping to break through. Anemas charged the Rus leader, Sviatoslav, and struck him on the neck, throwing him off his horse; his armour however saved Sviatoslav, and the Rus' quickly came to his aid and attacked Anemas. The latter was able to kill several, but in the end was killed himself.[5] The Rus' then charged with renewed confidence, but were beaten back with heavy casualties, forcing Sviatoslav to capitulate and sign a treaty with Tzimiskes.[6]
It is possible that the Anemas family that appears in the Byzantine aristocracy in the 11th–12th centuries were his descendants.[3]