Alexius I Comnenus   Thessalonica   Imperium Byzantinum
Αλέξιος Α' Κομνηνός  Θεσσαλονίκη  Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία

Follis / Φόλλις AE 24

SHH 4081

Parameter Obverse Reverse Notes Reference

5.83 g   20.6-26.6 mm   5:00 o'clock   VF Virgin, nimbate, wearing tunic and maphorion. Pelleted ornaments around Φ // Φ / Π // X; linear border. The region of Trebizond had been captured by the Turks following the disastrous battle of Manzikert. In 1075, soldier and nobleman Theodore Gabras defeated the occupiers and returned the region to Christian hands. Gabras afterwards ruled over the region, regarding it as his own private domain, while still maintaining at least nominal allegiance to the emperor. Accordingly, Constantinople kept close watch over him and held his son Gregory hostage for a number of years. Upon the death of his father, Gregory assumed leadership of the Trebizond and entered into open rebellion against Alexius. Although the emperor soon quelled the rebellion, the Gabras family was allowed to maintain control over the region until the 1140’s. [Auctioneer] Minted ca. 1100 AD (during the rule of Theodor Gabras, 1075-1098). [Dumbarton Oaks] Dumbarton Oaks IV/1 The Mint of Trebizond 6; Bendall, “The mint of Trebizond under Alexius I and the Gabrades,” NC 1977, issue 6; Sear Byzantine ---