Person

Nikephoros II Phokas

c. 912–969 · 10th century · Also known as Nicephorus II Phocas

Nikephoros II Phokas was a Byzantine general and emperor from 963 to 969. He reconquered Crete from the Arabs in 961 after the siege of Chandax, sacked Aleppo in 962 and later took Cilicia and Antioch. A patron of Athanasios the Athonite, he backed the founding of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos. He was murdered by John Tzimiskes.

Nikephoros II Phokas
Image: Unknown Byzantine artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 state histories

Arab-Byzantine Condominium of CyprusEmirate of TarsusEmirate of CreteHamdanid Emirate of AleppoMonastic Community of Mount Athos

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nikephoros II Phokas. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nikephoros-ii-phokas
MLA
“Nikephoros II Phokas.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nikephoros-ii-phokas. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Nikephoros II Phokas.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nikephoros-ii-phokas.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nikephoros II Phokas’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nikephoros-ii-phokas (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻