BRYENNIUS, NICEPHORUS

born 1062, Adrianople, Byzantine Empire died 1137, Constantinople Byzantine soldier, statesman, and historian who wrote a history of the imperial Comnenus family. A favourite of the emperor Alexius I Comnenus, who gave him the title of caesar, Bryennius assisted Alexius in dealing with Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade by successfully defending Constantinople against him (1097); he conducted the peace negotiations between Alexius and Bohemond, prince of Antioch (1108); and played an important part in the defeat of Malik-Shah, Seljuq sultan of Iconium (1116). At the suggestion of his mother-in-law, the empress Irene, he wrote the chronicle (Materials for a History) of the Comnenus family in the 11th century, particularly during the years 107076. In addition to information derived from older contemporaries, such as his father and his father-in-law, and from official sources, Bryennius also used the works of Michael Psellus, Joannes Scylitzes, and Michael Attaleiates. His style is concise and simple, and his views are influenced by his intimacy with the imperial family, which at the same time afforded him unusual facilities for obtaining material.