Samonas

Samonas (, 875 – after 908) was an Arab eunuch, who was captured by the Byzantines and became one of the most influential officials of the Byzantine Empire during the first decade of the 10th century.

==Biography== Samonas was born in circa 875 in Melitene, apparently the son of a distinguished family (his father would later serve as ambassador to Byzantium in 908). Captured by the Byzantines, he was made a eunuch and entered service in the household of Stylianos Zaoutzes, the powerful chief minister and father-in-law of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912). After the death of both Stylianos and his daughter, the Empress Zoe Zaoutzaina, in 899, his relatives plotted to overthrow Leo in a bid to preserve their power and influence. Their conspiracy, however, was betrayed by Samonas to Leo: the members of the Zaoutzes clan were deprived of their titles and wealth and exiled, but Samonas was rewarded by receiving one third of their fortune and being taken into imperial service as koubikoularios. thumb|Samonas informs the Emperor Leo of a plot to kill him. Promoted rapidly after his entry into Leo's personal service, he was made a protospatharios in 900. By 903, he had apparently become, in the words of Shaun Tougher, "Leo's trusted right-hand man". He seems to have been particularly involved in security and intelligence issues, a role stressed by several scholars who have dealt with his life. In 904, however, Samonas was involved in a bizarre episode: on the pretext of visiting a monastery, he escaped Constantinople and made for the East, hoping apparently to reach his native lands. He was, however, prevented from crossing the Halys River, and sought refuge in the monastery of the Holy Cross at Siricha. There, he was in the end captured by Constantine Doukas, and brought to trial before the Byzantine Senate. Although he was not acquitted, the emperor's continued favour meant that he was only mildly punished by four months of house arrest.