Leo Phokas the Elder
general of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire
Years: 875 - 920
Leo Phokas (fl.
910s) is an early 10th-century Byzantine general of the noble Phokas clan.
As Domestic of the Schools, the Byzantine army's commander-in-chief, he leads a large-scale campaign against the Bulgarians in 917, but is heavily defeated at the battles of Acheloos and Katasyrtai.
He then plots to seize the throne from the young Byzantine emperor Constantine VII (r. 913–959), but is outmaneuvered by the admiral Romanos Lekapenos, who manages to become guardian and later father-in-law of the Emperor.
After Lekapenos seizes control of the Byzantine Empire, Leo leads an unsuccessful revolt, and is captured and blinded.
