Of this one, the aforementioned great protostrator Nikephoros. From this man, from the granddaughter of kyr Konstantinos Dragases, Maria of John Raoul, is born Nikolaos. And the reason for such a guardianship was as follows: the despot kyr Theodoros sponsored the aforementioned Nikolaos, [son] of the great protostrator Nikephoros, at holy baptism. And in the past spring, this great protostrator, being about to depart from men, and his son Nikolaos being a three-year-old infant, and having great confidence in and disposition towards the despot kyr Theodoros, having made a will, left the despot kyr Theodoros as guardian and governor of his spiritual son Nikolaos and of all his lands and possessions. And if the son and heir Nikolaos should die without issue, the places and lands of all his dominion and sovereignty, those outside and inside the Peloponnese, will belong to the despot kyr Theodoros. For outside [were] the whole Chersonese of the Hellespont, great Ainos as far as Peritheorion; and those inside the Peloponnese, in the Messenian gulf, where that river Pamisos flows through the middle, Androusa, I mean, and Kalamata, Mantineia, Iannitza, Pedema, Mane, Nesin, Spitalin, Grebeni and Karantza and Aetos, Loi, Neokastron, Archangelos, Saulaouros, Ioannina, Ithome, Ligoudista Philatria, Pylos and the places at the foot of the mountain and summit, called [the mountain] of the Victory of the Demos, as far as the plain of Steniklaros and the stream of the Bellira, and Bostitza and the places around it, which I, having been sent, also received, as many of the outer lands, being very few, as were not found under the power of the Hagarenes. For the most part, they named some from this family of the Melissenoi also Strategopouloi, and in the chronicles they wrote thus for such a reason. For the emperor kyr John Doukas appointed the father of the said Caesar Alexios and Michael as strategos of Paphlagonia, while he was still an adolescent and quite a youth. And he, having shown deeds of war and having set up trophies against the enemies, for which reason they called him Strategopoulos, and from him they named his sons. 276 And the protostrator Leon Phrangopoulos was also managing the said guardianship and administration at some time by the order of the despot kyr Theodoros, then he gifted this regularly to his brother, the despot kyr Konstantinos Α. αλιι ξοδιξες πραεβεντ· ... whom they also named Melissourgos on account of his skill in all things, was descended from the clan of that old Nikephoros Caesar Melissenos. And this Nikephoros was from the offspring of the patrikios Eugenios. Because indeed the emperor Michael, also known by the name Rangabel, and the patrikios Michael Melissenos were the offspring of two brothers and descendants of the said caesar; and the one, having been driven from the empire and having been exiled to the island of Prote, having become a monk, left this life; and having deprived his son Theophylaktos of his generative members, so the line of Rangabel came to an end. And the patrikios Michael had two sons, Demetrios and Theodotos; and the one, having become patriarch, guided the Church of the Lord, as those who have written histories about him write, and Demetrios begets Nikephoros, and Nikephoros begets Theodotos, and Theodotos begets the patrikios Niketas Ooryphas. And Niketas begets Theophanes the patrikios and protovestiarios and Nasar, and Theophanes [begets] Christophoros, and Christophoros [begets] the magistros Leon and Theoleptos. And the magistros Leon begets Theodosios, and Theodosios [begets] Theophylaktos, and Theophylaktos [begets] Theodoros, and Theodoros [begets] Nikephoros the caesar, the brother-in-law of the sovereign Alexios Komnenos. And the caesar Nikephoros begets John Komnenos, and John Komnenos begets Alexios, and Alexios begets Theodosios, and Theodosios begets Alexios the caesar and Michael, whom they named Strategopouloi. And the caesar Alexios begets Gregorios, and Gregorios [begets] Theophilos and Michael, and the

Τούτου ὁ προῤῥηθεὶς μέγας πρωτοστράτωρ Νικηφόρος. Οὗτος ἐκ τῆς θυγατριδοῦς κὺρ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ ∆ραγάση Μαρίας τοῦ Ῥαοὺλ Ἰωάννου γί-νεται Νικόλαος. Ἡ δὲ αἰτία τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιτροπικῆς τοιουτοτρόπως ἦν· τὸν εἰρημένον Νικό λαον τοῦ μεγάλου πρωτοστράτορος Νικηφόρου ἀνεδέξατο ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος ὁ δεσπότης κὺρ Θεόδωρος. Ἐν δὲ τῷ παρελθόντι ἐάρι μέλλων ἐξ ἀνθρώπων γενέσθαι ὁ μέγας οὗτος πρωτοστράτωρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Νικόλαος τριητὴς νήπιος ὢν καὶ πλη ροφορίαν καὶ διάθεσιν μεγάλην ἔχων πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην κὺρ Θεόδωρον, διαθήκην ποιήσας, εἴασε τὸν δεσπότην κὺρ Θεόδωρον ἐπίτροπον καὶ κυβερνήτην τοῦ πνευματι κοῦ υἱοῦ Νικολάου καὶ πάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ χωρῶν τε καὶ κτημάτων. Καὶ ἐὰν ὁ υἱὸς καὶ κληρονόμος Νικόλαος ἐμφὺς ἀποθάνῃ, πάσης τῆς αὐτοῦ δεσποτείας καὶ ἐπικρατείας τόποι καὶ χῶραι οἱ ἐκτὸς καὶ ἐντὸς τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἔσονται τῷ δεσπότῃ κὺρ Θεο δώρῳ. Ἦσαν γὰρ ἐκτὸς πᾶσα ἡ Χερσόνησος τοῦ Ἑλλησπόντου, μεγάλη Αἶνος ἕως τε καὶ Περιθεωρίου· τὰ δὲ ἐντὸς τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἐν μὲν τῷ Μεσσηνιακῷ κόλπῳ, ἔνθα ῥέει διὰ μέσου καὶ ὁ Πάμισος ἐκεῖνος ποταμός, Ἀνδροῦσα, λέγω καὶ Καλαμά τα, Μαντινία, Ἰαννίτζα, Πήδημα, Μάνη, Νησίν, Σπιτάλιν, Γρεμπενὶ καὶ Καράντζα καὶ Ἀετός, Λωΐ, Νεόκαστρον, Ἀρχάγγελος, Σαυλάουρος, Ἰωάννινα, Ἰθώμη, Λιγούδιστα Φιλατρία, Πύλος καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ποσὶ τοῦ ὄρους καὶ κορυφῆς, τοῦ τῆς Νίκης τοῦ ∆ή μου λεγομένου, ἄχρι τοῦ πεδίου Στενικλάρου καὶ τοῦ ῥεύματος τῆς Βελλίρας καὶ Βοσ τίτζα καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτήν, ἃ καὶ σταλεὶς ἐγὼ ταῦτα παρέλαβον, τὰ ὅσα ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν ὀλίγα πάνυ ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν μὴ εὑρισκόμενα. Ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστόν τινας ἐκ τούτου τοῦ γένους τῶν Μελισσηνῶν καὶ Στρατηγο πούλους ἐπωνόμαζον καὶ ἐν ταῖς χρονικαῖς ἱστορίαις οὕτως ἔγραφον δι' αἰτίαν τοιαύ την. Τοῦ γὰρ ῥηθέντος καίσαρος Ἀλεξίου καὶ Μιχαὴλ <τὸν> γεννήτορα ὁ βασιλεὺς κὺρ Ἰωάννης ὁ ∆ούκας στρατηγὸν Παφλαγονίας ἐπροχειρίσατο ἔφηβον ὄντα ἔτι καὶ πάνυ μείρακα. Αὐτὸς δὲ ἔργα ἀρεϊκὰ ἐπιδείξας καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τρόπαια στήσας, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν Στρατηγόπουλον ἐπεκάλεσαν καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοὺς υἱοὺς τούτου ἐπωνόμαζον. 276 ∆ιήρχετο δὲ τὴν εἰρημένην ἐπιτροπικὴν καὶ διοίκησιν καὶ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ Λέων ὁ Φραγκόπουλος καιρῷ τινι προστάξει τοῦ δεσπότου κὺρ Θεοδώρου, εἶτα τῷ ἀδελφῷ δεσπότῃ κὺρ Κωνσταντίνῳ ἐδωρήσατο ταύτην τακτικῶς Α. αλιι ξοδιξες πραεβεντ· ... ὃν καὶ Μελισσουργὸν ἐπωνόμαζον διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ εἰς πάντα δεξιότητα ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς ἦν καταγόμενος τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἐκείνου Νικηφόρου καί σαρος τοῦ Μελισσηνοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Νικηφόρος οὗτος ἐκ γόνων ὑπῆρχε τοῦ πατρικίου Εὐγε νίου. ∆ιατὶ μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ ὁ τὴν προσηγορίαν καὶ Ῥαγκαβὲλ καὶ ὁ πατρί κιος Μιχαὴλ ὁ Μελισσηνὸς ὑπῆρχον κασιγνήτων δύο ἀποτοκεύματα καὶ ἀπόγονοι τοῦ ῥηθέντος καίσαρος· καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς βασιλείας ἐξωσθεὶς καὶ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ Πρώτῃ ἐξο ρισθεὶς, μοναχὸς γενόμενος τὸν βίον κατέλιπε· τὸν δὲ υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Θεοφύλακτον τῶν παιδογόνων μορίων στερήσαντες, καὶ οὕτω τὰ τοῦ Ῥαγκαβὲλ πέρας ἔλαβον. Ὁ δὲ πατρίκιος Μιχαὴλ ἔσχε υἱοὺς δύο ∆ημήτριον καὶ Θεόδοτον· καὶ ὁ μὲν πατριάρχης γενόμενος τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν Κυρίου ἰθύνας, ὥσπερ οἱ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἱστορήσαντες γράφουσι, ὁ δὲ ∆ημήτριος γεννᾷ Νικηφόρον, ὁ δὲ Νικηφόρος γεννᾷ Θεόδοτον, ὁ δὲ Θεόδοτος γεννᾷ τὸν πατρίκιον Νικήταν τὸν Ὀρυφᾶν. Ὁ δὲ Νικήτας γεννᾷ Θεοφάνην τὸν πατρί-κιον καὶ πρωτοβεστιάριον καὶ Νάσαρ, ὁ δὲ Θεοφάνης Χριστοφόρον, ὁ δὲ Χριστόφος τὸν μάγιστρον Λέοντα καὶ Θεόληπτον. Ὁ δὲ μάγιστρος Λέων γεννᾷ Θεοδόσιον, ὁ δὲ Θεοδόσιος Θεοφύλακτον, ὁ δὲ Θεοφύλακτος Θεόδωρον, ὁ δὲ Θεόδωρος Νικηφόρον τὸν καίσαρα τὸν ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ γαμβρὸν τοῦ ἄνακτος Ἀλεξίου του Κομνηνοῦ. Ὁ δὲ καῖσαρ Νικηφόρος γεννᾷ Ἰωάννην τὸν Κομνηνόν, ὁ δὲ Κομνηνὸς Ἰωάννης γεννᾷ Ἀλέξιον, ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξιος γεννᾷ Θεοδόσιον, ὁ δὲ Θεοδόσιος γεννᾶ Ἀλέξιον τὸν καίσαρα καὶ Μιχαήλ, οὓς Στρατηγοπούλους ἐπωνόμαζον. Ὁ δὲ καῖσαρ Ἀλέξιος γεννᾷ Γρηγόριον, ὁ δὲ Γρηγόριος Θεόφιλον καὶ Μιχαὴλ, ὁ δὲ