BRYENNIUS, NICEPHORUS Byzantine soldier, statesman, and historian, was born at Orestias (Adrian ople). He gained the favour of Alexius I. (Comnenus) and the hand of his daughter Anna, with the titles of Caesar (then rank ing third) and Panhypersebastos (one of the new dignities intro duced by Alexius). Bryennius successfully defended Constan tinople against Godfrey of Bouillon (1097) ; conducted the peace negotiations between Alexius and Bohemund, prince of Antioch (I 1o8) ; and played an important part in the defeat of Malik Shah, Seljuk sultan of Iconium (I 16). He was friendly with the new emperor, John, whom he accompanied on his Syrian campaign 0'37), but was forced by illness to return to Byzan tium, where he died in the same year. At the suggestion of his mother-in-law he wrote a history (called by him "T X77 `Icropias, materials for a history) of the period from 1057 to 1 081, from the victory of Isaac I. (Comnenus) over Michael VI. to the dethronement of Nicephorus Botaneiates by Alexius.