Niketas (Greek: Νικήτας), the son of Ioube, was a Byzantine officer of Arab origin who served as the governor (strategos) of the Cibyrrhaeot Theme in ca. 912.
Niketas is only mentioned by the De Administrando Imperio, a work compiled in the middle of the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos. According to it, he was the son of Ioube (Ἰούβη, a Hellenized form of Ayyub[1]). Along with his older brother Chase (Hasan) he was a slave of the patrikios Damian, the parakoimomenos of Emperor Michael III, implying that they had been captured as prisoners of war during a conflict with the Arabs around the middle of the 9th century or shortly after. It is unclear whether they came alone or with their father; it is possible that they came to Byzantium as children, and that Niketas was even born there. Chase remained a Muslim in Byzantium, but Niketas, whose original Arab name is not recorded, was apparently baptized a Christian.[2][3]
In 912 he was appointed by Emperor Alexander as the military governor (strategos) of the naval Cibyrrhaeot Theme, in succession to Eustathios.[2][4] He requested from the emperor that his son, Aberkios, be appointed to the post of katepano of the Mardaites within the Cibyrrhaeot Theme. Emperor Alexander assented to this request.[2]
The illoustrios John Ioubes later in the century was possibly a descendant or otherwise a relative.[1]
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- Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.