Nikephoros Ouranos

One of the emperor's closest associates, he was active in Europe in the wars against the Bulgarians, scoring a major victory at Spercheios, and against the Arabs in Syria, where he held command during the first decade of the 11th century as Basil's virtual viceroy.

[2][3] Ibn Shahram further mentioned that Ouranos's close association with the emperor made him an enemy to the powerful eunuch parakoimomenos, Basil Lekapenos, who had supervised the affairs of state for decades.

[4] During the negotiations, Ouranos functioned as the intermediary between the Arabs and the emperor, and he was subsequently chosen by the parakoimomenos to head a Byzantine delegation to Baghdad, which would take custody of Skleros.

[2][3] Following the death of the military governor (doux) of Thessalonica, Gregory Taronites, in battle against the Bulgarians in 996, Basil II appointed Ouranos as Domestic of the Schools of the West; in effect, commander-in-chief of the European field army.

[9][11] After arranging a ten-year truce with the Fatimids in 1001, the trusted Ouranos was meant to be Basil's representative in the eastern border areas and was armed with plenipotentiary authority, as attested by a seal declaring him "master of the East" (ὁ κρατῶν τῆς Ἀνατολῆς).

For instance, he notes the importance of taking precautions even against Christian subjects supplying a Muslim enemy with grain, cheese, or livestock because the high price offered will otherwise prove tempting.

Likewise, he suggests alternating between gracious offers of clemency and harsh threats of reprisals (especially against Armenian and Syriac Christians, apostates to Islam (Greek: μαγαρίται), and other heretics) whether one plans to honor these or not, as such vacillation will produce dissension among the defenders.

Apparently in ignorance of the destructive power at his command, he writes: "The men of old, in their pursuit of siege warfare, constructed many devices such as battering rams, wooden towers, scaling ladders with various features, tortoises, and all kinds of other things which our generation can hardly imagine.

As mentioned above, he was entrusted with the upkeep of the Great Lavra monastery, and in his youth he was apparently a friend of Saint Symeon Metaphrastes, on whose death he wrote a poem in lament.