Staurakios, was Byzantine emperor from 26 or 28 July to 2 October 811. He was born in the early 790s, probably between 791 and 793, to Nikephoros I and an unknown woman. Nikephoros seized the throne of the Byzantine Empire from Empress Irene in 802, and elevated Staurakios to co-emperor on 25 December 803. On 20 December 807, a bride show was held by Nikephoros to select a wife for Staurakios, which resulted in his marriage to Theophano of Athens, a kinswoman of Irene. Little else is known of him until he came to take the throne upon the death of Nikephoros.
Staurakios (above) retreats with his remaining forces, while Nikephoros I (below) captured by the Bulgarians. Miniature from the 14th century Manasses Chronicle.
A solidus bearing the image of Staurakios (left) and Nikephoros I (right)
Nikephoros I, also known as Nicephorus I The Open-minded, was the Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. He began his career as genikos logothetēs under Empress Irene, but later overthrew her to seize the throne. Prior to becoming emperor, he was sometimes referred to as "the Logothete" and "Genikos" or "Genicus", in recognition of his previous role.
Khan Krum captures Nikephoros I, from the 14th-century Manasses Chronicle