Saint Theodore Krateros

Theodore Krateros was a 9th-century Byzantine general who served under the reign of Theophilos. Apparently a eunuch, he distinguished himself by defeating an Arab prisoner in a duel. He was awarded the title of patrician and subsequently participated in Theophilos's 838 expedition against the Abbasid army of Caliph al-Mu'tasim. According to Alexander Vasiliev, he was then the strategos of the Bucellarian Theme. After the defeat at Anzen, he was sent to Ancyra, but as the city was deserted, he was ordered to defend Amorium against the Arabs. However, he was taken prisoner during the fall of the city. Refusing to renounce his faith, he was eventually killed after several years of imprisonment, alongside other Byzantine nobles from the city known as the 42 Martyrs of Amorium. Due to his status as a eunuch, his membership in the Krateros family has been questioned, and it is possible that the name Krateros was given to him in reference to his physical qualities, as the name means the strong one.