 Two successive governors, Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder and Nikephoros Basilakes, used this post as a launchpad for their imperial ambitions in the late 1070s.The region also played a crucial role in the Byzantine–Norman Wars, being occupied by the Normans in 1081–1084.After its recovery, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos entrusted the command of the theme to some of his closest relatives.