John Kantakouzenos ( gr, Ἰωάννης Καντακουζηνός; ) was a military commander and an early member of the

Kantakouzenos The House of Kantakouzenos ( Kantakouzenoi; el, Καντακουζηνός, pl. Καντακουζηνοί), Latinized as Cantacuzenus and anglicized as Cantacuzene, was one of the most prominent Greek noble families of the Byzantine Empire in t ...

family. The contemporary historian Niketas Choniates describes him as a brave, audacious and experienced soldier but frequently led astray by his foolhardiness and presumption.

Life

He was one of the victims of the reign of terror unleashed by the usurper

Andronikos I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos ( gr, Ἀνδρόνικος Κομνηνός; – 12 September 1185), Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and the grandson of the emperor Al ...

(reigned 1183–1185) in 1183, who had him blinded, though possibly not completely, then thrown into prison, because he attacked a court eunuch who blamed the disasters befalling the empire on the incompetence of Andronikos' predecessor, his under-age nephew Alexios II Komnenos ().

Donald Nicol Donald MacGillivray Nicol, (4 February 1923 – 25 September 2003) was an English Byzantinist. Life Nicol was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, to a Church of Scotland minister, and received a classical education at King Edward VII School in ...

argues this shows he was a partisan of the House of Angelos, and he had his reward when

Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos or Angelus ( grc-gre, Ἰσαάκιος Κομνηνός Ἄγγελος, ; September 1156 – January 1204) was Byzantine Emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204. His father Andronikos Doukas Angelos was a ...

() came to the throne in 1185: the new emperor give him the rank of ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

'' and appointed him to command the expedition against the Bulgarians in 1186, who had recently rebelled against the Byzantine rule and had restored the Bulgarian Empire. The rebels did not oppose the Byzantines in the open field, and instead retired to their mountain stronghold. John followed them there, but due to his overconfidence neglected to fortify his camp and allowed it to be surrounded, suffering a humiliating defeat. His robes of office were captured and displayed by the

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

leaders

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and Asen. John was relieved of command by the Emperor in favour of

Alexios Branas Alexios (or Alexius) Branas or Vranas ( el, ) (died 1187) was a Byzantine nobleman, attempted usurper, and the last Byzantine military leader of the 12th century to gain a notable success against a foreign enemy. Background Alexios Branas was a ...

, and lived in retirement. He married Irene Angelina, daughter of

Andronikos Doukas Angelos Andronikos Doukas Angelos ( el, Ἀνδρόνικος Δούκας Ἄγγελος, – before 1185) was a Byzantine aristocrat related to the ruling Komnenos dynasty. During the reign of his cousin, Manuel I Komnenos, he served without ...

and sister of the emperors Isaac II and Alexios III Angelos (). The marriage was first disallowed by the Patriarch of Constantinople,

Luke Chrysoberges Luke Chrysoberges ( el, Λουκάς Χρυσοβέργης), (? – November 1169) was Patriarch of Constantinople between 1156 and 1169. During Luke's patriarchate several other major theological controversies occurred. In 1156–1157 the que ...

, and the then-reigning emperor, Manuel I Komnenos (), because a seventh degree of consanguinity existed between John and Irene. However, in 1185/86, after Isaac Angelos came to power, a synod overthrew Patriarch

Basil II Kamateros Basil II Kamateros ( el, ), (died after 1186) was the Patriarch of Constantinople from August 1183 to February 1186. Basil was a member of the Kamateros family, which provided a number of leading officials in the 12th century. He initially ser ...

—an appointee of Andronikos I—and the new patriarch, Niketas Mountanes, gave his approval to the marriage. They appear to have had a son, for the man was put forth as a possible candidate to the throne during the illness of Alexios III. John's parents are not known, but he may have been brother to Theodore Kantakouzenos (died 1184), whom Niketas Choniates states was killed assisting Isaac Angelos defend the city of

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and s ...

against Andronikos Komnenos.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kantakouzenos, John 12th-century Byzantine people Byzantine generals Caesars (Byzantine nobles)

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars