John Komnenos ( gr, Ἰωάννης Κομνηνός, Iōannēs Komnēnos), later surnamed Tzelepes (Τζελέπης, ''Tzelepēs''), was the son of the ''
sebastokrator
''Sebastokrator'' ( grc-byz, Σεβαστοκράτωρ, Sevastokrátor, August Ruler, ; bg, севастократор, sevastokrator; sh, sebastokrator), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers wh ...
''
Isaac Komnenos and grandson of the
Byzantine emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
. As a young man he followed his father during his exile and wanderings across
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
and the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
, when for a short time he was married to a daughter of
Leo I
The LEO I (Lyons Electronic Office I) was the first computer used for commercial business applications.
The prototype LEO I was modelled closely on the Cambridge EDSAC. Its construction was overseen by Oliver Standingford, Raymond Thompson and ...
, ruler of
Armenian Cilicia. After the reconciliation between his father and his uncle, Emperor
John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos or Comnenus ( gr, Ἱωάννης ὁ Κομνηνός, Iōannēs ho Komnēnos; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he ...
, in 1138, he returned to the Byzantine court, but defected in the next year to the
Danishmendid Turks during a siege of
Neocaesarea
Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It was settled by many empires, being once the capital city of the province. Niksar is known as "Çukurova of the North-Anatolia" due to it ...
. From there he moved to the court of the
Sultan of Rum
fa, سلجوقیان روم ()
, status =
, government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262)
, year_start = 1077
, year_end = 1308
, p1 = By ...
, one of whose daughters he married. According to later, and likely invented, tradition, the
Ottoman dynasty hailed from one of his offspring.
Life
John was born in to the ''
sebastokrator
''Sebastokrator'' ( grc-byz, Σεβαστοκράτωρ, Sevastokrátor, August Ruler, ; bg, севастократор, sevastokrator; sh, sebastokrator), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers wh ...
''
Isaac Komnenos, a younger son of
Byzantine emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
(), and his wife Irene. Little is known about his mother, who was probably of Russian descent.
Exile and wanderings
![Jean II Comnene](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Jean_II_Comnene.jpg)
Relations between Isaac and his brother,
John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos or Comnenus ( gr, Ἱωάννης ὁ Κομνηνός, Iōannēs ho Komnēnos; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he ...
() were cordial at first, but began to deteriorate, so that by 1130 they had become estranged. The reasons for this are left unexplained by the sources;
Niketas Choniates and
John Kinnamos
Joannes Kinnamos, or John Cinnamus ( el, or Κίναμος; born shortly after 1143, died after 1185), was a Byzantine historian. He was imperial secretary (Greek "grammatikos", most likely a post connected with the military administration) to Em ...
simply report that Isaac had set his sights on the throne. In 1130, Isaac became involved in a conspiracy against John at a time when the latter was away from
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, campaigning against the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
of the
Sultanate of Rum. The conspiracy was uncovered, but Isaac and his two sons managed to flee Constantinople and find refuge at the court of the
Danishmendid emir
Gümüshtigin Ghazi () at
Melitene. John accompanied his father during his subsequent six-year exile, during which time they traversed most of
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
and the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
, as Isaac tried to rally the region's rulers to his cause against his brother.
From Melitene, they went to
Trebizond, whose governor,
Constantine Gabras Constantine Gabras or Gavras ( el, ) was the governor or ''doux'' (duke) of the Byzantine province of Chaldia, centred on the Black Sea port of Trebizond and its mountainous hinterland, the Pontic Alps, in northeast Anatolia, now part of Turkey. ...
, had broken away from Byzantium in 1126 and was ruling the area of
Chaldia as an independent prince, and then to
Armenian Cilicia, where its lord,
Leo I
The LEO I (Lyons Electronic Office I) was the first computer used for commercial business applications.
The prototype LEO I was modelled closely on the Cambridge EDSAC. Its construction was overseen by Oliver Standingford, Raymond Thompson and ...
, received them well: John even married one of Leo's daughters, and received the cities of
Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia and Mopsuhestia ( grc, Μοψουεστία and Μόψου ἑστία, Mopsou(h)estia and Μόψου ''Mopsou'' and Μόψου πόλις and Μόψος; Byzantine Greek: ''Mamista'', ''Manistra'', ''Mampsista''; Arabic: ''al-Maṣṣ ...
and
Adana
Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...
as her dowry. After a short while, however, they fell out with Leo, and were forced to seek shelter with the Sultan of Rum,
Mesud I
Rukn al-Dīn Mesud ibn Kilij Arslan or Mesud I (Modern tr, I. Rükneddin Mesud or ''Masud'' () was the sultan of the Sultanate of Rûm from 1116 until his death in 1156.
Reign
Following the defeat and death of his father Kilij Arslan fighting a ...
(), abandoning their possessions in Cilicia.
Isaac persisted in his efforts to form a coalition against his brother, but they proved fruitless, while John II's position continued to improve. The emperor's military successes, particularly following his Syrian campaign in 1137–1138 that led to the submission of the
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It exte ...
to the empire, enhanced his standing with the Byzantine aristocracy, officialdom, and the common people. As a result, Isaac's supporters in the empire began to desert his cause. Thus Isaac was forced to seek reconciliation with his brother: along with John, Isaac met his brother during the imperial army's return from Antioch in spring 1138. The emperor readily forgave them and brought them to Constantinople.
Defection and aftermath
In 1139, John accompanied the emperor on his campaign against Gümüshtigin's son and successor
Melik Mehmed. The Byzantine army advanced to Mehmed's residence at
Neocaesarea
Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It was settled by many empires, being once the capital city of the province. Niksar is known as "Çukurova of the North-Anatolia" due to it ...
and laid siege to it. During a confrontation between the two armies, an incident led to the defection of John: seeing a distinguished
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
knight on foot, the emperor ordered John to give him his own, pure-blood Arab stallion. This demand enraged the prideful John, who refused to do so and challenged the Latin knight to a duel for the horse. Seeing his uncle frowning at his reaction, he gave up the horse, but immediately seized another horse and galloped to the Turkish camp. He was well received by Mehmed, who knew him from his previous exile. John readily divulged what information he was privy to about the weaknesses of the Byzantine army, chiefly a lack of supplies and horses; this act probably saved Neocaesarea from falling, and the emperor was left with no choice but to withdraw.
From Neocaesarea, John moved to the court of the Sultan Mesud I. There he converted to
Islam and married one of the Sultan's daughters, whose name according to the 16th-century historian
Pseudo-Sphrantzes was Kamero (Καμερώ). His subsequent life is obscure: neither the date of his death or any activities at the court of Iconium are known. He received many lands and much wealth, and was highly respected by the Turks for his erudition and his command of Arabic. His wife may have been the woman who led the defence of the Seljuq capital
Konya
Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...
against the attacks of John's cousin, Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos (). John was likely dead by that time.
Ottoman ancestry tradition
According to Pseudo-Sphrantzes, later tradition held that John assumed the name Tzelepes—a Greek rendering of the Turkish honorific ''
Çelebi
Çelebi is a town and district of Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located m ...
'', a term indicating noble birth, a "lord" or "gentleman"—but Pseudo-Sphrantzes himself casts doubt on this information, and suggests that that Tzelepes was another person entirely. According to this later tradition, John and his Seljuq wife had a son,
Suleyman Shah
Suleyman Shah ( ota, سلیمان شاه; Modern tr, Süleyman Şah) was, according to Ottoman tradition, the son of Kaya Alp and the father of Ertuğrul, who was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Early Ottoman genealo ...
, who proved a very capable leader and was active at about the time of the
Fourth Crusade. This Suleyman Shah was supposedly the father of
Ertuğrul
Ertuğrul or Ertuğrul Gazi ( ota, ارطغرل, Erṭoġrıl; tk, ; died ) was a 13th century bey, who was the father of Osman I. Little is known about Ertuğrul's life. According to Ottoman tradition, he was the son of Suleyman Shah, the ...
, the forefather of the
Ottoman dynasty. As Konstantinos Varzos points out, this descent is unlikely, purely due to the chronological distance of the persons involved, and has generally been dismissed as fictitious by modern scholars.
The historian Konstantinos Moustakas has traced the descent of Pseudo-Sphrantzes' report, via
Francesco Sansovino
Francesco Tatti da Sansovino (1521–1586) was a versatile Italian scholar, humanist (one of the most important of his century) and man of letters, also known as a publisher.
Biography
Francesco Sansovino was born in Rome, the son of the sc ...
's ''Annali Turcheschi'', to a similar story recorded by
Theodore Spandounes Theodore Spandounes ( el, Θεόδωρος Σπανδούνης, it, Teodoro Spandugino) was an early 16th-century Greek historian of noble Byzantine extraction, the son of exiles fleeing the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium who had settled in Venice ...
about the descent of the Seljuk sultan
Kayqubad I
Alā ad-Dīn Kayqubād ibn Kaykhusraw ( fa, علاء الدين كيقباد بن كيخسرو; tr, I. Alâeddin Keykûbad, 1190–1237), also known as Kayqubad I, was the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm who reigned from 1220 to 1237. He expanded th ...
(), who fits the timeframe in question. However, Spandounes himself considered this story as false, even though he also stresses that the Ottoman sultan
Mehmed II, the
conqueror of Constantinople, reportedly knew of it and disseminated it. Moustakas therefore suggests that the story arose in Mehmed II's court, not by the sultan himself, who rarely made use of the Byzantine imperial inheritance as a legitimizing device, but possibly among the convert recruits of aristocratic Christian origin who rose to high office and sought similar models in the past, such as
Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha
Hersekzade or Hersekli Ahmed Pasha ("Ahmed Pasha, son of the Herzog"; Serbo-Croatian: ''Ahmed-paša Hercegović''; Aхмед-паша Херцеговић; 1459 – 21 July 1517), born as Stjepan Hercegović, he was the youngest son of the Duke ...
or
Mesih Pasha
Mesih Pasha or Misac Pasha (died November 1501) was an Ottoman of Eastern Roman origin, being a nephew of the last Roman emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos. He served as Kapudan Pasha of the Ottoman Navy and was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empi ...
.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Komnenos, John Tzelepes
1110s births
12th-century Byzantine people
Byzantine defectors
Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Seljuk wars
Converts to Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy
Former Greek Orthodox Christians
Greek Muslims
John Tzelepes Komnenos
People from the Sultanate of Rum