Seal of John Vatatzes the Protokynegos (Schlumberger, 1889)

John Vatatzes or Batatzes ( gr, Ἰωάννης Βατάτζης, died 1345) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

official and magnate active in the second quarter of the 14th century, playing a prominent role in the

Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, sometimes referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, was a conflict that broke out in the Byzantine Empire after the death of Andronikos III Palaiologos over the guardianship of his nine-year-old so ...

Biography

Born to a lowly family, Vatatzes had managed to accumulate great riches through his position of ''

apographeus ''Apographeus'' ( el, ἀπογραφεύς) was a fiscal official in the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire. The office first appears in the Komnenian period, either under Alexios I Komnenos () or at any rate by the third quarter of the 12th c ...

'' (chief tax official), which he exercised in

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

and eastern Macedonia (

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

Boleron Boleron ( el, Βολερόν) was the name of a region and a Byzantine province in southwestern Thrace during the Middle Ages. The region is first mentioned in the mid-9th century ''Life of Saint Gregory of Dekapolis'', and designated the area e ...

, Strymon, and

Mosynopolis Mosynopolis ( el, Μοσυνόπολις), of which only ruins now remain in Greek Thrace, was a city in the Roman province of Rhodope, which was known until the 9th century as Maximianopolis (Μαξιμιανούπολις) or, to distinguish it ...

) from 1333 to 1341, as attested in a series of official acts bearing his name. These acts also testify to his bearing the court office of ''

protokynegos The ''prōtokynēgos'' ( el, πρωτοκυνηγός, "first huntsman") was a Byzantine court office and honorific title in the 13th–15th centuries, who was the chief huntsman of the Byzantine emperors. History and functions The office first ap ...

'' (head huntsman). His wealth enabled him to attach his family to some of the leading men in the state: his son married a daughter of Patriarch

John XIV Kalekas John XIV, surnamed Kalekas ( el, ; c. 1282 – 29 December 1347) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1334 to 1347. He was an anti-hesychast and opponent of Gregory Palamas. He was an active participant in the Byzantine civil war ...

, and one of his daughters married a son of the '' megas doux''

Alexios Apokaukos Alexios Apokaukos ( el, ; died 11 June 1345), also Latinized as Alexius Apocaucus, was a leading Byzantine statesman and high-ranking military officer ('' megas doux'') during the reigns of emperors Andronikos III Palaiologos (r. 1328–1341) ...

. At the outbreak of the civil war in 1341, he initially sided with

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Ángelos Palaiológos Kantakouzēnós''; la, Johannes Cantacuzenus; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under An ...

(r. 1347–1354), commanding troops around

Didymoteicho Didymoteicho ( el, Διδυμότειχο, Didymóteicho ) is a city located on the eastern edge of the Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town ...

, but in early 1342 he switched to the regency under Empress-dowager

Anna of Savoy Anna of Savoy, born Giovanna (1306–1365) was a Byzantine Empress consort, as the second spouse of Andronikos III Palaiologos. She served as regent, with the titles '' augusta'' and '' autokratorissa'', during the minority of her son John V Palai ...

. He was appointed to the post of ''

megas chartoularios Magnús Þór Jónsson (born 7 April 1945), better known by the stage name Megas, is a vocalist, songwriter, and writer who is well known in his native Iceland. Interest in music Being an admirer of Elvis Presley, Megas welcomed the arrival of ...

'' in 1342 and appointed briefly governor of Thessalonica in 1343. Despite the familial ties to the leaders of the anti-Kantakouzenos faction, however, in summer 1343, he defected back to Kantakouzenos, surrendering several fortresses to him. In gratitude, Kantakouzenos named him ''

megas stratopedarches Magnús Þór Jónsson (born 7 April 1945), better known by the stage name Megas, is a vocalist, songwriter, and writer who is well known in his native Iceland. Interest in music Being an admirer of Elvis Presley, Megas welcomed the arrival of ...

''. Soon after, Vatatzes defeated a loyalist army under a certain Aplesphares. One of his daughters married Suleyman, the Emir of

Karasi Karasi (born 1995) is an Australian Racing Hall of Fame champion steeplechase horse bred in Ireland. The horse is best known for winning the world's richest steeplechase race, the Nakayama Grand Jump at Nakayama Racecourse, Japan for three ...

, one of Kantakouzenos's Turkish allies. Following the death of Apokaukos in June 1345, however, he tried to re-approach the regency, by promising to turn the Turks against Kantakouzenos. According to the account provided in Kantakouzenos's own memoirs, Kantakouzenos twice sent envoys bidding him to abandon his treasonous designs, offering him pardon and more honours. Vatatzes refused, crossed into

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

with a Turkish army, and tried to have them attack the towns held by Kantakouzenos. The Turks refused and killed him at Garella, taking his son and the other Byzantines of Vatatzes's entourage as slaves.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vatatzes, John 1345 deaths 14th-century Byzantine people Byzantine rebels Byzantine generals Byzantine officials

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 * Second ...

Year of birth unknown Megaloi stratopedarchai