Constantine Kalamanos or Coloman ( gr, Κωνσταντῖνος Καλαμανός; 1137/1145 – after 1173) 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 ...
governor of
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...
.
Biography
Constantine was the elder son of
Boris Kalamanos
Boris ( hu, Borisz; 1114 1154), also known as Boris Kalamanos ( gr, Βορίσης Καλαμάνος, Russian & Ukrainian: Борис Коломанович) was a claimant to the Hungarian throne in the middle of the . He was the son of Euphem ...
(a claimant for the throne of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
) and his wife, Anna Doukaina (a relative of the Byzantine 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 ...
). His paternal grandmother,
Euphemia
Euphemia ( el, Εὐφημία; "well-spoken f), known as the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin, who was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD.
According to tradition, Euphemia was arrested for refusing to offer ...
was caught in adultery by her husband, King
Coloman of Hungary who never recognised her son (Constantine' father) as his own.
In 1163, the Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Romanization of Greek, Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; "born in the purple"), w ...
appointed Constantine to the office of governor of Cilicia, a province of the Empire whose fortresses had just been occupied by the
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
Prince
Thoros II of Cilicia. He went with strengthened forces to his province and Prince Thoros had to retire to the mountains. The Princess
Constance of Antioch desired to keep her power against her son,
Bohemond III of Antioch, who became by then of an age to govern, appealed to Constantine for military aid. However, the rumour of her appeal provoked a riot in
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
and she was exiled.
Shortly afterwards, Constantine and Prince Bohemond III lead their troops together against
Nur ad-Din Zangi's armies that had laid siege to
Krak des Chevaliers
Krak des Chevaliers, ar, قلعة الحصن, Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn also called Hisn al-Akrad ( ar, حصن الأكراد, Ḥiṣn al-Akrād, rtl=yes, ) and formerly Crac de l'Ospital; Krak des Chevaliers or Crac des Chevaliers (), is a medieva ...
, a fortress in the
County of Tripoli. After the
Battle of al-Buqaia
In the Battle of al-Buqaia in 1163, the Crusaders and their allies inflicted a rare defeat on Nur ad-Din Zangi, the Emir of Aleppo and Damascus. King Amalric I led the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, together with contingents from the north ...
in 1163, in which Constantine and his troops particularly distinguished themselves, Nur ad-Din fled in disorder to
Homs
Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...
.
In the summer of 1164, Nur ad-Din laid siege the fortress of
Harim in 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 extende ...
. Upon Prince Bohemond's call, Constantine went to his rescue with his troops, and at the news of their coming, Nur ad-Din raised the siege. While he was retiring, the Christian forces followed him, and their armies made contact on 10 August. The ensuing
battle of Harim
The Battle of Harim (Harenc) was fought on 12 August 1164 at Harim, Syria, between the forces of Nur ad-Din, and a combined army from the County of Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, the Byzantine Empire, and Armenia. Nur ad-Din won a cru ...
was a disaster for the Christians: their leaders (among them Constantine) were captured and they were taken to Aleppo. However, Nur ad-Din was so anxious not to offend the Byzantine Empire that he freed Constantine almost at once (1166), in return for a hundred and fifty silken robes.
During his captivity, Cilicia was governed by
Alexios Axouch
Alexios Axouch or Axouchos, sometimes found as Axuch ( el, ), was a 12th-century Byzantine nobleman and military leader of Turkish ancestry.
Biography
Alexios Axouch was the son of John Axouch, the ''megas domestikos'' of the Byzantine army, bo ...
and then by
Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos I Komnenos ( gr, Ἀνδρόνικος Κομνηνός; – 12 September 1185), Latinization of names, Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. He was the son of Isaac Komnenos (son of Alexio ...
who seduced Philippa, the beautiful sister of Prince Bohemund III. When Constantine was freed, the Emperor Manuel I recalled Andronikos Komnenos and reinstalled him in his place. Constantine was also ordered to proceed to Antioch and to try to capture Philippa's affection, but he failed.
In 1170, the Armenian Prince
Mleh of Cilicia invaded the Byzantine province of Cilicia with the assistance of Nur ad-Din and took
Mopsuestia,
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, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart ...
and
Tarsus from their garrisons. Although Constantine could reoccupy the lost territories with the help of King
Amalric I of Jerusalem and Prince Bohemund III, but a year or so later he was captured by Prince Mleh.
Sources
* Kristó, Gyula (editor): Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon - 9–14. század ''(Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History - 9-14th centuries)''; Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest; .
* Runciman, Steven: A History of the Crusades - Volume II (The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East 1100–1187); Cambridge University Press, 1988, Cambridge; , pp. 369–370.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalamanos, Constantine
House of Árpád
Byzantine governors of Cilicia
Byzantine people of the Crusades
12th-century Byzantine people
Hungarian princes
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death unknown
Byzantine Anatolians
Byzantine prisoners of war
Officials of Manuel I Komnenos