Manuel Tagaris ( el, Μανουήλ Τάγαρις, ) was a distinguished

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 ...

general of the early 14th century, who rose to the rank of ''

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 ...

''.

Life

Manuel Tagaris was of lowly origins—the Tagaris family is first attested in the early years of the 14th century and comprised a handful of members. He served as governor of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, from , in which capacity he repelled a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

attack on the city in 1310/11. His valour and ability in the wars against the Turks in

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 ...

won him the esteem of Emperor

Andronikos II Palaiologos , image = Andronikos II Palaiologos2.jpg , caption = Miniature from the manuscript of George Pachymeres' ''Historia'' , succession = Byzantine emperor , reign = 11 December 1282 –24 May 1328 , coronation = 8 Novembe ...

(), who appointed him to the ranks of the aristocracy (he is archaically called a "'' synkletikos''") and even gave him the hand of his niece, Theodora Palaiologina Asanina, a daughter of Tsar

Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria Ivan Asen III ( bg, Иван Асен III, also Йоан Асен III, ''Ioan Asen III'', and in English ''John Asen III''), ruled as tsar of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daught ...

, as his second wife. During his long governorship of Philadelphia, he clashed with the local bishops of Philadelphia and

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

, Theoleptus and Manuel Gabalas, respectively. By April 1321, he had risen to the high post of ''

'' at the court in

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 (" ...

, when

Andronikos III Palaiologos , image = Andronikos_III_Palaiologos.jpg , caption = 14th-century miniature. Stuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek. , succession = Byzantine emperor , reign = 24 May 1328 – 15 June 1341 , coronation = ...

, the grandson of Andronikos II, fled the capital, marking the beginning of the

Byzantine civil war of 1321–28 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 ...

. When Andronikos II ordered him to pursue the prince and arrest him, Tagaris refused, claiming the order to be unenforceable, a view in which he was supported by the Emperor's other advisers. Andronikos II then sent Tagaris back to Philadelphia, which he again defended against a Turkish siege until 1324, when the siege was lifted by

Alexios Philanthropenos Alexios Doukas Philanthropenos ( el, ) was a Byzantine nobleman and notable general. A relative of the ruling Palaiologos dynasty, he was appointed commander-in-chief in Asia Minor in 1293 and for a time re-established the Byzantine position th ...

. In 1329, he was sent to take the field against

Orhan Orhan Ghazi ( ota, اورخان غازی; tr, Orhan Gazi, also spelled Orkhan, 1281 – March 1362) was the second bey of the Ottoman Beylik from 1323/4 to 1362. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman I. In the early stages of his re ...

, the ruler of the rising

Ottoman beylik The rise of the Ottoman Empire is a period of history that started with the emergence of the Ottoman principality (Osmanlı Beyliği) in , and ended circa 1453. This period witnessed the foundation of a political entity ruled by the Ottoman D ...

. He probably died sometime before 1342.

Family

Manuel married twice, first to a lady of unknown first name, but descended from the Monomachos and

Doukas The House of Doukas, Latinized as Ducas ( el, Δούκας; feminine: Doukaina/Ducaena, Δούκαινα; plural: Doukai/Ducae, Δοῦκαι), from the Latin title ''dux'' ("leader", "general", Hellenized as 'ðouks'', is the name of a Byzant ...

families, and then to Theodora Asenina Palaiologina, daughter of

Ivan Asen III Ivan Asen III ( bg, Иван Асен III, also Йоан Асен III, ''Ioan Asen III'', and in English ''John Asen III''), ruled as tsar of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daught ...

of Bulgaria. He had a daughter from the first marriage, and a son,

George Tagaris George Tagaris ( el, Γεώργιος Τάγαρις, ) was a Byzantine general of the middle 14th century, who rose to the rank of ''megas stratopedarches''. Life The Tagaris family is first attested in the early years of the 14th century. Geor ...

, who also rose to become ''megas stratopedarches''. The future

Latin Patriarch of Constantinople The Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople was an office established as a result of the Fourth Crusade and its conquest of Constantinople in 1204. It was a Roman Catholic replacement for the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ...

Paul Palaiologos Tagaris Paul Palaiologos Tagaris ( el, Παῦλος Παλαιολόγος Τάγαρις, – after 1394) was a Byzantine Greek monk and impostor. A scion of the Tagaris family, Paul also claimed a somewhat dubious connection with the Palaiologos dyn ...

was also possibly his son, or otherwise a relative.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tagaris, Manuel 13th-century births 14th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 14th-century Byzantine military personnel Byzantine generals Byzantine governors History of Manisa Province Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars Megaloi stratopedarchai Tagaris family