The House of Philanthropenos ( el, Φιλανθρωπηνός), feminine form Philanthropene (Φιλανθρωπηνή), was the name of a noble Byzantine Greek family which appeared in the mid-13th century and produced a number of high-ranking generals and officials until the end of the

Byzantine Empire 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 ...

. Their name derives from the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

Christ Philanthropos Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

("Christ Friend of Man") 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 ( ...

.. Some members of the family use the composite surname Doukas Philanthropenos, and may, according to Demetrios I. Polemis, constitute a distinct branch of the family.

History

The first known member of the family is

Alexios Doukas Philanthropenos Alexios Doukas Philanthropenos ( gr, Ἀλέξιος Δούκας Φιλανθρωπηνός, died ) was a Byzantine nobleman and distinguished admiral, with the rank of ''protostrator'' and later '' megas doux'', during the reign of Michael VIII P ...

, first attested circa 1255 as a commander at

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...

. He is usually equated with the distinguished admiral of the same name, who rose to the rank of ''

protostrator ''Prōtostratōr'' ( el, πρωτοστράτωρ) was a Byzantine court office, originating as the imperial stable master. Its proximity to the imperial person led to a highly visible role in imperial ceremonies, and served as a springboard for ...

'' and eventually '' megas doux''. He died circa 1275. His daughter, Maria, married

Michael Tarchaneiotes Michael Palaiologos Tarchaneiotes ( el, Μιχαήλ Παλαιολόγος Ταρχανειώτης) was a Byzantine aristocrat and general, active against the Turks in Asia Minor and against the Angevins in the Balkans from 1278 until his death ...

. Their second son was the ''

pinkernes ''Pinkernes'' ( grc, πιγκέρνης, pinkernēs), sometimes also ''epinkernes'' (, ''epinkernēs''), was a high Byzantine court position. The term derives from the Greek verb (''epikeránnymi'', "to mix ine), and was used to denote the cup- ...

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 t ...

, a general celebrated for his successes against the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

, who rose up unsuccessfully against Andronikos II Palaiologos in 1295. He was pardoned in the 1320s and was again active in the field until 1334. A Michael Doukas Philanthropenos, '' epi tes trapezes'' and uncle of Andronikos II, is attested from 1286 to 1304, when he was sent to defend Magnesia from the Turks. A number of Philanthropenos women are known only from short references: Theodora Doukaina Philanthropene married John Komnenos Akropolites, perhaps a son of the historian

George Akropolites George Akropolites ( Latinized as Acropolites or Acropolita; el, , ''Georgios Akropolites''; 1217 or 1220 – 1282) was a Byzantine Greek historian and statesman born at Constantinople. Life In his sixteenth year he was sent by his father, t ...

; Irene Komnene Doukaina Philanthropene Kantakouzene, who died on 8 August 1292; and Eirene Komnene Philanthropene Doukaina, who died on 7 September 1303. Others are known only by their surname.cf. . In the 14th century, a John Philanthropenos, '' megas droungarios tou ploimou'', is attested in a synodal decision of 1324, George Doukas Philanthropenos, ''

megas hetaireiarches The ( grc-gre, ἑταιρειάρχης), sometimes anglicized as Hetaeriarch, was a high-ranking Byzantine officer, in command of the imperial bodyguard, the . In the 9th–10th centuries there appear to have been several , each for one of the su ...

'' and governor of

Lemnos Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμνος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The p ...

, is attested in 1346, and the ''

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 r ...

'' Michael Philanthropenos, a cousin of

John V Palaiologos John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Ἰωάννης Παλαιολόγος, ''Iōánnēs Palaiológos''; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. Biography John V was the son of E ...

, is attested in 1350. In

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...

Alexios Angelos Philanthropenos Alexios Angelos Philanthropenos ( el, ) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman who ruled Thessaly from 1373 until c. 1390 (from c. 1382 as a Byzantine vassal) with the title of ''Caesar''. Biography The Angeloi of Thessaly rose to prominence during the r ...

and

Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos ( el, ) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman who ruled Thessaly from c. 1390 until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1393, as a Byzantine vassal with the title of ''Caesar''. Biography Manuel was either the son or t ...

are attested in the 1380s and 1390s. Alexios ruled Thessaly with the title 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 ...

'' from circa 1382 to 1389, and was succeeded by Manuel (either his son or his brother), who ruled until the Ottoman conquest in 1393/1394. In the 15th century, the two most prominent members of the family are George Doukas Philanthropenos, '' mesazon'' to

John VIII Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( gr, Ἰωάννης Παλαιολόγος, Iōánnēs Palaiológos; 18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448) was the penultimate Byzantine emperor, ruling from 1425 to 1448. Biography John VIII was ...

, and Alexios Laskaris Philanthropenos, ''megas stratopedarches'', governor of Patras in 1445 and a friend of

Bessarion Bessarion ( el, Βησσαρίων; 2 January 1403 – 18 November 1472) was a Byzantine Greek Renaissance humanist, theologian, Catholic cardinal and one of the famed Greek scholars who contributed to the so-called great revival of letters ...

References

Sources

* * * {{cite book, last=Polemis, first=Demetrios I., title=The Doukai: A Contribution to Byzantine Prosopography, location=London, publisher=The Athlone Press, year=1968, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sx5dAAAAIAAJ