Theodore Kastamonites ( gr, Θεόδωρος Κασταμονίτης) 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 ...

aristocrat and the all-powerful chief minister for most of the first reign of his nephew, Emperor

Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos or Angelus ( grc-gre, Ἰσαάκιος Κομνηνός Ἄγγελος, ; September 1156 – January 1204) was Byzantine Emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204. His father Andronikos Doukas Angelos was a ...

Life

The Kastamonites family probably hailed from

Kastamon Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. (Population of the urban center in 2010 is 91,012.) The ...

Paphlagonia Paphlagonia (; el, Παφλαγονία, Paphlagonía, modern translit. ''Paflagonía''; tr, Paflagonya) was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and s ...

, and had emerged in the late 11th century as one 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 ...

's aristocratic clans, its members holding various civil and military offices under the

Komnenian emperors The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the Komnenos dynasty for a period of 104 years, from 1081 to about 1185. The ''Komnenian'' (also spelled ''Comnenian'') period comprises the reigns of five emperors, Alexios I, John II, Manuel I, A ...

. Theodore was the brother of

Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa was a Byzantine noblewoman of the Kastamonites family, a wife of Andronikos Doukas Angelos (a cousin of the ruling Komnenos dynasty) and mother of the two future Byzantine emperors from the Angelos family: Isaac II Angelo ...

, wife of

Andronikos Doukas Angelos Andronikos Doukas Angelos ( el, Ἀνδρόνικος Δούκας Ἄγγελος, – before 1185) was a Byzantine aristocrat related to the ruling Komnenos dynasty. During the reign of his cousin, Manuel I Komnenos, he served without ...

and mother of the emperors

() and

Alexios III Angelos Alexios III Angelos ( gkm, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός Ἄγγελος, Alexios Komnēnos Angelos; 1211), Latinized as Alexius III Angelus, was Byzantine Emperor from March 1195 to 17/18 July 1203. He reigned under the name Alexios Komnen ...

(). When Isaac II ascended the throne, he was unable to rely on the support of the restive and ambitious noble families, and turned to the bureaucracy for support. Immediately after his accession, Isaac II placed his uncle in charge of the financial administration. Although suffering from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

so that he had to be carried about in a litter, according to his contemporary

Niketas Choniates Niketas or Nicetas Choniates ( el, Νικήτας Χωνιάτης; c. 1155 – 1217), whose actual surname was Akominatos (Ἀκομινάτος), was a Byzantine Greek government official and historian – like his brother Michael Akominatos, wh ...

, Kastamonites was a capable official, particularly in taxation matters—the

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

n and Genoese merchants in particular complained that he always exacted full customs duties from them—and an eloquent speaker. As a result, Isaac soon promoted him to ''

logothetes ton sekreton The ''logothetēs tōn sekretōn'' ( grc-gre, λογοθέτης τῶν σεκρέτων) was an official supervising all the ''sekreta'' (fiscal departments) of the Byzantine Empire during the Komnenian period. In the early 13th century, his offic ...

'', putting him in charge of supervising all the civilian departments. Indeed, Kastamonites became the ''de facto'' ruler of the empire, as he handled all government affairs, and his nephew always acceded to his requests. Officials and nobles alike had to stand in his presence and show him deference. His position was so exalted that Isaac allowed him to use imperial attributes, such as the

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...

military cloak and a purple saddle cover, or signing with the special purple ink reserved for the emperor. He was the first official to be called '' megas logothetes'' ("Grand Logothete"), in a chrysobull granted to the Genoese by Isaac II in 1192, a title which soon replaced that of ''logothetes ton sekreton''. Nevertheless, on 15 August 1193, during the procession of the

Dormition of the Theotokos The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of G ...

, Kastamonites was hailed by the crowd as lord and emperor; hearing that, he was stricken by apoplexy, and although he briefly recovered, he died a few days later. He was succeeded as chief minister of the Empire by

Constantine Mesopotamites Constantine Mesopotamites ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Μεσοποταμίτης) was a senior Byzantine official, and ''de facto'' chief minister under the emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos from 1193 until his fall in summer 11 ...

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kastamonites, Theodore 1193 deaths 12th-century births 12th-century Byzantine people Byzantine officials

Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Sask ...