Angeloi (noble family)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Angelos family (Greek Ἄγγελος, Pl. Angeloi , Ἄγγελοι) was an important Byzantine noble family whose rise began at the end of the 11th century and culminated barely a century later when several Angeloi ascended the imperial throne . However, the weak reign of the Angeloi emperors (1185-1203) was a major reason why the participants of the 4th Crusade in 1204 succeeded in taking Constantinople. Members of a sideline of the Angeloi ruled from 1204 to 1318 in the Despotate of Epirus , a Greek successor state to the Byzantine Empire. At times in the 13th century, areas in Macedonia and Thessaly were also part of the Angeloi sphere of influence.

The family name is derived either from the word Angel (Greek for angel) or from the same name of a place in Asia Minor, which is considered the place of origin of the Angeloi.

history

Konstantin Angelos from the Philadelphia area in western Asia Minor is regarded as the progenitor of the family . Through his marriage to Theodora Komnena, a daughter of Emperor Alexios I, Constantine rose to the inner circle of power at the Byzantine court. The couple had three sons, the Sebastokrator Johannes , Andronikos and Alexios , who was wealthy in Macedonia and founded the Church of St. Panteleimon in the village of Nerezi in Macedonia in 1164 , which still exists today and is known for its wall paintings. Alexios was the first Angelos who preferred to use his mother's surname, which is far more prestigious. This is what many angeloi did after him.

In 1185 Isaac , a son of the aforementioned Andronikos Angelos, dethroned Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos and ascended the throne himself. He was followed by his brother Alexios III. and his son Alexios IV. The barely 20-year rule of the emperors from the House of Angelos meant a period of decline for the Byzantine Empire, at the end of which in 1204 Constantinople was taken by the Latins . The Angeloi emperors were complicit in this because they were primarily concerned with internal family power struggles, plundered the state treasure, neglected the army and the navy , and cared too little about foreign policy issues.

After the fall of the imperial city, several successor states emerged on the territory of the Byzantine Empire. One of them, the Despotate of Epirus, was founded by Michael Angelos , an illegitimate son of the Sebastocrator John, and successfully defended against the Crusaders, the Republic of Venice and the Bulgarians. Michael had the surname Komnenos Dukas and did not use his own family name Angelos, which was extremely unpopular with the Greeks since the catastrophic defeat of 1204 at the latest.

Michael's half-brother Theodor was the second ruler of Epirus. In 1224 he conquered the remains of the Latin kingdom of Thessaloniki and declared himself the legitimate basileus of the Rhomeans in competition with the Emperor of Nicaea . Only a few years later, however, he was defeated on the battlefield by the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Assen II and taken prisoner. While Theodor was imprisoned, his brother Manuel ruled Thessaloniki, followed by Theodore's sons John and Demetrios. With the conquest of Thessaloniki by the Nicene Emperor Johannes Vatatzes in 1246, the rule of the Angeloi in Macedonia ended.

In 1230 Michael II , a son of Michael I, had taken power in Epirus and Thessaly . After his death (1271) his legitimate son Nikephorus I inherited Epirus, while Thessaly came to his illegitimate son John. In 1318 Nikola Orsini murdered Thomas Angelos , the son of Nikephoros and took power in Epirus himself. The last descendant of John died in Thessaly around the same time. The rule of the Angeloi ended there too.

Another branch of the family had sided with the Emperor of Nicaea in 1204. Various angeloi had mediocre careers in civil service and returned to Constantinople in 1261 when the Greeks were able to regain their ancient capital . Emperor Andronikos III. Palaiologos appointed John Angelos, who was one of his court officials, governor of Epirus in 1340. John died there of the plague in 1348 . Soon after, Epirus and Thessaly were conquered by the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan . Descendants of John were provincial governors of Thessaly in the service of the Serbs in the following decades.

After the Ottoman conquest of Thessaly in 1394, some Angeloi fled to Serbia. A Mihailo Anđelović served at the court of the despots Đurađ and Lazar Branković . Mihailo's brother Mahmud Pasha was captured by the Turks as a child and brought to Edirne, where he converted to Islam and took the name Mahmud. Later he reached the highest ranks in the Ottoman administration as Beylerbey of Rumelien (1451) and Grand Vizir (1455). In 1457 the Christian and the Muslim brother faced each other when they led negotiations for their rulers with the Serbian despot Lazar Branković and Sultan Mehmed II .

Family relationships

  1. Konstantin Angelos ⚭ Theodora Komnena, daughter of Emperor Alexios I.
    1. Andronikos Angelos
      1. Isaac II Angelos , Byzantine Emperor 1185–1195 and 1203–1204 ⚭ 1) Irene Komnene, daughter of Emperor Andronikos I , ⚭ 2) 1185 Margarete (* 1175), daughter of King Bela III. of Hungary
        1. Irene (1172–1208) ⚭ 1) 1191 Roger of Apulia († 1193) Hauteville , ⚭ 2) 1197 Philipp von Schwaben (around 1176–1208), German king ( Staufer )
        2. Alexios IV Angelos (1182–1204) Byzantine Emperor 1203
        3. Manuel Angelos († 1212)
        4. Theodora († 1246) ⚭ 1203 Leopold VI. , Duke of Austria and Styria
      2. Theodora ⚭ 1187, divorced 1187, Konrad Margrave of Montferrat (around 1146–1192)
      3. Alexios III Angelos , Byzantine Emperor 1195–1203
        1. Anna († 1212) ⚭ 1200 Theodor I. Laskaris , Emperor of Nicaea († 1222)
        2. Irene ⚭ 1200 Alexios Paleologos
        3. Eudokia ⚭ 1) 1195 Stefan Nemanjić , King of the Serbs (divorced), ⚭ 2) Alexios V. Dukas († 1204), ⚭ 3) Leon Sguros of Corinth († 1208)
    2. John Angelos
      1. Theodor I. Angelos († after 1254), despot of Epirus 1214, emperor of Thessalonike 1222–1230
        1. Johannes Angelos († 1244), Emperor of Thessalonike 1240–1243
        2. Irene Angelos Komnene ⚭ 1240 Iwan Assen II. († 1241), Tsar of the Bulgarians
        3. Demetrios Angelos , Emperor of Thessalonike 1244–1246
      2. Manuel Komnenos Dukas Angelos († 1241), Emperor of Thessalonike 1230–1240 ⚭ a daughter of Stefan Nemanjas , the Serbs ' major župan
      3. Michael I. Angelos (illegitimate, † 1214), despot of Epirus 1204–1214
        1. Michael II. Angelus (illegitimate)
          1. Nikephorus I. Angelos ⚭ Maria, daughter of Theodor II. Laskaris
            1. Thamar ⚭ Philip I of Taranto
          2. John I Angelus , called the bastard of Thessaly (illegitimate, † shortly before 1289), Lord of Thessaly , ⚭ Hypomone, daughter of the voivod Vlach Taronas
            1. Konstantin Dukas Angelos († 1303), Lord of Thessaly, ⚭ Anna Euagionissa
              1. John II Angelos Dukas († 1318), Lord of Thessaly, ⚭ Irene Palaiologina (illegitimate daughter of Emperor Andronikos II. )
            2. Michael Angelos
            3. Theodor Angelos († 1299), Lord of Thessaly
          3. Anna ⚭ Wilhelm II of Villehardouin
          4. Helena ⚭ Manfred of Sicily
          5. Demetrios Michael
      4. Constantine , Despot of Acarnania

Translated sources

  • Franz Grabler (Ed.): Historia. Adventurer on the imperial throne. The reign of Emperors Alexios II, Andronikos and Isaak Angelos (1180–1195) from the history of Niketas Choniates . Graz 1958.
  • Franz Grabler (Ed.): Historia. The crusaders conquer Constantinople. The reign of Emperors Alexios Angelos, Isaak Angelos and Alexios Dukas, the fate of the city after the capture and the "Book of the Statues" (1195–1206) from the history of Niketas Choniates. Graz 1958.

literature