David Komnenos (Paphlagonia)

David Komnenos (* around 1184 in Constantinople ; † 1214 near Sinope ), son of Manuel Komnenos and von Rusudan, daughter of Giorgi III. of Georgia , was a grandson of the last Komnenen Emperor of Constantinople, Andronikos I.

Life

Together with his brother Alexios , David survived the uprising of 1185 and the cruel end of the emperor and his entire family. The brothers were able to flee to Georgia, where the famous Queen Tamara , a relative on their father's side, welcomed them. After the fall of the Komnenen in 1185 by the Angeloi , several governors and princes had made themselves independent in their domains.

With Georgian help, David and Alexios conquered the important trading city of Trebizond in April 1204, before the (second) conquest of Constantinople by the Latin crusaders . Alexios stayed in Trebizond. David moved further west from here and took Kerasunt , Oinaion , the old seat of his rebellious grandfather, Limnia , Amasyia and Sinop in Pontos, then the Paphlagonian Kastamon , the ancestral seat of the family, as well as Amastris , Kromna , Kytoros and Herakleia Pontike . An attempt to encroach on the possessions of Theodor Laskaris ended in the defeat of General Synadenus, who himself was taken prisoner.

In order to repel Laskari's counterattacks, David had to ally himself with the hated Latins, provide them with food and finally even recognize their supremacy over Herakleia Pontike and Paphlagonia. However, they are reluctant to support him and provide him with just 300 men. Thus the attack of David failed, who crossed the Sangarios with his troops, the Latins themselves were crushed by Andronikos Gidos . In 1208 David allied himself with Emperor Heinrich. This attacked Laskaris in Chalcedon, but then withdrew. Theodore then took Heraklea, Amastris and also Cytorus, making Sinop the westernmost possession of David.

In Trebizond, David's brother rose as Alexios I under the Rumeljuk protectorate to become the Grand Comnenian counter-emperor. Sinopes hinterland was conquered by the Seljuks , the entire rest of the kingdom of David fell to the Laskarids of Nikaia , who also defeated the Seljuks in 1211. David fell in 1214 while defending Sinop against the Rum Seljuks . Alexios had rushed to the rescue from Trebizond and was able to terrify Sinop, but came too late to save his brother and finally had to submit to the Sultan.

swell

• Niketas Choniates 626; 639-640 (ed. Jan-Louis van Dieten, CFHB Vol. 11, 1975)
• Michael Panaretos 1

literature

• Ian Booth: Theodore Laskaris and Paphlagonia, 1204-1214; towards a chronological description . In: Archeion Pontou . 2003/4, pp. 151-224.
• Jean-Claude Cheynet: Pouvoir et contestations à Byzance (963-1210) (= Publications de la Sorbonne. Series Byzantina Sorbonensia. Vol. 9). Reimpression. Publications de la Sorbonne Center de Recherches d'Histoire et de Civilization Byzantines, Paris 1996, ISBN 2-85944-168-5 , p. 149 No. 212.
• JP Fallmerayer: History of the Empire of Trebizond . Munich 1827.
• Alexios G. Savvides, Benjamin Hendrickx (Eds.): Encyclopaedic Prosopographical Lexicon of Byzantine History and Civilization . Vol. 2: Baanes-Eznik of Kolb . Brepols Publishers, Turnhout 2008, ISBN 978-2-503-52377-4 , p. 314.

Web links

• David Komnenos on Medieval Lands