Alexios Apokaukos
Encyclopedia
Alexios Apokaukos (died 1345) was a leading Byzantine
statesman and high-ranking military officer (megas doux
) during the reigns of emperors Andronikos III Palaiologos
and John V Palaiologos
. Although he owed his rise to high state offices to the patronage of John VI Kantakouzenos
, he became, together with Patriarch John XIV Kalekas
, one of the leaders of the faction supporting Emperor John V in the civil war of 1341–1347
against his one-time benefactor.
of the themes. He rose in the bureaucratic hierarchy until, in 1321, he was appointed the imperial parakoimōmenos
(chamberlain). His position made him useful to John Kantakouzenos, who included him in a conspiracy, together with Syrgiannes Palaiologos and the prōtostratōr
Theodore Synadenos, which aimed to depose the aging Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
in favour of his grandson Andronikos III. Under the threat of war, the Emperor surrendered Thrace and some districts in Macedonia to the rule of his grandson. When Andronikos III became sole emperor in 1328, Alexios was awarded with the positions that Kantakouzenos himself had formerly held: head of the imperial secretariat (mesazōn
) and finance minister. These positions allowed him to amass a considerable personal fortune, which he used to construct a personal refuge, a fortified tower-house at the site of Epibatai near Selymbria, at the coast of the Sea of Marmara
.
Until the sudden death of Andronikos III in June 1341, Alexios remained ostensibly loyal to his patron Kantakouzenos. He was rewarded, shortly before Andronikos' death, with the high office of megas doux
, giving him the high command over the Byzantine navy
.
and Thrace
, and those who rallied around Andronikos' widow, Anna of Savoy
, who was the regent for the infant John V. Kantakouzenos could easily have claimed the throne for himself based on his close association with the deceased emperor, but he preferred to uphold the rights of John V. This refusal emboldened his opponents, and Apokaukos, who had urged Kantakouzenos to seize the throne in hopes of his own advancement, switched definitively over to the regency's side. As soon as Kantakouzenos left Constantinople
in July 1341 to campaign against the Empire's enemies who were assaulting it, Apokaukos made his first moves. Although as commander of the fleet it was his duty to guard the Dardanelles
against any attempt by Turks to cross into Europe, he deliberately allowed this to happen in order to cause disruption in Thrace. Apokaukos also tried to kidnap the young John V, but failed and was forced to flee to his house at Epibatai. However, when Kantakouzenos returned victorious to the capital, instead of depriving Apokaukos of his offices, and against the counsel of his friends, he pardoned his protégé. Apokaukos put on an exaggerated display of deference to Kantakouzenos, who allowed him to resume his offices and return to Constantinople, while Kantakouzenos left on yet another campaign.
Once back in the city however, Apokaukos began to form a conspiracy against Kantakouzenos. He approached the Patriarch John Kalekas and warned him that Kantakouzenos intended to replace him, while at the same time convincing the Empress Anna that Kantakouzenos was plotting against her and her son. Soon, the faction that had formed around Apokaukos seized power. Kantakouzenos' family and friends were imprisoned (Kantakouzenos' mother Theodora would eventually die in prison), the Patriarch was declared regent, while Anna named Apokaukos as urban prefect (eparchos) of Constantinople.
Kantakouzenos responded by having himself declared emperor at Didymoteicho
in October 1341, while his opponents followed with the coronation of John V in November. The two coronations finalized the split, and ushered in a civil war that would embroil the Byzantine Empire and all of its neighbours until 1347 with Kantakouzenos' victory. In its course it would devastate the remaining imperial possessions, and create a deep rift in Byzantine society: the aristocracy and the propertied classes generally supported Kantakouzenos, while the lower and middle classes, primarily urban, as well as the merchants and sailors, supported Apokaukos and the regency. This gave the dynastic dispute and civil war strong social overtones: during the war, the excessive wealth and perceived indifference of Kantakouzenos and the aristocracy towards the common people became a standard fixture of Apokaukos' propaganda. In addition, the conflict acquired religious significance as well: the Hesychast controversy
divided the pious Byzantines, and, despite some important exceptions, the supporters of Hesychasm also supported Kantakouzenos. According to the historian Angeliki Laiou
, Apokaukos can also be seen as the exponent of a radical change in the nature and direction of the Byzantine state: in place of the old, agricultural empire, run by a land-based aristocracy, he seems to have favored a commercial, maritime and likely westward-looking state, in emulation of the Italian maritime republics.
A few days after Kantakouzenos' coronation, the inhabitants of Adrianople rebelled against the aristocracy and declared themselves for the regency, with Apokaukos sending his younger son Manuel to become the city's governor. In a similar development in 1342, Thessalonica, the Empire's second-largest city, was seized by a group known as the "Zealots". Their anti-aristocratic beliefs made them enemies of "Kantakouzenism", and earned them the support of the regency. Apokaukos himself arrived with a fleet of 70 ships to aid them, and appointed his elder son John as the city's governor, although the latter's authority would remain only nominal.
In the first years of the war, the tide was in favour of the regency, until, in the summer of 1342, Kantakouzenos was forced to flee to the court of Stefan Dušan
of Serbia. However, from 1343 onwards, with the aid of his friend, Umur Beg of Aydin, Kantakouzenos began to reverse the situation. With the initial support of Stefan Dušan, Kantakouzenos regained much of Macedonia, and despite his failure to take Thessalonica, his Turkish allies enabled him to return to his old stronghold of Didymoteicho in Thrace. Gradually, Apokaukos' supporters abandoned him, including his son Manuel, who deserted his post at Adrianople and went over to the Kantakouzenos camp.
In early 1345, Apokaukos and Kalekas rejected offers of reconciliation conveyed by two Franciscan
monks. Trying to bolster his waning power, Apokaukos began a series of proscription
s in the capital, and even ordered a new prison constructed for political prisoners. On 11 June 1345, Apokaukos suddenly decided to inspect the new prison, without being escorted by his bodyguard. The prisoners immediately rose up and lynched
him, and his head was severed and stuck on a pole. The prisoners believed that by getting rid of the hated Apokaukos, they would be rewarded by the Empress Anna
. She however was so shocked and dismayed at the loss of her principal minister, that she gave Apokaukos' supporters, who were joined by the Gasmouloi
, the fleet's marines, free rein to avenge their leader's death. As a result, all prisoners, some 200 in total, were massacred, even though some attempted to seek refuge in a nearby monastery. Although the death of Apokaukos did not bring about the immediate collapse of the regency, it removed the main instigator of the civil war and one of its chief protagonists, and resulted in dissension and defections in the regency's camp. As such, it marked the beginning of the war's end, which would come with Kantakouzenos' entry into Constantinople on 3 February 1347.
, and the second, whom he married sometime around 1341, the cousin of the megas stratopedarchēs (quartermaster general) Georgios Choumnos. His first marriage produced three children and his second two:
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
statesman and high-ranking military officer (megas doux
Megas Doux
The megas doux was one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of the later Byzantine Empire, denoting the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy. It is sometimes also given by the half-Latinizations megaduke or megadux...
) during the reigns of emperors Andronikos III Palaiologos
Andronikos III Palaiologos
Andronikos III Palaiologos, Latinized as Andronicus III Palaeologus was Byzantine emperor from 1328 to 1341, after being rival emperor since 1321. Andronikos III was the son of Michael IX Palaiologos and Rita of Armenia...
and John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
. Although he owed his rise to high state offices to the patronage of John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was the Byzantine emperor from 1347 to 1354.-Early life:Born in Constantinople, John Kantakouzenos was the son of a Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea. Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was a descendant of the reigning house of...
, he became, together with Patriarch John XIV Kalekas
Patriarch John XIV of Constantinople
John XIV, surnamed Kalekas was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1334 to 1347. He was an anti-hesychast and opponent of Gregory Palamas. He was an active participant in the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 as a member of the regency for John V Palaiologos, against John VI...
, one of the leaders of the faction supporting Emperor John V in the civil war of 1341–1347
Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 was a conflict between supporters of designated regent John VI Kantakouzenos and guardians acting for John V Palaiologos, Emperor Andronikos III's nine-year-old son, in the persons of the Empress-dowager Anna of Savoy, the Patriarch of Constantinople John XIV...
against his one-time benefactor.
Early life
Alexios was of humble origin, and was initially employed as a scribe in the service of the domestikosDomestikos
Domestikos , in English sometimes [the] Domestic, was a civil, ecclesiastic and military office in the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire.-Military usage:...
of the themes. He rose in the bureaucratic hierarchy until, in 1321, he was appointed the imperial parakoimōmenos
Parakoimomenos
The parakoimōmenos was a Byzantine court position, usually reserved for eunuchs. Many of its holders, especially in the 9th and 10th centuries, functioned as the Byzantine Empire's chief ministers.-History and functions:...
(chamberlain). His position made him useful to John Kantakouzenos, who included him in a conspiracy, together with Syrgiannes Palaiologos and the prōtostratōr
Protostrator
Prōtostratōr was a Byzantine court office, originating as the imperial stable master, which in the last centuries of the Empire evolved into one of the senior military offices...
Theodore Synadenos, which aimed to depose the aging Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos , Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, was Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. He was the eldest surviving son of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, grandniece of John III Doukas Vatatzes...
in favour of his grandson Andronikos III. Under the threat of war, the Emperor surrendered Thrace and some districts in Macedonia to the rule of his grandson. When Andronikos III became sole emperor in 1328, Alexios was awarded with the positions that Kantakouzenos himself had formerly held: head of the imperial secretariat (mesazōn
Mesazon
The mesazōn was a high dignitary and official during the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire, who acted as the chief minister and principal aide of the Emperor.- History and functions :...
) and finance minister. These positions allowed him to amass a considerable personal fortune, which he used to construct a personal refuge, a fortified tower-house at the site of Epibatai near Selymbria, at the coast of the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
.
Until the sudden death of Andronikos III in June 1341, Alexios remained ostensibly loyal to his patron Kantakouzenos. He was rewarded, shortly before Andronikos' death, with the high office of megas doux
Megas Doux
The megas doux was one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of the later Byzantine Empire, denoting the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy. It is sometimes also given by the half-Latinizations megaduke or megadux...
, giving him the high command over the Byzantine navy
Byzantine navy
The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defense and survival of the state then its earlier iterations...
.
Civil war
Upon Andronikos' death, two factions emerged at court: the supporters of Kantakouzenos, chiefly provincial magnates from MacedoniaMacedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, and those who rallied around Andronikos' widow, Anna of Savoy
Anna of Savoy
Anna of Savoy, born Giovanna, was a Byzantine Empress consort, as the second wife of Andronikos III Palaiologos.-Family:She was a daughter of Amadeus V, Count of Savoy and his second wife Maria of Brabant. Her maternal grandparents were John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders...
, who was the regent for the infant John V. Kantakouzenos could easily have claimed the throne for himself based on his close association with the deceased emperor, but he preferred to uphold the rights of John V. This refusal emboldened his opponents, and Apokaukos, who had urged Kantakouzenos to seize the throne in hopes of his own advancement, switched definitively over to the regency's side. As soon as Kantakouzenos left Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in July 1341 to campaign against the Empire's enemies who were assaulting it, Apokaukos made his first moves. Although as commander of the fleet it was his duty to guard the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
against any attempt by Turks to cross into Europe, he deliberately allowed this to happen in order to cause disruption in Thrace. Apokaukos also tried to kidnap the young John V, but failed and was forced to flee to his house at Epibatai. However, when Kantakouzenos returned victorious to the capital, instead of depriving Apokaukos of his offices, and against the counsel of his friends, he pardoned his protégé. Apokaukos put on an exaggerated display of deference to Kantakouzenos, who allowed him to resume his offices and return to Constantinople, while Kantakouzenos left on yet another campaign.
Kantakouzenos responded by having himself declared emperor at Didymoteicho
Didymoteicho
Didymóteicho is a town located in the eastern part of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace, Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town sits on a plain and located south east of Svilengrad, south of Edirne, Turkey and Orestiada, west of Uzunköprü, about 20 km north...
in October 1341, while his opponents followed with the coronation of John V in November. The two coronations finalized the split, and ushered in a civil war that would embroil the Byzantine Empire and all of its neighbours until 1347 with Kantakouzenos' victory. In its course it would devastate the remaining imperial possessions, and create a deep rift in Byzantine society: the aristocracy and the propertied classes generally supported Kantakouzenos, while the lower and middle classes, primarily urban, as well as the merchants and sailors, supported Apokaukos and the regency. This gave the dynastic dispute and civil war strong social overtones: during the war, the excessive wealth and perceived indifference of Kantakouzenos and the aristocracy towards the common people became a standard fixture of Apokaukos' propaganda. In addition, the conflict acquired religious significance as well: the Hesychast controversy
Hesychasm
Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches, such as the Byzantine Rite, practised by the Hesychast Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches,...
divided the pious Byzantines, and, despite some important exceptions, the supporters of Hesychasm also supported Kantakouzenos. According to the historian Angeliki Laiou
Angeliki Laiou
- Life :Laiou was born in Athens on 6 April 1941 to a Pontic family, refugees from the Black Sea coast of modern Turkey. She studied at the Athens College and continued her studies in the Philosophy School of the University of Athens , where she studied under the Greek Byzantinist Dionysios...
, Apokaukos can also be seen as the exponent of a radical change in the nature and direction of the Byzantine state: in place of the old, agricultural empire, run by a land-based aristocracy, he seems to have favored a commercial, maritime and likely westward-looking state, in emulation of the Italian maritime republics.
A few days after Kantakouzenos' coronation, the inhabitants of Adrianople rebelled against the aristocracy and declared themselves for the regency, with Apokaukos sending his younger son Manuel to become the city's governor. In a similar development in 1342, Thessalonica, the Empire's second-largest city, was seized by a group known as the "Zealots". Their anti-aristocratic beliefs made them enemies of "Kantakouzenism", and earned them the support of the regency. Apokaukos himself arrived with a fleet of 70 ships to aid them, and appointed his elder son John as the city's governor, although the latter's authority would remain only nominal.
In the first years of the war, the tide was in favour of the regency, until, in the summer of 1342, Kantakouzenos was forced to flee to the court of Stefan Dušan
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia
Stephen Uroš IV Dušan the Mighty , was the King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks until his death on 20 December 1355. Dušan managed to conquer a large part of Southeast Europe, becoming one of the most powerful monarchs in his time...
of Serbia. However, from 1343 onwards, with the aid of his friend, Umur Beg of Aydin, Kantakouzenos began to reverse the situation. With the initial support of Stefan Dušan, Kantakouzenos regained much of Macedonia, and despite his failure to take Thessalonica, his Turkish allies enabled him to return to his old stronghold of Didymoteicho in Thrace. Gradually, Apokaukos' supporters abandoned him, including his son Manuel, who deserted his post at Adrianople and went over to the Kantakouzenos camp.
In early 1345, Apokaukos and Kalekas rejected offers of reconciliation conveyed by two Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monks. Trying to bolster his waning power, Apokaukos began a series of proscription
Proscription
Proscription is a term used for the public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state. It is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a "decree of condemnation to death or banishment" and is a heavily politically charged word, frequently used to refer to state-approved...
s in the capital, and even ordered a new prison constructed for political prisoners. On 11 June 1345, Apokaukos suddenly decided to inspect the new prison, without being escorted by his bodyguard. The prisoners immediately rose up and lynched
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
him, and his head was severed and stuck on a pole. The prisoners believed that by getting rid of the hated Apokaukos, they would be rewarded by the Empress Anna
Anna of Savoy
Anna of Savoy, born Giovanna, was a Byzantine Empress consort, as the second wife of Andronikos III Palaiologos.-Family:She was a daughter of Amadeus V, Count of Savoy and his second wife Maria of Brabant. Her maternal grandparents were John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders...
. She however was so shocked and dismayed at the loss of her principal minister, that she gave Apokaukos' supporters, who were joined by the Gasmouloi
Gasmouloi
The Gasmouloi or Vasmouloi were the descendants of mixed Byzantine Greek and "Latin" unions during the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire...
, the fleet's marines, free rein to avenge their leader's death. As a result, all prisoners, some 200 in total, were massacred, even though some attempted to seek refuge in a nearby monastery. Although the death of Apokaukos did not bring about the immediate collapse of the regency, it removed the main instigator of the civil war and one of its chief protagonists, and resulted in dissension and defections in the regency's camp. As such, it marked the beginning of the war's end, which would come with Kantakouzenos' entry into Constantinople on 3 February 1347.
Family
Alexios Apokaukos had two brothers, John and Nikephoros, who are mentioned by John Kantakouzenos' chronicle in a passage dated to 1362, although nothing else is known of them. Alexios himself married twice. His first wife was the daughter of a minor noble with the title of dishypatosDishypatos
Dishypatos, Latinized as dishypatus , was a Byzantine honorary dignity in the 9th-11th centuries. From then on, and especially during the Palaiologan period, it is attested as a family name....
, and the second, whom he married sometime around 1341, the cousin of the megas stratopedarchēs (quartermaster general) Georgios Choumnos. His first marriage produced three children and his second two:
- John Apokaukos, nominal governor of Thessalonica, he was murdered there in July 1345, after his father's death
- Manuel Apokaukos, governor of Adrianople in 1342, defected to Kantakouzenos in 1344
- unnamed daughter, who married first the prōtostratōr Andronikos Palaiologos. After he drowned in 1344, she re-married the sebastokratōrSebastokratorSebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
John Asan. - unnamed daughter, married (in 1341) the son of Patriarch John Kalekas.
- unnamed daughter, married (in 1341) the son of one of Empress Anna's Latin maids.