Andronikos Asen
Encyclopedia
Andronikos Asen was the epitropos ("steward, overseer") of the Byzantine
province of the Morea
between 1316 and 1322.
n Tsar Ivan Asen III
and Irene, who was the sister of Byzantine
emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
. His father and mother escaped to Byzantine territory during the uprising of Ivaylo
in 1280. After Michael Kantakouzenos
' death in 1316, Andronikos II gave Andronikos Asen the position of epitropos of the small Byzantine province in the south-eastern part of the Morea
.
Kantakouzenos had already managed to consolidate the province, and enjoyed some success against the Frankish Principality of Achaea
in the north. Asen continued in the same line, and taking advantage of internal strife in Achaea, he conquered much territory in the central Morea. In 1320, he took the castles of Akova
, Karytaina
and St. George, and defeated a Frankish army near the latter fort in September.
He was an ancestor of later Byzantine emperors, as his granddaughter, Helena, married John V Palaiologos
, whose descendants later became Byzantine emperors.
Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes
and his wife Maria Doukaina Komnene Palaiologina Branaina.
The last names of her mother indicate descent from the families Doukas
, Komnenos
and Palaiologos
who each produced several Byzantine Emperors. Her last name however indicates being a member of the Branas family which produced military leaders like Alexios Branas
and Theodore Branas
, but whose genealogy is poorly recorded.
They had at least four children:
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
province of the Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
between 1316 and 1322.
Life
Andronikos Asen was the son of BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n Tsar Ivan Asen III
Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria
Ivan Asen III , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Irene of Thessalonica...
and Irene, who was the sister of Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
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...
. His father and mother escaped to Byzantine territory during the uprising of Ivaylo
Ivaylo of Bulgaria
Ivaylo, also spelled Ivailo, , nicknamed Bardokva or Lakhanas in Greek, was a rebel leader and emperor of Bulgaria. In 1277, he spearheaded a peasant uprising, and forced the nobles to accept him as emperor...
in 1280. After Michael Kantakouzenos
Michael Kantakouzenos
Michael Kantakouzenos was the first epitropos of the Byzantine province of the Morea, a position he held from 1308 till his death in 1316.-Despot:...
' death in 1316, Andronikos II gave Andronikos Asen the position of epitropos of the small Byzantine province in the south-eastern part of the Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
.
Kantakouzenos had already managed to consolidate the province, and enjoyed some success against the Frankish Principality of Achaea
Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
in the north. Asen continued in the same line, and taking advantage of internal strife in Achaea, he conquered much territory in the central Morea. In 1320, he took the castles of Akova
Akova
Akova is a settlement in the community and municipal unit of Argos, Greece. Akova is 4 km west of downtown Argos. There are an Agia Triada church and a rest area for those hikking around Larissa mountain.-Historical population:-Other:...
, Karytaina
Karytaina
Karytaina is a village in Arcadia, Greece. It was the seat of the former municipality Gortyna. Karytaina had a 2001 population of 204 for the village and 257 for the municipal district...
and St. George, and defeated a Frankish army near the latter fort in September.
He was an ancestor of later Byzantine emperors, as his granddaughter, Helena, married John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
, whose descendants later became Byzantine emperors.
Family
Andronikos married a certain Tarchaneiotissa, whose first name is not known. She was a daughter of protostratorProtostrator
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...
Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes
Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes
Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes or Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas was a notable Byzantine aristocrat and general.- Life :He is first mentioned in ca. 1260, when he was assigned to capture the city of Mesembria on the Black Sea coast from the deposed Bulgarian tsar Mitso Asen...
and his wife Maria Doukaina Komnene Palaiologina Branaina.
The last names of her mother indicate descent from the families Doukas
Doukas
Doukas, latinized as Ducas , from the Latin tile dux , is the name of a Byzantine Greek noble family, whose branches provided several notable generals and rulers to the Byzantine Empire...
, Komnenos
Komnenos
Komnenós or Comnenus was the name of a ruling family of the Eastern Roman Empire , who halted the political decline of the Empire from c.1081 to c.1185.-Origins:...
and Palaiologos
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
who each produced several Byzantine Emperors. Her last name however indicates being a member of the Branas family which produced military leaders like Alexios Branas
Alexios Branas
Alexios Branas or Vranas was a Byzantine nobleman and military leader of the late 12th century.Alexios Branas was doubly linked to the imperial Komnenos family. He was the son of Michael Branas and of Maria Komnene, who was the great-niece of Alexios I Komnenos...
and Theodore Branas
Theodore Branas
Theodore Branas or Vranas was a general under the Byzantine Empire and afterwards under the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He is called Li Vernas by western chroniclers of the Fourth Crusade, including Geoffroi de Villehardouin....
, but whose genealogy is poorly recorded.
They had at least four children:
- Manuel Komnenos Raoul Asanes. A military commander. Later strategosStrategosStrategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
in DidymoteichoDidymoteichoDidymóteicho 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...
(1342) and Governor of BizyeVizeVize is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Selçuk Yılmaz . The population is 12,196 as of 2010.- History :...
(1344). Married Anna Komnene Doukaina Palaiologina Synadene. She was a daughter of Theodore Komnenos Doukas Synadenos Palaiologos and Eudokia Muzakiaina. - John Asen. A military commander. Governor of Melenikon (1342) and Morrha (1343). Married a daughter of Alexios ApokaukosAlexios ApokaukosAlexios Apokaukos was a leading Byzantine statesman and high-ranking military officer during the reigns of emperors Andronikos III Palaiologos and John V Palaiologos...
and an unnamed daughter of Disypatos. - Irene AsaninaIrene AsaninaIrene Asanina was the Empress consort of John VI Kantakouzenos of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Asanina was a daughter of Andronikos Asen and his wife Tarchanaiotissa.Her paternal grandparents were Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria and Irene Palaiologina...
. Married John VI KantakouzenosJohn VI KantakouzenosJohn 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...
. - Helene Asanina. A daughter considered to have died young.
Sources
- Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantische Geschichte 324–1453
External links
- His listing alongside his father and siblings in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley. The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments."