Kontostephanos
Kontostephanos (
History
The progenitor of the family was Stephen, who served under Basil II (r. 976–1025) as Domestic of the Schools of the West, and was nicknamed "Kontostephanos" ("short Stephen") due to his height. Responsible to a large degree for Basil's humiliating defeat in the Battle of the Gates of Trajan against the Bulgarians, he was later involved in intrigues and beaten by the emperor.[1][3]
Apogee under the Komnenoi
The family then disappears until 1080, when Isaac Kontostephanos was captured by the
Isaac's son, the panhypersebastos Stephen Kontostephanos, married Anna Komnene, the second daughter of Emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–43). He became megas doux of the fleet and was killed at the siege of Corfu in 1149.[5] Another son, Andronikos, married Theodora, a daughter of Adrianos Komnenos, younger brother of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118). He led the campaign against Raymond of Antioch in 1144 and took part in the 1156 expedition to southern Italy.[6] Another son of Isaac, John, became megas doux under Isaac II Angelos in 1186,[7] while Alexios Kontostephanos, doux of Dyrrhachium in 1140, was probably also a son of Isaac.[7]
Andronikos had several children: the pansebastos sebastos John, attested in the synods of 1157 and 1166, Alexios, and at least two more anonymous children.[8] John in turn had three anonymous children mentioned in a monody by Constantine Manasses.[9] Andronikos' brother Alexios had a number of children, but only a son Andronikos, who married Irene, the firstborn daughter of Alexios III Angelos (r. 1195–1203), is known.[9] Isaac's other son, Stephen, had three sons, John, who was doux of Thessalonica in 1162,[10] Alexios, a military commander active in the wars of Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–80) in Hungary, and governor of Crete in 1167,[11] and Andronikos, likewise an eminent commander who became megas doux,[12] as well as a daughter, Irene, who married Nikephoros Bryennios.[13] This branch's descendants are better known: John's son Stephen was doux of Crete in 1193, and had a son John, known only from his seal.[14] Andronikos had five sons, whose names are unattested; their existence is only mentioned in passing during Andronikos' failed conspiracy against Andronikos I Komnenos in 1182. A grandson Andronikos, who died as a monk, is known from a brief inscription.[15]
Isaac's brother Stephen may have been the father of
Later family members
After the
A
References
- ^ a b c d e ODB, "Kontostephanos" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 1148–49.
- ISBN 978-1-4438-8462-4.
- ^ Varzos 1984a, pp. 295, 385.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984a, pp. 295, 380–381 (note 5).
- ^ Varzos 1984a, pp. 295, 380–388.
- ^ Varzos 1984a, pp. 291–294, 295.
- ^ a b c d Varzos 1984a, p. 295.
- ^ Varzos 1984a, p. 296.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984a, p. 297.
- ^ Varzos 1984b, pp. 218–222.
- ^ Varzos 1984b, pp. 222–248.
- ^ Varzos 1984b, pp. 249–293.
- ^ Varzos 1984b, pp. 294–297.
- ^ Varzos 1984a, pp. 297–298.
- ^ Varzos 1984a, pp. 298–299.
- ^ a b c Varzos 1984a, p. 299.
- ^ PLP, 13116. Κοντοστέφανος.
- ^ PLP, 13117. Κοντοστέφανος Γεώργιος.
- ^ PLP, 13118. Κοντοστέφανος, Δημήτριος Κομνηνός.
- ^ PLP, 13115. Κοντοστέφανος.
- ^ PLP, 13119. Κοντοστέφανος Διονύσιος.
- ^ PLP, 13120. Κοντοστέφανος ̓Ιωάννης.
- ^ PLP, 13121. Κοντοστέφανος Καβαλλάριος.
- ^ PLP, 13124. Κοντοστέφανος Νικόλαος.
- ^ PLP, 13123. Κοντοστέφανος Λαμπέρτος; 13125. Κοντοστέφανος Στηλλιο; 13126. Κοντοστέφανος Στυλιανός.
- ^ PLP, 13127. Κοντοστέφανος Φλαμούλης.
Sources
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Trapp, Erich; Beyer, Hans-Veit; Walther, Rainer; Sturm-Schnabl, Katja; Kislinger, Ewald; Leontiadis, Ioannis; Kaplaneres, Sokrates (1976–1996). ISBN 3-7001-3003-1.
- Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. A. Thessaloniki: OCLC 834784634.
- Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. B. Thessaloniki: OCLC 834784665.