Stephen Kontostephanos
Stephen Kontostephanos (Greek: Στέφανος Κοντοστέφανος, c. 1107 – 1149) was a Byzantine aristocrat and military commander.
Stephen was born in c. 1107, the son of the sebastos Isaac Kontostephanos,[1] a military commander for most of the reign of Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118), culminating in his unsuccessful service as admiral (thalassokrator) against the Italo-Normans in 1107/8.[2][3] He was the third member of the family to bear the name "Stephen" after the family's progenitor and a rather obscure paternal uncle.[4] In c. 1126, he married Anna, the second-born daughter of Emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–1143) and Irene of Hungary, and received the title panhypersebastos.[1] The couple had four children: the sons John, Alexios, and Andronikos, as well as a daughter, Irene, who married Nikephoros Bryennios.[5]
Stephen's career under John II is unknown, but he enjoyed the favour of John's youngest son and eventual successor,
In early 1148, Manuel launched a large campaign against
The court poet Theodore Prodromos and the so-called "Manganeios Prodromos" both describe him as a giant, whose own grave was too small to fit him, and laud his bravery and warlike achievements against the Normans, the Seljuk Turks, the Cumans and Pechenegs, and the Slavs of the western Balkans ("Illyrians and Dalmatians").[9] His wife survived him for several years, but it is unknown when she died; certainly it was before 1176.[10]
References
- ^ a b Varzos 1984, p. 380.
- ^ ODB, "Kontostephanos" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 1148–49.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 380–381 (note 5).
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 295, 380–381 (note 5).
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 388–389.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 382.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 382–385.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 385–387.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 387.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 388.
Sources
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. A. Thessaloniki: OCLC 834784634.