John Doukas Komnenos
John Doukas Komnenos | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1126 |
| Died | 1176 |
| Noble family | Komnenos |
| Spouse(s) | Taronitissa |
| Issue |
|
| Father | Andronikos Komnenos |
| Mother | Irene |
John Doukas Komnenos (1126 – September 1176) was a son of Andronikos Komnenos.[1] Through his father, he was a grandson of Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos. He was doux (military governor) of Cyprus from 1155 until his death.
Life
[edit]Born in 1126 as the oldest child of the sebastokrator Andronikos Komnenos and his wife Irene, John became orphaned when his father died in 1142.[2] John then came under the protection of his uncle, Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180),[3] to whom he remained close throughout his life: in his palatial residence in Constantinople, where he commissioned mosaics depicting the martial deeds of the emperors of the Komnenian dynasty, an inscription lauded Manuel as his "spiritual father" and even a "second god".[4] In his youth he was lauded for his beauty, his pale complexion and blond hair.[2]
John is first mentioned on campaign in 1146, against the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum.[5] In 1148 John took part in a tournament in the Western style held at Heraclea, where he was wounded and lost an eye to the lance strike of an Italian knight. As a recompense, Emperor Manuel I gave him the high rank of protosebastos and appointed him to the office of protovestiarios. This provoked the envy and enmity of the future Andronikos I Komnenos.[5] This rivalry deepened in the following years, as Andronikos became the lover of John's younger sister, Eudokia,[6] and as a result of a public quarrel in 1154; in the same year, John accused his cousin of intending to assassinate Emperor Manuel,[7] while Andronikos openly proclaimed that he wanted to "cut the head of my biggest enemy", meaning John. This statement led Emperor Manuel to imprison Andronikos.[8]
John fought in the Byzantine–Hungarian wars in 1150, winning a victory against a Hungarian detachment near the Strymon river. It may be during this campaign that he received a wound to the thigh, and lost the little finger of his left hand.[6] In 1151, John was doux (military governor) of Sardica (modern Sofia, Bulgaria),[6] was doux of Naissus (modern Nish, Serbia) c. 1154/5, and then governor of Cyprus in 1155.[8]
In 1156, Cyprus was attacked by Raynald of Châtillon and Thoros II, Prince of Armenia; Thoros and Raynald both conducted widespread plundering of the island:[9] the Franks and Armenians marched up and down the island robbing and pillaging every building that they saw, churches and convents as well as shops and private houses.[citation needed] The crops were burnt; the herds were rounded up, together with all the population, and driven down to the coast.[10] John opposed the attack but was captured by Raynald and Thoros and was taken prisoner to Antioch.[11]
The nightmare lasted about three weeks; then, on the rumour of an imperial fleet in the offing, Raynald gave the order for re-embarkation. The ships were loaded up with booty; and every Cypriot was forced to ransom himself.[12]
John was released, since in May 1157 he took part in a church council in the Palace of Blachernae.[13]
He took part in the Battle of Myriokephalon under Manuel I. The Byzantines were defeated and John Doukas was killed during the battle, shortly after 17 September 1176.[14]
Family
[edit]John Doukas was married around 1146 to a woman from the Taronites family, whose first name is unknown. She likely was a descendant of Maria Komnene, sister of Alexios I Komnenos, and Michael Taronites.[15] The couple had several daughters and at least one son, but not all of them are known by name:[16]
- Maria (c. 1154 – 1208/1217), married firstly to Amalric I of Jerusalem; from this marriage she had a daughter, the future Isabella I of Jerusalem and then married secondly to Balian of Ibelin, amongst the children produced from this marriage was John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut.
- Alexios Komnenos, led a rebellion against Andronikos I Komnenos, but was captured, blinded and imprisoned,[17] died unmarried in 1187.
- (probably) Theodora (fl. 1140) wife of Bohemond III, prince of Antioch.
References
[edit]- ^ Niketas Choniates, Liber III Rerum a Manuele Comneno Gestarum, 2, p. 135.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984, pp. 142–143.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 143, 145.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 145.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984, p. 146.
- ^ a b c Varzos 1984, p. 147.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 148.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984, p. 149.
- ^ Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187.
- ^ A History of Armenia
- ^ Runciman (1978), Vol. 2, pp. 347-8.
- ^ Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 151.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 154.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 143.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Niketas Choniates, Imperiii Andronici Comneni, Liber 1, 8, p. 384.
Sources
[edit]- Runciman, Steven (1952). A History of the Crusades, Volume II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. B. Thessaloniki: Centre for Byzantine Studies, University of Thessaloniki. OCLC 834784665.