Syrgiannes Palaeologos
Encyclopedia
Syrgiannes Palaiologos Philanthropenos was a Byzantine
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...

 aristocrat and general of mixed Cuman
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...

 and Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 descent, who was involved in the civil war
Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328
The Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328 was a series of conflicts fought in the 1320s between the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and his grandson Andronikos III Palaiologos over control of the Byzantine Empire.-Prelude to the civil war:...

 between 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...

 (r. 1282–1328) and his grandson Andronikos III
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...

 (r. 1328–1341). Loyal only to himself and his own ambitions, he switched sides several times, and ended up conquering much of Macedonia for the Serbian ruler 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...

 before being assassinated by the Byzantines.

Family origins and early career

Syrgiannes was born about 1290. He was named after his father or possibly grandfather, a Cuman leader who was settled in the Empire, along with many others of his tribe, during the reign of John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes |Nymphaion]]) was emperor of Nicaea 1221–1254.-Life:John Doukas Vatatzes was probably the son of the general Basileios Vatatzes, Duke of Thrace, who died in 1193, and his wife, an unnamed daughter of Isaakios Angelos and cousin of the Emperors...

 (r. 1221–1254). The elder Syrgiannes' original name was Sytzigan (from Cuman-Turkic Sïčğan, "mouse"); it was hellenized to Syrgiannes ("master John") when he was baptized. The elder Syrgiannes rose in the hierarchy of the Byzantine army
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...

, eventually reaching the supreme rank of megas domestikos. The younger Syrgiannes' mother was Eugenia Palaiologina, a member of the ruling 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,...

 family and niece of the emperor Michael VIII (r. 1259–1282). Conscious of the prestige of his mother's family name, young Syrgiannes chose to use that in order to advance himself in the imperial hierarchy. Syrgiannes also had a sister, Theodora, who married Guy de Lusignan, later King of Armenian Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...

 as Constantine II. Syrgiannes makes his appearance in history in 1315, when he was placed as military governor of a Macedonia
Macedonia (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...

n province near the Serbian border. Despite the existing treaties, and against his instructions, he resolved to attack both Serbia and Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...

. Relieved of his post, he rebelled, was captured and imprisoned. Sometime before 1320 however he was eventually pardoned and appointed to a command in 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...

.

Support of Andronikos III

In 1320, following the death of Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos or Palaeologus , , reigned as Byzantine co-emperor with full imperial style 1294/1295–1320...

 (eldest son of Andronikos II and co-emperor from 1295 on), his son Andronikos III was crowned as co-emperor by Andronikos II. Although initially popular with his grandfather, the younger Andronikos and his entourage of young nobles, to which Syrgiannes belonged, had by that time caused the elder emperor's displeasure by their extravagance. Their excesses culminated in the mistaken-identity murder of the young emperor's younger brother, Manuel; enraged, the elder Andronikos annulled his grandson's titles, and a deep personal rift was opened between the two.

At that time, Syrgiannes and John 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...

 bought for themselves governorships in 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...

, where discontent with the old emperor was rife, and they quickly mobilized support for the younger Andronikos. Together with Alexios Apokaukos
Alexios Apokaukos
Alexios Apokaukos was a leading Byzantine statesman and high-ranking military officer during the reigns of emperors Andronikos III Palaiologos and John V Palaiologos...

 and Theodore Synadenos, they prepared to overthrow the aged Andronikos II in favour of his grandson. In Easter 1321, the younger Andronikos came to Adrianople, and the uprising broke out. Syrgiannes led a large army towards the capital, forcing the old emperor to negotiate. Consequently, on 6 June 1321, an agreement was reached which partitioned the empire. Young Andronikos III was recognized as co-emperor and given Thrace to govern as a quasi-appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...

, setting up his court at Adrianople, while Andronikos II continued to rule from the capital, 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:...

, as senior emperor.

Syrgiannes was dissatisfied with the new arrangements, feeling that he had not been sufficiently rewarded for his support of Andronikos III. He also resented the greater favour shown by the young emperor to Kantakouzenos, and developed a fierce rivalry with the latter. Furthermore, chroniclers also report a story whereby Andronikos III attempted to seduce Syrgiannes' wife. In December 1321 Syrgiannes switched sides, fleeing to Constantinople. Rewarded with the lofty title 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...

, he convinced Andronikos II to resume the war against his grandson. In July 1322 however, another agreement was reached between the two Andronikoi, which left Syrgiannes in an awkward position. His own schemes having failed, he began plotting to murder the aged Andronikos II and seize the throne for himself. The plot was foiled however, and Syrgiannes was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Governorship in Macedonia, defection to the Serbs and death

In 1328, Andronikos III finally overthrew his grandfather and established himself as sole emperor. Syrgiannes was freed, and was able to restore himself to Andronikos' favour, to the extent that in late 1329 he was entrusted with the important governorship of Thessalonica, the Empire's second-largest city, and of western Macedonia and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

. There, he was again suspected of plotting against Kantakouzenos, this time with the emperor's mother, Empress Maria
Rita of Armenia
Rita of Armenia was a daughter of King Levon II of Armenia and Queen Keran. She was the wife of Byzantine co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos, making her a junior empress-consort of the Byzantine Empire. In 1317, she became the only empress upon the death of the senior empress, Irene of Montferrat...

. She lived in Thessalonica, and was supposed to keep an eye on Syrgiannes; instead, she became so infatuated with him that she had him adopted. Following the death of the Empress in late 1333 the plot was uncovered, and Syrgiannes was arrested and brought to Constantinople to face charges of treason. Syrgiannes however managed to escape and flee to the court of the Serbian ruler 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...

.

Dušan put Syrgiannes at the head of a large Serbian force, with which he invaded Byzantine Macedonia in 1334. Syrgiannes' abilities as a general, his knowledge of the Byzantine army's dispositions and the friendships he had maintained with several local Byzantine officers resulted in the swift capture of many important Byzantine cities, including Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...

, Prilep
Prilep
Prilep is the fourth largest city in the Republic of Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 citizens. Prilep is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.-Name:...

, Strumica
Strumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...

, and Kastoria
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...

. The road was open for an advance towards Thessalonica, and Syrgiannes' army encamped before the walls of the city, facing a Byzantine relief force. Both sides remained encamped confronting each other for several days, but on 23 August 1334, Syrgiannes was lured away from his camp with only a few retainers and murdered by Sphrantzes Palaiologos, a Byzantine general who had defected on purpose to the Serbian camp a few days earlier. With the loss of their principal military leader, the Serbs settled for a negotiated peace with the Byzantines, which however was very advantageous for them as they were left in possession of most of the cities won by Syrgiannes in northern Macedonia.

Appraisal

Syrgiannes' ambition, inveterate plotting and multiple betrayals made him one of the darkest figures of the era in the eyes of both contemporary and later historians: thus Nikephoros Gregoras compared his flight to Serbia with Themistocles
Themistocles
Themistocles ; c. 524–459 BC, was an Athenian politician and a general. He was one of a new breed of politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy, along with his great rival Aristides...

' flight to the Persians, Donald Nicol
Donald Nicol
Donald MacGillivray Nicol FBA, MRIA was a British Byzantinist.- Life :Nicol was born to a Church of Scotland minister, and received a classical education at King Edward VII School in Sheffield and St Paul's School in London...

 likened him to Alcibiades
Alcibiades
Alcibiades, son of Clinias, from the deme of Scambonidae , was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War...

, and Angeliki Laiou called him "the most evil presence" of the civil war.

Sources

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