Demetrios Laskaris Leontares
Encyclopedia
Demetrios Laskaris Leontares or Leontarios was an important Byzantine
statesman and military leader of the early 15th century, serving under the emperors Manuel II Palaiologos
and John VIII Palaiologos
.
and Thessaly
in the 1390s. Leontares first appears in the historical sources in 1403. As a close friend and trusted agent of Manuel II, he escorted John VII Palaiologos
to Thessalonica, the Empire's second city, which John VII had been granted as a semi-independent appanage
by Manuel. Leontares remained in the city and served as John VII's advisor and liaison to Manuel II until the former's death in 1408. At this point Manuel placed him as tutor and regent over his young son, the despotes
Andronikos Palaiologos, who succeeded John VII as governor of Thessalonica.
Leontares remained in Thessalonica as its effective governor until 1415/1416, when the Ottoman prince
Düzmece Mustafa fled to the city after a failed attempt to seize the Ottomans' European domains from Mehmed I
. Mehmed demanded the surrender of the rebel, but Leontares referred him to Manuel II in Constantinople
. Eventually a deal was reached whereby Mustafa would be kept in exile in the Byzantine island of Lemnos
, in exchange for an annual subsidy of 300,000 aspers
. Leontares himself escorted Mustafa on the ship to Constantinople.
In late 1420/early 1421 and again in May 1421, Leontares was dispatched by Manuel II to Mehmed I in missions of good will, as reports of preparations for an Ottoman attack on Constantinople
increased. The first meeting occurred during a crossing of the Bosphorus by Mehmed. Leontares, at the head of a group of Byzantine aristocrats and officials and supplied with gifts, met Mehmed at the Constantinopolitan suburb of Koutoulos (probably modern Kurtuluş
) and escorted him to Diplokionion (modern Beşiktaş
), where the Emperor and his sons awaited in their galley. The second meeting was a full embassy to the Sultan's residence in Adrianople in May 1421, perhaps connected with a purported amendment in Mehmed's will that would have made Manuel guardian of his two younger sons. Leontares was cordially received, but negotiations were prevented by Mehmed's death on 21 May. To prevent another struggle for succession, his death was kept secret for a while, and Leontares found himself under virtual house arrest. Only with difficulty did he manage to find out news of the Sultan's death and report them to Constantinople.
Following the death of Mehmed, the hawkish party in the Byzantine court, headed by Manuel II's son and co-emperor John VIII, became ascendant, and Manuel II resigned effective control of the state to him. Leontares released Mustafa from his exile, and together with his supporter Cüneyt Bey of Aydın
, the Ottoman prince was promised imperial support against Murad II
if he would surrender the strategically important fortress of Gallipoli
. With Byzantine support, Mustafa besieged and took Galipolli, and managed to quickly establish his authority over the Ottomans' European domains. However, when Leontares was dispatched to demand Gallipoli from Mustafa, he was rebuffed. In the event, Mustafa was defeated by Murad in spring 1422, abandoned by his supporters, caught and executed.
Leontares appears again in 1427, when he headed the Byzantine fleet in its last naval victory, over the forces of Carlo I Tocco
at the Battle of the Echinades
. He later retired to a monastery, under the monastic name Daniel, and died probably on 6 September 1431. He was buried at the Petra Monastery in Constantinople. Markos Eugenikos and Gennadios Scholarios wrote funeral eulogies in is honour.
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...
statesman and military leader of the early 15th century, serving under the emperors Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425.-Life:...
and John VIII Palaiologos
John VIII Palaiologos
John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus , was the penultimate reigning Byzantine Emperor, ruling from 1425 to 1448.-Life:John VIII Palaiologos was the eldest son of Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš, the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine Dragaš...
.
Life
Nothing is known of Leontares' early life, except a statement by the historian Doukas that Leontares had served with distinction as an officer in the MoreaMorea
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:...
and Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
in the 1390s. Leontares first appears in the historical sources in 1403. As a close friend and trusted agent of Manuel II, he escorted John VII Palaiologos
John VII Palaiologos
John VII Palaiologos was Byzantine Emperor for five months in 1390.-Life:...
to Thessalonica, the Empire's second city, which John VII had been granted as a semi-independent 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...
by Manuel. Leontares remained in the city and served as John VII's advisor and liaison to Manuel II until the former's death in 1408. At this point Manuel placed him as tutor and regent over his young son, the despotes
Despotes
Despot , was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent...
Andronikos Palaiologos, who succeeded John VII as governor of Thessalonica.
Leontares remained in Thessalonica as its effective governor until 1415/1416, when the Ottoman prince
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
Düzmece Mustafa fled to the city after a failed attempt to seize the Ottomans' European domains from Mehmed I
Mehmed I
Mehmed I Çelebi was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. He was one of the sons of Bayezid I and Valide Sultan Devlet Hatun Mehmed I Çelebi (Ottoman: چلبی محمد, Mehmed I or Mehmed Çelebi) (1382, Bursa – May 26, 1421, Edirne, Ottoman Empire) was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
. Mehmed demanded the surrender of the rebel, but Leontares referred him to Manuel II in 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:...
. Eventually a deal was reached whereby Mustafa would be kept in exile in the Byzantine island of Lemnos
Lemnos
Lemnos is an island of Greece in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Myrina...
, in exchange for an annual subsidy of 300,000 aspers
Akçe
thumb|250px|AkçeA silver coin, the akçe was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. The word "akçe" is derived from the Greek "" , the name of a Byzantine silver or billon coin, current in the region that eventually became the Ottoman Empire. The akçe is hence often called asper in English...
. Leontares himself escorted Mustafa on the ship to Constantinople.
In late 1420/early 1421 and again in May 1421, Leontares was dispatched by Manuel II to Mehmed I in missions of good will, as reports of preparations for an Ottoman attack on Constantinople
Siege of Constantinople (1422)
The first full-scale Ottoman Siege of Constantinople took place in 1422 as a result of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II's attempts to interfere in the succession of Ottoman Sultans, after the death of Mehmed I in 1421...
increased. The first meeting occurred during a crossing of the Bosphorus by Mehmed. Leontares, at the head of a group of Byzantine aristocrats and officials and supplied with gifts, met Mehmed at the Constantinopolitan suburb of Koutoulos (probably modern Kurtuluş
Kurtulus
Kurtuluş, formerly known as Tatavla , is a cosmopolitan neighborhood of Şişli whose population consists of Turks, Greeks , Armenians , Kurds , and Jews...
) and escorted him to Diplokionion (modern Beşiktaş
Besiktas
Beşiktaş is a municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and on the east by the Bosphorus...
), where the Emperor and his sons awaited in their galley. The second meeting was a full embassy to the Sultan's residence in Adrianople in May 1421, perhaps connected with a purported amendment in Mehmed's will that would have made Manuel guardian of his two younger sons. Leontares was cordially received, but negotiations were prevented by Mehmed's death on 21 May. To prevent another struggle for succession, his death was kept secret for a while, and Leontares found himself under virtual house arrest. Only with difficulty did he manage to find out news of the Sultan's death and report them to Constantinople.
Following the death of Mehmed, the hawkish party in the Byzantine court, headed by Manuel II's son and co-emperor John VIII, became ascendant, and Manuel II resigned effective control of the state to him. Leontares released Mustafa from his exile, and together with his supporter Cüneyt Bey of Aydın
Cüneyt Bey of Aydın
Cuneyd Bey , was the ruler of Aydinid principality in what is now modern Turkey in the early 15th century Cuneyd Bey , ( ?-1425) was the ruler of Aydinid principality in what is now modern Turkey in the early 15th century Cuneyd Bey , ( ?-1425) was the ruler of Aydinid principality in what is...
, the Ottoman prince was promised imperial support against Murad II
Murad II
Murad II Kodja was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 ....
if he would surrender the strategically important fortress of Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
. With Byzantine support, Mustafa besieged and took Galipolli, and managed to quickly establish his authority over the Ottomans' European domains. However, when Leontares was dispatched to demand Gallipoli from Mustafa, he was rebuffed. In the event, Mustafa was defeated by Murad in spring 1422, abandoned by his supporters, caught and executed.
Leontares appears again in 1427, when he headed the Byzantine fleet in its last naval victory, over the forces of Carlo I Tocco
Carlo I Tocco
Carlo I Tocco was the ruler of Epirus from 1411 until his death on July 4, 1429.-Life:Carlo I was the son of Count Leonardo I Tocco of Cephalonia and Leukas by Maddalena de' Buondelmonti, sister of Esau de' Buondelmonti of Epirus...
at the Battle of the Echinades
Battle of the Echinades (1427)
The Battle of the Echinades was fought in 1427 among the Echinades islands off western Greece between the fleets of Carlo I Tocco and the Byzantine Empire...
. He later retired to a monastery, under the monastic name Daniel, and died probably on 6 September 1431. He was buried at the Petra Monastery in Constantinople. Markos Eugenikos and Gennadios Scholarios wrote funeral eulogies in is honour.