John Petraliphas
Encyclopedia
John Petraliphas was a Byzantine
noble and governor of Thessaly
and Macedonia
in the late 12th/early 13th century with the rank of sebastokrator
.
family, which was originally of Italian origin. According to the hagiography
of his daughter, Theodora of Arta
, John was married to a woman called Helena, from an unspecified noble house of Constantinople
, and after being raised to the very high rank of sebastokrator
, was dispatched by emperor Isaac II Angelos
(r. 1185–1195 and 1203–1204) to govern Thessaly
and Macedonia
. Nevertheless, in 1195, he was among the leading nobles who conspired and overthrew Isaac II and installed Alexios III Angelos
(r. 1195–1203) in his place.
After 1204, when Constantinople fell to the Fourth Crusade
, he supported the ruler of Epirus
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
, to whom his sister Maria
was married. He died probably sometime between 1224 and 1230. Some authors (Donald Nicol
and D. Polemis) have equated him with another John Petraliphas, who was a megas chartoularios in the employ of the Empire of Nicaea
ca. 1237, but this identification is most likely false.
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...
noble and governor of 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....
and 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...
in the late 12th/early 13th century with the rank of sebastokrator
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
.
Life
John was a member of the PetraliphasPetraliphas
The Petraliphas or Petraleiphas , feminine form Petraliphaina , were a Byzantine aristocratic family of Italian descent....
family, which was originally of Italian origin. According to the hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of his daughter, Theodora of Arta
Theodora of Arta
Theodora Petraliphaina , canonized as Saint Theodora of Arta , was a consort of Epirus and an Orthodox Christian saint.- Life :Her life is known mostly from a short hagiography written by the monk Job, sometimes identified with the late-13th century cleric Job Iasites...
, John was married to a woman called Helena, from an unspecified noble house of 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:...
, and after being raised to the very high rank of sebastokrator
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
, was dispatched by emperor Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos was Byzantine emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204....
(r. 1185–1195 and 1203–1204) to govern 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....
and 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...
. Nevertheless, in 1195, he was among the leading nobles who conspired and overthrew Isaac II and installed Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos was Byzantine Emperor from 1195 to 1203.- Early life:Alexios III Angelos was the second son of Andronikos Angelos and Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa. Andronicus was himself a son of Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. Thus...
(r. 1195–1203) in his place.
After 1204, when Constantinople fell to the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, he supported the ruler of 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...
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Epirus from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica from 1224 to 1230.-Life:...
, to whom his sister Maria
Maria Petraliphaina
Maria Petraliphaina was the wife of Theodore Komnenos Doukas. She is the earliest consort of the Despotate of Epiros known by name...
was married. He died probably sometime between 1224 and 1230. Some authors (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...
and D. Polemis) have equated him with another John Petraliphas, who was a megas chartoularios in the employ of the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
ca. 1237, but this identification is most likely false.
Family
From his marriage, John had several children. The hagiography records several sons, but only one son and two daughters are known by name:- Theodore Petraliphas, he married a daughter of Demetrios Tornikes, one of the leading ministers of John III Vatatzes of Nicaea (r. 1221–1254). Theodore defected to Nicaea in 1252/53, only to defect back to Epirus a short while later.
- Theodora, she was wed as a child to Michael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was the ruler of Epirus from 1230 until his death in 1266/68.-Life:...
(r. 1231–1266/68), and was later canonized as Saint Theodora of ArtaTheodora of ArtaTheodora Petraliphaina , canonized as Saint Theodora of Arta , was a consort of Epirus and an Orthodox Christian saint.- Life :Her life is known mostly from a short hagiography written by the monk Job, sometimes identified with the late-13th century cleric Job Iasites...
. - Maria, she married a member of the Sphrantzes family and later widowed. It is also possible that she is the unidentified Petraliphaina reported by George Akropolites to have married Alexios the Slav, a cousin of Boril of BulgariaBoril of BulgariaBoril reigned as emperor of Bulgaria from 1207 to 1218. He was the son of an unnamed sister of his predecessor Kaloyan.-Biography:It is unclear whether Boril was party to the murder of Kaloyan in front of the walls of Thessalonica in 1207, but Kaloyan's intended heirs, his nephews Ivan Asen and...
and vassal of the Latin emperor Henry of FlandersHenry of FlandersHenry was the second emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He was a younger son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut , and Margaret I of Flanders, sister of Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders....
.