| Matthew Asen Kantakouzenos | |
|---|---|
| Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans | |
 Coin of Matthew Kantakouzenos as emperor | |
| Byzantine emperor | |
| Reign | April 1353 – December 1357[1] |
| Predecessor | John V Palaiologos and John VI Kantakouzenos |
| Successor | John V Palaiologos |
| Despot of the Morea | |
| Reign | 1380–1381[1] |
| Predecessor | Manuel Kantakouzenos |
| Successor | Demetrios I Kantakouzenos |
| Born | c. 1325 |
| Died | June 1383 |
| Spouse | Irene Palaiologina |
| Issue | John Kantakouzenos Demetrios I Kantakouzenos Theodora Kantakouzene Helena Kantakouzene Maria Kantakouzene Theodore Kantakouzenos (?) |
| House | Kantakouzenos |
| Father | John VI Kantakouzenos |
| Mother | Irene Asanina |
Matthew Asen Kantakouzenos orCantacuzenus (Greek:Ματθαῖος Ἀσάνης Καντακουζηνός,romanized: Matthaīos Asánēs Kantakouzēnós, c. 1325 – June 1383)[1] wasByzantine Emperor from 1353 to 1357 and laterDespot of the Morea from 1380 to 1381.
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Matthew Asanes Kantakouzenos was the son of EmperorJohn VI Kantakouzenos andIrene Asanina.[1] In return for the support he gave to his father during hisstruggle withJohn V Palaiologos, he was given part ofThrace as anappanage in 1347, and was proclaimed joint emperor in 1353, whenopen civil war broke out again with John V.
From his Thracian domain, centred onGratzianous, he led several wars against theSerbs. An attack, which he prepared in 1350, was frustrated by the defection of his Turkish auxiliaries. With five thousand Turks, Matthew tried to re-establish his former appanage along the Serbian-Byzantine border by attacking this region, but failed to takeSerres. He was soon defeated in battle in late 1356 or early 1357 by a Serb army under VojvodaVojihna, who was the holder ofDrama (a major fortress in the vicinity). The Serbs captured Matthew with the intention of releasing him when he had raised the large ransom they demanded. However John V, who had rapidly moved in to occupy Matthew's lands, offered Vojihna an even larger sum to turn Matthew over to him.
After imprisoning Matthew first onTenedos, then onLesbos under the watchful eye ofFrancesco I Gattilusio, John forced him to renounce the imperial title. John then released him to go to theMorea, where he joined his brotherManuel, who was ruling there (1361). After his brother's death in 1380, Matthew Asanes Kantakouzenos governed the Morea until the appointment of the new governorTheodore I Palaiologos, in 1381, and his arrival in 1382. Before full transition of power in the Morea, from theKantakouzenos family to that ofPalaiologos, Matthew resigned his power in the Morea to his sonDemetrios I Kantakouzenos.
By his wifeIrene Palaiologina, whom he married inThessalonika early in 1341, Matthew Asanes Kantakouzenos had five known children:[2]
The following are attributed to Kantakouzenos:[1]
Matthew Asen Kantakouzenos Kantakouzenos dynasty Born: c. 1325 Died: June 1383 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Byzantine Emperor 1353–1357 withJohn V Palaiologos (1341–1376) John VI Kantakouzenos (1347–1353) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Despot of the Morea 1380–1383 | Succeeded by |