Syrgiannes Palaiologos Philanthropenos | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1290 |
| Died | 1334 |
| Allegiance | Byzantine Empire (until 1333) Serbian Kingdom (1333–1334) |
| Rank | megas doux |
| Battles / wars | Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328 |
Syrgiannes Palaiologos Philanthropenos (Greek:Συργιάννης Παλαιολόγος Φιλανθρωπηνός;c. 1290 – 1334) was aByzantine aristocrat and general of mixedCuman andGreek descent, who was involved in thecivil war between EmperorAndronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328) and his grandsonAndronikos III (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 rulerStefan Dušan (r. 1331–1346) before being assassinated by the Byzantines.
Syrgiannes was born about 1290. He was named after hisfather or possibly grandfather, aCuman leader who becamemegas domestikos (commander-in-chief of theByzantine army) under EmperorAndronikos II. At the time there were manyCumans in the Empire, who settled during the reign ofJohn III Doukas Vatatzes (r. 1221–1254).[1] The elder Syrgiannes's original name wasSytzigan (from Cuman-TurkicSïčğan, "mouse"); it wasHellenized toSyrgiannes ("master John") when he was baptized.[2][3] The younger Syrgiannes's mother was Eugenia Palaiologina, a member of the rulingPalaiologos family and niece of EmperorMichael 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.[2] Syrgiannes also had a sister, Theodora, who married Guy de Lusignan, laterKing of Armenian Cilicia asConstantine II.[citation needed] Syrgiannes makes his appearance in history in 1315, when he was placed as military governor of aMacedonian province near the Serbian border. Despite the existing treaties, and against his instructions, he resolved to attack both Serbia andEpirus. Relieved of his post, he rebelled, was captured and imprisoned. Sometime before 1320, however, he was eventually pardoned and appointed to a command inThrace.[2][4][5]
In 1320, following the death ofMichael IX Palaiologos (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.[6]
At that time, Syrgiannes andJohn Kantakouzenos bought for themselves governorships inThrace, where discontent with the old emperor was rife, and they quickly mobilized support for the younger Andronikos. Together withAlexios Apokaukos andTheodore Synadenos, they prepared to overthrow the aged Andronikos II in favour of his grandson.[6][7] In Easter 1321, the younger Andronikos came toAdrianople, and the uprising broke out. Syrgiannes led a large army towards the capital, forcing the old emperor to negotiate.[8][9][10] 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, setting up his court at Adrianople, while Andronikos II continued to rule from the capital,Constantinople, as senior emperor.[3][9]
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's wife.[8][11] In December 1321, Syrgiannes switched sides, fleeing to Constantinople. Rewarded with the lofty title ofmegas doux, he convinced Andronikos II to resume the war against his grandson.[12][9][13] 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.[12][14][15]
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's favour, to the extent that in late 1329 he was entrusted with the important governorship ofThessalonica, the Empire's second-largest city, and of western Macedonia andAlbania.[12][16] There, he was again suspected of plotting against Kantakouzenos, this time with the emperor's mother, EmpressMaria. 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.[17] 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 rulerStefan Dušan.[12][18][19]
Dušan put Syrgiannes at the head of a large Serbian force, with which he invaded Byzantine Macedonia in 1334. Syrgiannes's 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, includingOhrid,Prilep,Strumica, andKastoria. The road was open for an advance towards Thessalonica, and Syrgiannes's 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 bySphrantzes Palaiologos, a Byzantine general who had defected on purpose to the Serbian camp a few days earlier.[11][20][21] With the loss of their principal military leader, theSerbs settled for a negotiated peace with the Byzantines, which was very advantageous for them as they were left in possession of most of the cities won by Syrgiannes in northern Macedonia.[22]
Syrgiannes's 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: the 14th-century historianNikephoros Gregoras compared his flight to Serbia withThemistocles's flight to thePersians, whileDonald Nicol likened him toAlcibiades andAngeliki Laiou called him "the most evil presence" of the civil war.[4][20]