Andronikos Lapardas or Andronicus Lapardas ( gr, Ἀνδρόνικος Λαπαρδάς) was a Byzantine general during the late

Komnenian period The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the Komnenos dynasty for a period of 104 years, from 1081 to about 1185. The ''Komnenian'' (also spelled ''Comnenian'') period comprises the reigns of five emperors, Alexios I, John II, Manuel I, A ...

. He is first attested as a participant of a synod on 2 March 1166, held at the imperial palace and presided over by Emperor Manuel I Komnenos () in person. He is listed 15th among the imperial relatives, bearing the high title of ''

sebastos ( grc-gre, σεβαστός, sebastós, venerable one, Augustus, ; plural , ) was an honorific used by the ancient Greeks to render the Roman imperial title of . The female form of the title was (). It was revived as an honorific in the 11th-ce ...

'', and with the court offices of '' oikeios vestiarites'' and '' chartoularios''. In July 1167, he led the right division of the Byzantine army at the

Battle of Sirmium The Battle of Sirmium, Battle of Semlin or Battle of Zemun ( hu, zimonyi csata) was fought on July 8, 1167 between the Byzantine Empire (also known as Eastern Roman Empire), and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Byzantines achieved a decisive victory ...

, a decisive victory over the

Hungarian Kingdom The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

that ensured Byzantine control of the western Balkans. In 1176, he participated in the disastrous campaign against the Sultanate of Rum that ended with the

Battle of Myriokephalon The Battle of Myriokephalon (also known as the Battle of Myriocephalum, gr, Μάχη του Μυριοκέφαλου, tr, Miryokefalon Savaşı or ''Düzbel Muharebesi'') was a battle between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Turks in Phrygi ...

. In 1182, King Bela of Hungary attacked the Byzantine fortresses of Belgrade and Braničevo. The war continued in 1183, when the Serbs joined forces with the Hungarians. The Byzantine border armies were under the command of two experienced commanders:

Alexios Branas Alexios (or Alexius) Branas or Vranas ( el, ) (died 1187) was a Byzantine nobleman, attempted usurper, and the last Byzantine military leader of the 12th century to gain a notable success against a foreign enemy. Background Alexios Branas was a ...

and Andronikos Lapardas. The news that

Andronikos I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos ( gr, Ἀνδρόνικος Κομνηνός; – 12 September 1185), Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and the grandson of the emperor Al ...

had taken power in Constantinople divided the two commanders, so they retreated towards Trajan's Gate. Once Andronikos I had established himself, he sent Andronikos Lapardas with a large force against John Komnenos Vatatzes, a nephew of the late Manuel I Komnenos, who had raised a revolt in western Anatolia. Vatatzes, who had become seriously ill, met Lapardas' army near Philadelphia. Vatatzes' forces were victorious and Lapardas' broken troops were pursued for some distance. However, a few days later, on 16 May 1182, Vatatzes died. Without his leadership the rebellion quickly broke apart.Choniates, pp. 146–147. Lapardas quickly fell out of favour with Andronikos I, who had him imprisoned, blinded, and confined to the Pantepoptes Monastery in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. He died there shortly after. From a poem of

Theodore Balsamon Theodore Balsamon ( el, Θεόδωρος Βαλσαμῶν) was a canonist of the Eastern Orthodox Church and 12th-century Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. Biography Born in the second half of the 12th century at Constantinople; died there, ...

, it is known that Lapardas married a Theodora Komnene. Earlier scholars identified her as Manuel's sister, who is known to have married

Manuel Anemas Manuel Anemas was an aristocrat and military commander in the Byzantine Empire during the reigns of John II Komnenos and Manuel I Komnenos. Background and life Manuel Anemas was a member of the Anemas family. Four Anemas brothers were involved in ...

. Based on Lapardas' position among the imperial relatives in 1166, the scholar Lucien Stiernon proposed an identification of Lapardas' wife as a granddaughter of that Theodora and Manuel Anemas. The couple probably did not have any children.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lapardas, Andronikos 12th-century births 12th-century Byzantine people 1180s deaths Byzantine generals Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Seljuk wars Byzantine prisoners and detainees Generals of Manuel I Komnenos Sebastoi Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown