Demetrios Leontares
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Demetrios Laskaris Leontares or Leontarios ( el, Δημήτριος Λάσκαρις Λεοντάρης, died 6 September 1431) was an important
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
statesman and military leader of the early 15th century, serving under the emperors
Manuel II Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( gr, Μανουὴλ Παλαιολόγος, Manouēl Palaiológos; 27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the na ...
(r. 1391–1425) and
John VIII Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( gr, Ἰωάννης Παλαιολόγος, Iōánnēs Palaiológos; 18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448) was the penultimate Byzantine emperor, ruling from 1425 to 1448. Biography John VIII was ...
(r. 1425–1448).


Biography

Nothing is known of Leontares's early life, except a statement by the historian
Doukas The House of Doukas, Latinized as Ducas ( el, Δούκας; feminine: Doukaina/Ducaena, Δούκαινα; plural: Doukai/Ducae, Δοῦκαι), from the Latin title ''dux'' ("leader", "general", Hellenized as 'ðouks'', is the name of a Byzant ...
that Leontares had served with distinction as an officer in the
Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...
and
Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
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 or Palaeologus ( el, Ἰωάννης Παλαιολόγος, Iōánnēs Palaiológos; 1370 – 22 September 1408) was Byzantine emperor for five months in 1390, from 14 April to 17 September. A handful of sources suggest that ...
to
Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
, the Byzantine Empire's second city, which John VII had been granted as a semi-independent
appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...
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 Despot or ''despotes'' ( grc-gre, δεσπότης, despótēs, lord, master) was a senior Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initi ...
'' Andronikos Palaiologos, who succeeded John VII as governor of Thessalonica. Leontares remained in Thessalonica as its effective governor until 1415/16, when the Ottoman prince Düzmece Mustafa and
Junayd of Aydın Juneyd or Junayd Bey ( tr, İzmiroğlu Cüneyd; ) was the last ruler (bey) of the Aydınid principality in what is now central western Turkey. His exact relationship with the Aydınid dynasty is unclear. His father was a long-time and popular gov ...
fled to the city after a failed attempt to seize the Ottomans' European domains from
Mehmed I Mehmed I ( 1386 – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi ( ota, چلبی محمد, "the noble-born") or Kirişçi ( el, Κυριτζής, Kyritzis, "lord's son"), was the Ottoman sultan from 1413 to 1421. The fourth son of Sultan Bayezid ...
(r. 1413–1421). Mehmed demanded the surrender of the rebel, but Leontares referred him to Manuel II 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 (" ...
. Eventually, a deal was reached whereby Mustafa would be kept in exile in the Byzantine island of
Lemnos Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμνος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The p ...
and Junayd in Constantinople, in exchange for an annual subsidy of 300,000
aspers Aspers is a census-designated place in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 486. At the 2000 census it was listed as the Bendersville Station-Aspers CDP. Geography Aspers is located at (39.97 ...
. 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 The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
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 Kurtuluş is a neighbourhood of the Şişli district of Istanbul that was originally called ''Tatavla,'' meaning 'stables' in Greek ( el, Ταταύλα). The modern Turkish name means "liberation", "salvation", "independence" or "deliverance". On ...
) and escorted him to Diplokionion (modern
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
), where the Emperor and his sons awaited in their
galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...
. The second meeting was a full embassy to the Sultan's residence in
Adrianople Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...
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 and Junayd from their exile, and the Ottoman prince was promised imperial support against
Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...
if he would surrender the strategically important fortress of
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
. With Byzantine support, Mustafa besieged and took Gallipoli, 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 The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than ...
in its last naval victory, over the forces of
Carlo I Tocco Carlo I Tocco was the hereditary Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from 1376, and ruled as the Despot 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 Madda ...
(r. 1411–1429) at the Battle of the Echinades. He later retired to a monastery, under the
monastic name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...
Daniel, and died probably on 6 September 1431. He was buried at the Petra Monastery in Constantinople.
Markos Eugenikos Mark of Ephesus ( Greek: Μάρκος ό Εφέσιος, born Manuel Eugenikos) was a hesychast theologian of the late Palaiologan period of the Byzantine Empire who became famous for his rejection of the Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438–1439) ...
and
Gennadios Scholarios Gennadius II (Greek Γεννάδιος Βʹ; lay name Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος, ''Georgios Kourtesios Scholarios''; c. 1400 – c. 1473) was a Byzantine Greek philosopher and theologian, and Ecumenical Patriarch o ...
wrote funeral eulogies in his honour..


Family

Little is known about his family, except that he had brothers and was married, having one known son, John Laskaris Leontares.


References


Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leontares, Demetrios Laskaris 14th-century births 1431 deaths 15th-century Byzantine people Byzantine admirals Byzantine governors of Thessalonica Ambassadors of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Empire Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars 15th-century diplomats