Andrea Angeli (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Andreas

Angelus FIle:Jean-François Millet (II) 001.jpg, ''The Angelus (painting), The Angelus'' (1857–1859) by Jean-François Millet The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation (Christianity), Incarnation of Jesus ...

''; died 1580) was the Grand Master of the Constantinian Order of Saint George from 1545 to 1580. Andrea and his brother Paolo were the founders of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (; ), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of the Constantinian Angelic Knights of Saint George, is a dynastic order of knighthood ...

and were papally recognized claimants to descent from the

Angelos The House of Angelos (; pl. Angeloi; , pl. ) was a Byzantine Greek noble family that produced several Emperors and other prominent nobles during the middle and late Byzantine Empire. The family rose to prominence through the marriage of its foun ...

dynasty of

Byzantine emperors The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

. Andrea claimed the title "Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo", and from the death of Arianitto Arianiti in 1551, also claimed the title "Prince of

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

Biography

Andrea was a son of the Albanian noble Pjetër Engjëlli. Andrea's family, the

Angelo Flavio Comneno The Angelo Flavio Comneno or Angeli () were a Venetian noble family of Albanians, Albanian descent who claimed descent from the Angelos dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. In the 16th century, the family founded the Sacred Military Constantinian Order ...

, claimed descent from the

dynasty of

. In 1545, Andrea and his younger brother Paolo were officially acknowledged as descendants of the Angelos emperors by Pope

Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

(1534–1549). The two brothers were also guaranteed the right to inherit territory in the former Byzantine Empire, should such territory be recovered from the Ottomans, and, as recognized heirs to the Byzantine imperial title, given the right to appoint princes and even kings themselves. The papacy was eager to support the two brothers and their family since a Catholic family of Byzantine claimants meant the possibility of eventually restoring the Byzantine Empire as a Catholic nation, religiously obedient to the Pope. Andrea and Paolo founded the

, a

chivalric order An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and pai ...

with invented Byzantine connections. When exactly the order was founded is not clear, but Andrea is attested as using the title of Grand Master from Pope Paul III's acknowledgement of the brothers in 1545 and onwards. Andrea and Paolo claimed that their order was the successor of

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

's 'Labarum guard' and that it was of antique origin, founded either by Constantine himself in the 4th century or his later successor

Heraclius Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas. Heraclius's reign was ...

in the 7th century, depending on the account. These claims were soon widely accepted throughout Europe. In 1551, Andrea claimed the title "Prince of

", after the death of the previous claimant to that title, Arianitto Arianiti, Andrea's third cousin. On his death in 1580, Andrea proclaimed his nephew

Pietro Pietro is an Italian language, Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his dea ...

as his heir "by reason of primogeniture", which ensured that his titles and position of Grand Master would pass down through the Angelo Flavio Comneno family in a hereditary manner.

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Angeli, Andrea 1580 deaths Byzantine pretenders after 1453 16th-century Albanian people Arbëreshë people

Biography

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