Chandrenos (; ) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

general who distinguished himself in his successful expeditions against the

Catalan Company The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company (; , , , or ) was a company of mercenaries led by Roger de Flor in the early 14th century and hired by Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos to combat the increasing power of the Anatolian b ...

. Very little is known about Chandrenos, as his life and deeds are recorded only in an oration to Emperor

Andronikos II Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos (; 25 March 1259 – 13 February 1332), Latinization of names, Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. His reign marked the beginning of the recently restored em ...

of his possible relative Thomas Magistros, composed to defend him from accusations of treason sometime in the 1310s. Born to a landowning family in

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, he fought against the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

with some success, so that, according to Thomas, even they came to esteem his prowess. Nevertheless, he was unable to stem the tide of the Turkish conquest, and abandoned Asia Minor after his ancestral lands fell. Subsequently, he participated as one of the commanders of the imperial army in the

Battle of Apros The Battle of Apros occurred between the forces of the Byzantine Empire, under co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos, and the forces of the Catalan Company, at Apros on July 1305.. Background Before the Battle of Apros, the Catalan company was ...

on 10 July 1305, against the

. Chandrenos fought with valour and distinction, but the Byzantines were routed by the Catalans. In 1308–09, he was sent to

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 ...

, where the Catalans had now moved to, under the overall command of the ''

megas stratopedarches Magnús Þór Jónsson (born 7 April 1945), better known by the stage name Megas, is an Icelandic vocalist, songwriter, and writer. Childhood and interest in music (1945-1970) Being an admirer of Elvis Presley, Megas welcomed the arrival of ro ...

'' Angelos Palaiologos. Here Chandrenos was credited with helping repel the Catalans' attack on

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area) and the capital city, capital of the geographic reg ...

, the Byzantine Empire's second-largest city, probably by raiding their siege lines. After the Catalans abandoned the siege of the city in early 1309, his expeditions confined them to their base in

Kassandreia Kassandreia (, ), known as Valta before 1955 (, , meaning "town in the swamps"), is a town and a community in Chalkidiki, northern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of Kassandra, in the center of the peninsula. Its population was 3,158 ...

, cutting their supplies and putting an end to their devastating raids in the surrounding countryside, which had even threatened the monasteries of

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

. As a result, in spring 1309 the hard-pressed Catalans abandoned Kassandreia and invaded

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

, ruled by the weak

John II Doukas John II Doukas, also Angelos Doukas ( Latinized as Angelus Ducas) (), was ruler of Great Vlachia (Thessaly) from 1303 to his death in 1318. John II Angelos Doukas was the son of Constantine Doukas of Thessaly by his wife Anna Euagionissa. He s ...

. The Catalans plundered the region, forcing John II to appeal to the Byzantines for aid. Chandrenos marched south from Thessalonica, and was joined by local volunteers, motivated by appeals and promises of reward by the Byzantine emperor. The Catalans were defeated in minor engagements and driven south out of Thessaly. There they were taken into the employ of the

Duchy of Athens The Duchy of Athens (Greek language, Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan language, Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during ...

, and turning back north conquered much of Thessaly, forcing John II to sue for peace. After the Duke of Athens, Walter of Brienne, tried to dismiss them, however, they attacked the duchy and took it over following their crushing victory over Walter's army in the

Battle of Halmyros The Battle of Halmyros, known by earlier scholars as the Battle of the Cephissus or Battle of Orchomenos, was fought on 15 March 1311, between the forces of the Frankish Greece, Frankish Duchy of Athens and its vassals under Walter V of Brienn ...

in 1311. In the meantime, in 1309 Chandrenos had defeated and driven off a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

invasion of Macedonia, assisted by 1,500 Turks who under their leader Malik had deserted the Catalan Company and sought refuge in Serbia. Sometime in the 1310s (probably ca. 1310/11) Chandrenos was in Constantinople, where he was accused by members of the imperial court of treason—probably as a result of jealousy over his military successes—and was defended before the emperor by Thomas Magistros. Nothing further is known of him. Chandrenos is identified by historian

Athanasios Papadopoulos-Kerameus Athanasios Papadopoulos-Kerameus (; 1856–1912) was an Ottoman Greek scholar of Greek Orthodox religious affiliation. He was an Ottoman and subsequently Tsarist subject. Appointed secretary of the Greek Literary Club of Constantinople (1881) ...

as having married Theodote Glabaina Tarchaneiotissa (a probable daughter of

Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes or Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas (; – after 1304) was a notable Byzantine aristocrat and general. He served under emperors Michael VIII Palaiologos and Andronikos II Palaiologos in the Balkans, fighting agains ...

and Maria Doukaina Komnene Branaina Palaiologina). Papadopoulos-Kerameus states that they were the parents of Theodora Palaiologina Angelina and thus the maternal grandparents of Emperor

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...

References

Sources

* * * * {{Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit , volume=12 , ref = {{harvid, PLP 13th-century births 14th-century deaths 14th-century Byzantine military personnel Byzantine generals Medieval Macedonia Byzantine Anatolians