Constantine Aspietes (, ) 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 active in the late 12th century. A member of the Aspietes family, of noble

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

origin, Constantine was probably a close relative of his contemporary

Michael Aspietes Michael Aspietes (, ) was a distinguished Byzantine general serving under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A member of the Aspietes family, of noble Armenian origin, Michael Aspietes is most likely the Aspietes whom John Kinnamos records as having disti ...

, a distinguished general killed in 1176. Like his relative, Constantine too had earned distinction during

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history o ...

' campaign against the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

in 1167. The historian

John Kinnamos John Kinnamos or ''Joannes Kinnamos'' or ''John Cinnamus'' ( or Κίναμος; born shortly after 1143, died after 1185), was a Byzantine historian. He was imperial secretary (Greek "grammatikos", most likely a post connected with the military ad ...

records that he held the rank of ''

sebastos ( , ) 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 century Byzantine Empire and came to form the basis of a new system of co ...

''. He is next recorded as being active in 1190/1, during the Byzantine efforts to suppress the Bulgarian–

Vlach Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula) ...

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

of the brothers

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and

Ivan Asen John or Ivan Asen may refer to: * Ivan Asen I (1186–1196), ruler of Bulgaria * Ivan Asen II Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II (, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He w ...

. The historian

Niketas Choniates Niketas or Nicetas Choniates (; – 1217), whose actual surname was Akominatos (), was a Byzantine Greek historian and politician. He accompanied his brother Michael Akominatos to Constantinople from their birthplace Chonae (from which came h ...

records that, in an effort to sustain the troops and bolster their morale, Aspietes decided to distribute to them their delayed annual salaries. This act, however, enraged Emperor

Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos or Angelus (; September 1156 – 28 January 1204) was Byzantine Emperor from 1185 to 1195, and co-Emperor with his son Alexios IV Angelos from 1203 to 1204. In a 1185 revolt against the Emperor Andronikos Komnenos, Isaac ...

, who saw it as almost an attempt to bribe the army to support Aspietes in overthrowing him. The emperor had Aspietes arrested and blinded, after which nothing further is known of him. He possibly died in the early years of the 13th century.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aspietes, Constantine 12th-century births 13th-century deaths 12th-century Byzantine military personnel

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

Byzantine generals Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars Generals of Manuel I Komnenos Sebastoi