Theodore Kastamonites () 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 ...

aristocrat and the all-powerful chief minister for most of the first reign of his nephew, 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 ...

Life

The Kastamonites family probably hailed from Kastamon in

Paphlagonia Paphlagonia (; , modern translit. ''Paflagonía''; ) was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus (region), Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia (later, Galatia ...

, and had emerged in the late 11th century as one of the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

's aristocratic clans, its members holding various civil and military offices under the Komnenian emperors. Theodore was the brother of Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa, wife of

Andronikos Doukas Angelos Andronikos Angelos Doukas (; – before 1185) was a Byzantine aristocrat related to the ruling Komnenos dynasty. During the reign of his cousin, Manuel I Komnenos, he served without success as a military commander against the Seljuk Turks, and ...

and mother of the emperors

() and

Alexios III Angelos Alexios III Angelos (; 1211), Latinized as Alexius III Angelus, was Byzantine Emperor from March 1195 to 17/18 July 1203. He reigned under the name Alexios Komnenos (; Aléxios Komnēnós) associating himself with the Komnenos dynasty (from whi ...

(). When Isaac II ascended the throne, he was unable to rely on the support of the restive and ambitious noble families, and turned to the bureaucracy for support. Immediately after his accession, Isaac II placed his uncle in charge of the financial administration. Although suffering from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

so that he had to be carried about in a litter, according to his contemporary

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 ...

, Kastamonites was a capable official, particularly in taxation matters—the

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

n and Genoese merchants in particular complained that he always exacted full customs duties from them—and an eloquent speaker. As a result, Isaac soon promoted him to '' logothetes ton sekreton'', putting him in charge of supervising all the civilian departments. Indeed, Kastamonites became the ''de facto'' ruler of the empire, as he handled all government affairs, and his nephew always acceded to his requests. Officials and nobles alike had to stand in his presence and show him deference. His position was so exalted that Isaac allowed him to use imperial attributes, such as the

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

military cloak and a purple saddle cover, or signing with the special purple ink reserved for the emperor. He was the first official to be called ''

megas logothetes The () was an official who served as effective foreign minister of the Byzantine Empire, in the period from to , after which it continued as an honorific dignity. The office evolved from the Komnenian-era , and was established during the Empi ...

'' ("Grand Logothete"), in a

chrysobull A golden bull or chrysobull was a decree issued by Byzantine emperors and monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Description A golden bull was a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors. It was later used by monarchs in Europe ...

granted to the Genoese by Isaac II in 1192, a title which soon replaced that of ''logothetes ton sekreton''. Nevertheless, on 15 August 1193, during the procession of the

Dormition of the Theotokos The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the '' Theotokos'' ("Mother ...

, Kastamonites was hailed by the crowd as lord and emperor; hearing that, he was stricken by apoplexy, and although he briefly recovered, he died a few days later. He was succeeded as chief minister of the Empire by Constantine Mesopotamites.

References

Sources

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