Angelo Flavio Comneno

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Angelo Flavio Comneno
Angelus Flavius Comnenus
Angelo Flavio Comneno CoA2 transparent.png
17th-century coat of arms
Parent houseAngelos (claimed)
CountryAlbania
Italy
Foundedc. 1480
FounderAndres Engjëlli
(earliest known)
Final headLaura Angelo Flavio Comneno
Titles
  • Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
  • Prince of Macedonia (titular)
  • Prince of Thessaly (titular)
  • Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo (titular)
TraditionsRoman Catholicism
Dissolution1756

The Angelo Flavio Comneno[a] were an Italian noble family of Albanian[4] descent who claimed descent from the Angelos dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. They were the founders of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, a knightly order with invented Byzantine connections. From the 16th century onwards, the heads of the family styled themselves as 'Prince of Macedonia, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.

It is possible that their claims to descent from the Angeloi were genuine, but their own genealogies, which professed descent from Emperor Isaac II Angelos (r. 1185–1195 and 1203–1204) are unlikely to be correct given that all known male-line descendants of Isaac II were long dead before the Angeli appeared in Italy. Perhaps they descended from less known children or cousins of the Angeloi emperors, or possibly through a female line. Their descent was accepted as true throughout Western Europe.

The last prince of the family was Giovanni Andrea II Angelo Flavio Comneno, who in 1698 transferred the Constantinian Order to Francesco Farnese, the Duke of Parma, whose descendants remain grand masters to this day. Giovanni Andrea II's death five years later, in 1703, was followed by the death of his niece, Laura Angelo Flavio Comneno, in 1756, after which the family was rendered extinct.

Ancestry[]

The Angeli claimed to be direct male-line descendants of Emperor Isaac II Angelos (r. 1185–1195 and 1203–1204),[5][b] whom they also claimed was a direct descendant of Constantine the Great (r. 306–337).[5] Giovanni Andrea I Angelo Flavio Comneno (d. 1634) claimed Isaac II was his ancestor in the ninth degree.[5] Although Isaac II had many descendants in the female line,[5] being related to many noble and royal houses in Europe through his daughter Irene Angelina,[7] and had sons, any direct male-line descendants were long dead before the Angeli arrived in Italy.[5] The male line of the Angelos emperors is not recorded to have survived beyond the death of Emperor Alexios III Angelos in 1211. Later members of the Angelos family descended from John Doukas, uncle of Isaac II and Angelos III.[8] John's descendants, who often preferred to use the name 'Komnenos Doukas' rather than 'Angelos', ruled Epirus and Thessaly until the 14th century. Among their last known recorded descendants were Michael Angelović (fl. 1451–73), a Serbian magnate, and Mahmud Pasha Angelović (1420–1474), who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Mehmed II 1456–1466 and 1472–1474.[9]

It is possible that the later Angeli in Italy either directly or collaterally descended from less well known children or cousins of the Angeloi emperors.[10] That there might be some truth to the Angeli's claim to illustrious descent is strengthened by the willingness of other Balkan nobles, part of actual royal lineages, to accept their descent.[11] Descent through female lines, claimed by some of the members of the family, is also plausible.[11] The claims of the Angeli to represent descendants of the Angelos dynasty was accepted in Western Europe without much dispute: there were already several known descendants of Byzantine nobility across the continent, legitimate or not, so the addition of another family was not surprising.[12] The earliest certain ancestor of the Angeli was the Albanian noble Andres Engjëlli (hellenized as "Andreas Angelos" and written as "Andrea Angelo" in Italian), attested as alive in the 1480s.[4]

Andres Engjëlli married Dorothea Arianiti of the prominent Arianiti family.[13] The eldest son of Andres Engjëlli, Pal Engjëlli (later called Paolo Angelo in Italian sources), was a counsellor and supporter of Skanderbeg, an Albanian national hero.[14] Pal's younger brother Pjetër (later called Pietro in Italian sources) married Lucia Span, the daughter of Peter Spani, one of the most prominent Christian leaders in Albania.[15] Once the Albanian resistance against the Ottoman Empire fell and the country was conquered, the Angeli escaped to Italy.[16] In 1545, the brothers Andrea and Paolo Angelo,[17] sons of Pjetër,[13] were officially acknowledged as descendants of the Angeloi emperors by Pope Paul III (r. 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,[17] and, recognized as heirs to the Byzantine imperial title, given the right to appoint princes and even kings themselves.[18]

Family history[]

Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

The Angeli family were the founders of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. When the Angeli began to claim to represent grand masters of this order is not entirely clear, though the claim is attested from Pope Paul III's acknowledgement of the descent of Andrea and Paolo in 1545 onwards. Though the order was of very recent origin, the Angeli claimed that it was the successor of Constantine the Great's 'Labarum guard' and that it was of antique origin, founded either by Constantine himself in the 4th century or his later successor Heraclius in the 7th century, depending on the account. These claims were soon widely accepted throughout Europe.[12] The claims that the order represented an ancient imperial institution, which many Byzantine emperors had supposedly served as grand masters for, is fantasy. There are no Byzantine records for such an institution, and no records of the order exist before the 16th century.[19] Furthermore, chivalric orders, especially in a western sense, were completely unknown in the Byzantine world.[20] Because the Angeli had prominent familial connections in Italy and elsewhere,[5] notably to the Arianiti family,[11] also of Albanian descent, and through some means managed to convince the popes of the legitimacy of their descent and their order, they reached a position more or less unique among the various Byzantine claimants.[5]

Upon the death of Arianitto Arianiti, the last male-line member of the Arianiti family in Italy, in 1551,[21] the Angeli family claimed his titular title of 'Prince of Macedonia'.[22] Through Dorothea Arianiti, Paolo and Andrea's grandmother, the Angeli were related to the Arianiti family. Dorothea was the aunt of Arianitto's father Constantine Arianiti,[13] meaning that Andrea and Paolo were Arianitto's third cousins.[21] Some later members of the family later claimed that the title had been used by their family since at least Andres Engjëlli in the aftermath of Constantinople's fall.[4]

Giovanni Andrea II Angelo Flavio Comneno (1634–1703), last of the Angeli princes

The Angeli ceased being grand masters of their order when those rights were granted to Francesco Farnese, the Duke of Parma, by Giovanni Andrea II Angelo Flavio Comneno in 1698.[1] Farnese's right to the order was confirmed by Pope Innocent XII and Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. The order exists to this day, now under the rule of the Bourbon family, confirmed as a religious-military order in a 1718 papal bull owing to a notable success in liberating Christians in the Peloponnese. Alongside the Sovereign Military Order of Malta it is the sole international Catholic Order which still has this status today.[23] The male line of the Angeli family was rendered extinct with the death of the childless Giovanni Andrea II on 8 April 1703.[1][24] The family line was extinguished in 1756 with the death of Giovanni Andrea II's niece, Laura.[13]

There were later attempts to claim male-line descent from the family. A man by the name of Johannes Antonius Angelus Flavius Comnenus Lascaris Palaeologus, who died in Vienna in 1738, claimed descent not only from the Angeli but also from the despot Theodore II Palaiologos of the Palaiologos dynasty. Johannes referred to himself as "Princeps de genere Imperatorum Orientis" and claimed connection with the Constantinian Order.[1] Johannes Antonius also claimed the title of 'Prince of Macedonia' among others, a claim that was continued by his opponent and later "successor" Radu Cantacuzino, before the titles fell into disuse.[25] Among later "Byzantine pretenders", Johannes Antonius was not alone in making claims to the Constantinian order, or other invented chivalric orders. Many later forgers of Byzantine claims purported that they were either part of the Constantinian Order, or its legitimate grand master.[26]

Angeli princes (c. 1551–1703)[]

  1. Andrea Angelo Flavio Comneno (d. 1580),[27] 'Prince of Macedonia, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[27]
    • Giovanni Demetrio Angelo Flavio Comneno (1499–1571),[28][29] 'Prince of Achaea and Macedonia', with Andrea and Girolamo I.[29] Brother of Andrea.[13] Not counted in later lists.[28]
    • Girolamo I Angelo Flavio Comneno (1505–1591),[28][29] 'Prince of Thessaly', with Andrea and Giovanni Demetrio.[28] Brother of Andrea.[13]
  2. Pietro Angelo Flavio Comneno (1526–1592),[28][29] 'Prince of Cilicia and Macedonia, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[28][29] Son of Giovanni Demetrio.[13]
  3. Giovanni Andrea I Angelo Flavio Comneno (1569–1634),[28][29] 'Prince of Macedonia, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[28] Son of Pietro.[13]
  4. Angelo Maria Angelo Flavio Comneno (1600–1678),[29][30] 'Prince of Macedonia and Thessaly, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[29][30] Grandson of Girolamo I.[13]
  5. Marco Angelo Flavio Comneno (1608–1679),[29][30] 'Prince of Macedonia and Thessaly, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[29][30] Brother of Angelo Maria.[13]
  6. Girolamo II Angelo Flavio Comneno (1629–1687),[29][30] 'Prince of Macedonia, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[30] Grandson of Girolamo I.[13]
  7. Giovanni Andrea II Angelo Flavio Comneno (1634–1703),[29][30] 'Prince of Macedonia, Duke and Count of Drivasto and Durazzo'.[30] Brother of Girolamo II.[13]

Family tree[]

Follows Sainty (2018).[31] Princes are marked with bold text, women are marked with italics.

Andrea
d. before 1451
∞ Dorothea Arianiti
Paolo
1427–1468/69		Pietro
1441/43–1511/12
∞ Lucia Span
Alexis
k. in battle		Paolo
d. 1586		Giovanni Demetrio
1499–1571
∞ N. Franceschina		Andrea
d. 1580		Girolamo I
1505–1591
∞ Ursula Bini
Pietro
1526–1592
∞ Lucrezia Beolchi		Michele Leone Salvatore
1557–1623
∞ Lucietta Michiel		Leone
d. 1591		PietroAndrea
1578–1644
Married five times
Giovanni Andrea I
1569–1634		Giacomo Antonio
d. after 1610		Girolamo
d. before 1623		Angelo Maria
1600–1678		Marco
1608–1679		UrsulaMaria Altadonna
Married twice[c]		LauraGirolamo II
1629–1687
∞ name unknown		Pietro
d. young		Giovanni Andrea II
1634–1703
∞ N. Mandricardi
Laura
d. 1756

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The family name was often latinized as Angelus Flavius Comnenus[1] and it was sometimes shortened to Angeli[2] or to Angelo di Drivasto ("Angelo of Drisht").[3] Rarely, additional Byzantine dynastic names were added, producing last names such as Angelo Flavio Comneno Lascaris Paleologo.[1]
  2. ^ The Angeli held that they were descendants of Isaac II through his son Alexios IV Angelos, who they claimed had an otherwise unattested son called Alexios Andreas. Alexios Andreas would then have been the father of a man by the name of Michael, who was the father of a man called Andreas, who was the father of a man called Michael or Peter, who was the father of Andres Engjëlli.[6]
  3. ^ Maria Altadonna had a single son, by her second husband Giovanni Battista Vuković Lazari, named Michele, who later became vice-chancellor of the Constantinian Order.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Nicol 1992, p. 119.
  2. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 49.
  3. ^ Constantinian Order.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sainty 2018, p. 52.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Sainty 2018, p. 42.
  6. ^ Sainty 2018, pp. 414–416.
  7. ^ Ciggaar 1996, p. 240.
  8. ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 641–649.
  9. ^ Stavrides 2001.
  10. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 51.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sainty 2018, p. 50.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Sainty 2018, p. 41.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sainty 2018, p. 417.
  14. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 53.
  15. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 54.
  16. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 55.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Sainty 2018, p. 58.
  18. ^ Hassiotis 1982–1983, pp. 90–91.
  19. ^ Sainty 2018, pp. 41–42.
  20. ^ Nicol 1992, p. 121.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Babinger 1962.
  22. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 59.
  23. ^ Sainty 2018, p. 12.
  24. ^ Sainty 2019, pp. 411, 417.
  25. ^ Iorga 1933, p. 154.
  26. ^ Nicol 1992, p. 120.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b Sainty 2018, pp. 410, 417.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Sainty 2018, p. 410.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l Torelli 1751, p. XXXVII.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Sainty 2018, p. 411.
  31. ^ Sainty 2018, pp. 410–411, 417.

Bibliography[]

  • Babinger, Franz (1962). "ARIANITI, Costantino". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. 4. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani.
  • Ciggaar, Krijna Nelly (1996). Western Travellers to Constantinople: The West and Byzantium, 962-1204. Brill.
  • Hassiotis, Ioannis (1982–1983). "George Heracleus Basilicos, a Greek Pretender to a Balkan Principality (End of the XVI – Beginning of the XVII century)" (PDF). Balcanica. XIII–XIV: 85–96. ISSN 0350-7653.
  • Iorga, N. (1933), "Radu Cantacuzino. Ședința dela 10 Iunie 1932 [sic]", Memoriile Secțiunii Istorice a Academiei Române, Seria III, Tom XIII: 149–158
  • Nicol, Donald M. (1992). The Immortal Emperor: The Life and Legend of Constantine Palaiologos, Last Emperor of the Romans. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0511583698.
  • Sainty, Guy Stair (2018). The Constantinian Order of Saint George: and the Angeli, Farnese and Bourbon families which governed it. Boletín Oficial del Estado. ISBN 978-8434025066.
  • Stavrides, Théoharis (2001). The Sultan of vezirs: the life and times of the Ottoman Grand Vezir Mahmud Pasha Angelovic (1453–1474). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-12106-5.
  • Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). A. Thessaloniki: Centre for Byzantine Studies, University of Thessaloniki. OCLC 834784634.
  • Torelli, Tommaso (1751). Armamentarii historico-legalis ordinum equestrium et militarium in codices tripertiti... opera, et studio Thomae Aloysii Silvii Torelli... (in Latin). typis Antonii Barbiani.

Web sources[]

  • "The Origins". Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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