Warfare in the histories of John Kantakouzenos

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the descriptions of military operations that can be found in the Histories of the megas domestikos and emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (1347-54). The discussion of Kantakouzenos’ accounts of military operations contributes to the better understanding of his military thinking and provides a better insight to the nature of military conflicts in the Byzantine world in the first half of the fourteenth century. John VI Kantakouzenos is the only late Byzantine emperor who wrote a narrative of the political and military events of his period. His Histories cover the period 1320-1356, though some events, such as the temporary capture of Anhialos and Mesembria by John V Palaiologos (1341-91) date in the 1360s. 1 Modern scholars describe the Histories either as an apologetic work for Kantakouzenos’ role in the civil wars of the fourteenth century which ruined Byzantium, or as memoirs. 2 Regardless whether the distinction between memoirs and historiography can be applied in this case, Kantakouzenos’ agenda is easily discernible. He wanted to justify and explain his involvement in the civil wars and portray himself as a defender of the dynastic rights of the emperors of the Palaiologan dynasty. 3 Kantakouzenos supported and financed the rebellion of Andronikos III Palaiologos (1328-41) against his grandfather Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282-28). This rebellion led to a civil war which was fought intermittently from 1321 until 1328 and resulted in the deposition of the elder Andronikos. Kantakouzenos became the closest associate of Andronikos III, whose sudden death in 1341 caused a catastrophic civil war between Kantakouzenos, who claimed to be the rightful regent of the deceased emperor’s son John V Palaiologos, and the regency which was established in Constantinople and was led by Alexios Apokaukos, the patriarch John Kalekas and the widow of the deceased emperor, Anna of Savoy. In 1347, Kantakouzenos and his clan emerged victorious. However, Kantakouzenos ruled over an impoverished, disintegrated and fragmented state.