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In the Roman
Empire the emblem of the armed forces was a thunderbolt, the arms of
Zeus/Jupiter and heaven. In the christian Empire of
Constantine the emblem of the armed forces became the cypher of Christ
consisting of the letters chi and rho of the greek alphabet, XP
(χρ). This cypher was placed on the labarum or imperial
banner but also on the shields of the christian
army. The emblem of the army staff itself consisted of this cypher on a clipeus,
supported by two angels, symbolizing the heavenly mandate. In the
achievements of the lower divisions of the army the cypher was supported by
heraldic beasts like peacocks or griffins.
As far as we know
the emblems of rank within the armed forces did not
change and consisted of a gorgoneion, an eagle, a griffin and a lion for
the four highest ranks.
This system was not abandoned when the Roman Empire was divided into a
Western and an Eastern part. In both parts it continued to exist even after
the fall of the Western Empire. In the West it was adopted by the successor
states like, for example the empires of the Franks and the Visigoths (and
probably the Vandals). In the East a major reform took place when the defense
of the empire was organised in themes. In this system the rank of caesar
became obsolete and the commanders of a theme apparently had the rank
of consul of which the eagle was the emblem. Such eagles were placed
on seals, accompanied by a personal cypher or other relevant emblems like a
crescent or a crux quadrata. [1]
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The emblem of the
early Byzantine Empire was a sun radiant. This was depicted for example at
the beginning of the 6th century in Ravenna
(ð see illustration in the head of this essay).
The achievement of
state in that time consisted of this sun radiant supported by two angels (the
state considered to be a function of the Empire
sanctioned by heaven).
Later these emblems were replaced by other ones.
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The arms of the
Co-emperor himself was green, charged with the XP-cypher. This can be seen on the
mosaic in the Church of S. Vitale in Ravenna, depicting Tiberius II Constantine
(578-582).
The badge of rank
of the Co-emperor was an eagle. It was on a shoulder patch and on the tablion
of the chlamys (cloak) of Tiberius II Constantine: Or, and eagle
sejant Sable within an annulet Gules. (ill.ð)
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The XP-symbol of
the army in the East was replaced by a crux quadrata when the stress
of the defense force was shifted from the regular imperial army to the Imperial
Guard (Scholae). This crux quadrata was on the imperial banner but was
also on the shields of Imperial Bodyguard. The Varanger Imperial Bodyguard
for example bore shields with a drop-cross, the horizontal bars blue and the
vertical bars red.
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At about the same time the Imperial banner showed a golden crux-quadrata,
the blade red with a blue bordure, the tails red and blue.
Imperial banner
Madrilene Chronicle of
John Skylitzes. Palermo, ca. 1150-’75. Bibl. Nacional,
Madrid, Vitr. 26-2 fol. 43 r°.
* From the scene when Theophilos arrives at the church of
Blachernai. The emperor on horseback, behind him his banner: Red, a golden square cross, a blue bordure, the tails red and
blue.
On fol. 86 (when Basileus I (867-886) gives Michael III
(842-867) back his escaped horse) the banners of the bodyguard are the same but with three or four tails.
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At the end of the 12th century the emblem of
the army or the Imperial bodyguard seems to have been red, strewn with little
golden square crosses potent. Such a shield can be seen on this icon of St.
Theodore:
Icon with Saint Theodore
Teron.
Byzantine,
ca. 1200. Tempera and gold on wood. 33 Í 20.5 cm. Inscribed: OC QEODw O TURON
The
Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, Patmos, Greece (New Treasury).
On this
icon Theodore I Lascaris
(*1173-†1222) is portrayed as a warrior and before he became despot (lord) of
Nicea in 1204 and emperor in 1208.
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1204-1261
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In a way the Latin Emperors after 1204 continued this
tradition. The first Emperor Baldwin had a two-sided seal combining the two
traditions: on the obverse is the emperor on his throne, on the reverse he is
on horseback, a shield at his arm.
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Baldwin I of
Flanders
|
*07.1171-†20.08.1206
Count of Flanders 1194-1205
Count of Hainaut 1195-1202
Latin Emperor 16.05.1204-14.04.1205
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The arms of Baldwin as a count of Flanders was a black
lion on a golden field. This can be seen on his seals as a count of Flanders but
also as an emperor of Romanie. [2].
Reverse of the seal of Baldwin, 1204 [3]
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Arms: Or, a lion rampant Sable.
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Obv.:
Majesty’s seal: Enthroned
ruler with sceptre and globe. L.: baldouinos. despotes. Date: 1204
Rev.: Equestrian seal: Rider
on horseback with crown, sword and shield. Arms: [Or], a lion [Sable]L.: BALD(uinus) D(e)I
GRA(tia) IMP(erato)R ROM(anie) FLAND(rie) HAIN(onie)
COM(es).
Date 1204. [4]
The emblem of his rank was an eagle. This is documented
for his coronation when his ceremonial dress was decorated with eagles. [5]
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Shield
of Baldwin I
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A
shield said to have been of Baldwin, has been preserved for a long time in
Nôtre Dame de Flines abbey but has disappeared. It was described and drawn about
1601 by Antonio de Succa in his memoirs. [6] His sketch shows a
rectangular shield with a round base strewn with rings and with an
estcutcheon of a square cross between kings enthroned and riders on
horseback.
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Bauduyn,
comte de Haynaut, at donné ce bouclié a Flines.
Diverses figures a cheval courant
a la turquesque
les fuiellians sont d’argent doré
et les figures par dedens illuminees.
un roi assis
un roi assis
chevalier turque qui couret (a).
Le fond est feullié d’or et par
dessus rondeaus sont clouts et par dedans couroyes (b) verd avecque un
coussin de satin rouge.
rouge et aultres bleu, aussi
de perles
Un bouclee vu tel facon que Bauduyn conte
de Haynaut at gaingné sur les turcques et l’at laissé à Flines.
Pieret du boclié ainsi sont
ouvré fort les ovalles du fil tort d’argent doré.
Une pieret du boclier.
a last word
difficult to read
b a word crossed out
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Henry I
|
*1176 - † 11.06.1216
Latin Emperor 20.08.1206-1216
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The successor of Baldwin, his brother Henry had a
different coat of arms. His emblem of rank was also an eagle.
Obv.: Majesty’s seal: Enthroned
ruler with sceptre and orb. L.: .....DESPOTES
Rev.: Equestrian seal Rider on
horseback with sword and shield. Arms: [Gules] strewn with crosslets patée
encircled [Or].L: HENRICVS DEI GRATIA IMPERATOR ROMANIE. [8]
The eagle of Henri can be found on the socalled Staurotheque of Henry of Flanders made in Constantinople (before 1216) by
goldsmith Gerald. [9]
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Arms: [Gules] strewn with
crosslets patée encircled [Or]
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Eagle of Henry I
On his Staurothèque
(wood, gold; 33.5 Í 24 cm)
Treasury of the S.Marco,
Venice.
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Dalmatic of Charlemagne
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A piece which could probably be ascribed to Henri or his
successor Peter II, is the so-called “Dalmatic
of Charlemagne”, today in the Treasury of the St. Peter in Rome. This
“dalmatic” is thought to be a saccos (liturgical attire) and is dated
in the 11th but also in the 14th century. A fact is
that the saccos was a gift from the Patriarch of Constantinople,
Isidore of Kiev (1439) to Pope Eugene IV (1431-1447).
As the saccos is of purple textile and strewn with
crosslets encircled in a manner of
12th-13th century fashion, the saccos may as well be of that period.
The purple certainly is the colour of an emperor and goes back to the colour of the cloaks of the Roman supreme
commanders in the field.
The crosslets encircled are emblems of civil authority in
general and of the Emperors in particular. As we have seen, the crossletts
encircled are also on the shield of Henry I. It is known that Henry was
forced to accept the authority over the Orthodox church like his predecessors
and this would explain the patriarchal crosses on the saccos.
As the piece seems to be of Western manufacture but was
preserved in Constantinople it may have been of a Latin Emperor and the owner
may well have been Henry I or even Peter of Courtenay.We may suppose that the
dalmatic was worn by the emperor presiding the Orthodox council. At such
occasions the emblem of rank was on the suppedion of the Emperor.
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So-called Dalmatica of
Charlemagne. Rome, Tesoro di S.
Pietro.
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Peter of Courtenay
|
*1167-† ? 01.1218
count of Auxerre 1184
count of Namur 1212
crowned emperor 09.04.1217
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Peter of Courtenay was married with Yolande, the sister of
Baldwin and Henry I and was amongst others for that reason a candidate for
the succession in Constantinople. He often
quarrelled with the church of Auxerre about taxes and was excommunicated for
that reason a few times. His election as an Emperor of the Latin Empire was
against the liking of Pope Honorius III. As a compromise Honorius decided to
crown Peter outside the walls of Rome in the S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura. [10]
After his coronation Peter, after his siege of Durazzo
travelling to Constantinople through Albania and Epire, fell into an ambush
set up by Theodore Angelus and disappeared
completely. [11]
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Crown of Namur
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A piece that may have a relation with Peter or his wife Yolanda
is the crown of Namur. It may have come to Namur after the death of Peter
when the crown of Byzantium was offered to Philip,
the eldest son of Peter and Yolanda. As he refused to the benefit of his
younger brother Robert, the crown may have remained in Namur where it was
mentioned for the first time in 1219.
Reliquiary Crown with thorns from
the crown of Christ
Beginning of the 13th century. Æ 20,7 cm. H. 3.3 cm &
7.5 cm
Treasury of Namur
Cathedral, formerly treasury of St. Aubin, Inv. n° 4
The Crown consists
of eight pieces set with precious stones, connected by hinges and set with
fleurs de lys. The thorns in little containers. This crown is of
West-European fashion and was probably made in the region of the Meuse. [12]
Such is crown is also on the head of Baldwin on his equestrian seal. The fleurs de lys are the symbol of armed
authority and for that reason the crown has belonged to a high ranking
military commander (like Baldwin I).
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Robert of Courtenay
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*1198-† 13.02.1228
25.03.1221-1228
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As the seal of Robert of Courtenay was identical with the
seal of Henry I, his coat of arms was also [Gules] strewn with crosslets encircled
[Or].[13]
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Baldwin II
John of Brienne
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*1218 - † 15.10.1273
Latin Emperor 1228-25.08.1261
co-emperor 1231-†1237
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Baldwin II was
a younger son of Yolanda of Flanders, sister of the first two emperors,
Baldwin I and Henry of Flanders. Her husband, Peter of Courtenay, was third
emperor of the Latin Empire and had been followed by his son Robert of
Courtenay, on whose death in 1228 the succession passed to Baldwin, then an
11-year-old boy. The barons chose John of Brienne (titular king of Jerusalem)
as emperor-regent for life; Baldwin was to rule the Asiatic possessions of
the empire when he reached the age of twenty, was to marry John's daughter
Marie, and on John's death to enjoy the full imperial sovereignty. The
marriage contract was carried out in 1234. Since the death of Baldwin's
uncle, Emperor Henry of Flanders in 1216, the Latin Empire had declined and
the Byzantine power advanced; and the hopes that John of Brienne might
restore it were disappointed. He died in 1237.
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In his Historia
Anglorum Matthew Paris gives the arms of John of Brienne at the section
reporting bis death. These arms are Or, a cross Argent for Jerusalem, and
Azure, a fish per pale (hauriant) Or, for Brienne.:
Matthew Paris. Historia
Anglorum. B.L. Ms Roy. 14.C.VII. Fol. 125v.
Death
of John de Brienne, King of Jeruzalem, 1237 - bottom left margin: two
inverted shields: (a) Jerusalem (or, a cross argent): Scutum ejus secundum; (b) Brienne, above an inverted crown
between two swords (azure, a fish hauriant or): scutum ejus primum. Beneath: Obiit
rex Ierusalem Johannes de Bresne, cujus filia nuptui tradita fuit Fretherico
imperatori, quae peperit ei Conradum.
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Baldwin went to
the West in 1236, visited Rome, France and Flanders, trying to raise money
and men to recover the lost territory of his realm. His efforts met with
success, and in 1240 he returned to Constantinople (through Germany and
Hungary) at the head of a considerable army. Circumstances hindered him from
accomplishing anything with this help, and in 1245 he traveled again to the
West, first to Italy and then to France, where he spent two years. The
empress Marie and Philip of Toucy governed during his absence. He was happy
to be able to get money from King Louis IX in exchange for relics. In 1249 he
was with King Louis at Damietta.
Baldwin is
depicted in full armoury in about 1250 when he had returned from Damietta.
Kneeling Knight,
Westminster Psalter, London, c. 1250
(London, British Library
ms. Royal 2. A. XXII fol. 220)
His coat of arms is
Gules, strewn with crosslets patée Or, and his pennon shows three golden crosslets
patée on a red field. Around his helmet is a royal crown. It is a pity that
his shield has been omitted in this manuscript.
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Philip of Courtenay
|
1273/’78-1283
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The famous arms: Gules,
a cross between four crosses encircled between four
crosslets Or, are only known from Baldwins son Philip:
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The seal of Philip of Courtenay
Obv.: Majesty’s seal:
Enthroned ruler with crown, sceptre and orb. L.: PHILIPPVS DEI GRACIA . IMPERATOR . ROMANIE . ET.
SEMPER . AVGVSTVS
Rev.: Equestrian seal:
Crowned rider on horsback, on his shield and the clothes of his horse:
[Gules] a cross between four crosses encircled
between four crosslets [Or]. L.: ΦΙΛΗΠΟC
ЄΠЄΙθV : ΠΙCΤS :
ΒΑCΙΛЄVC K AVTOKRATOP POMЄON
ΠOPΦΙPOΓЄΝΗΤS O
ΦΛANθPAC.[14]
13th century rolls of arms show:
Arms: Gules, a cross, W.: rood, een gouden kruis
tussen in ieder kwartier een omcirkeld kruisje en vier kruisjes. L.: lempreur de constantinouble. (Wijnbergen Roll no.1273.) [15]
Arms: L’empereur de Constantinople, gules crusuly
d’or un crois passant d’or a quatre rondells d’or in les quarters et in
chescun rondell un croisee. (Walford’s
Roll, n° C.2) [16]
The monumental tomb of Philip of Courtenay, showing the
arms, is in the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.
His successors,
titulary emperors of Romanie, bore the same arms.
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This section
ends with the arms of Constantinople in the Portuguese “Livro do Armeiro-Mor”, compiled 1509. [17]
Arms of the King of
Constantinople.
Livro do Almeiro Mor, fol
12.
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Theodore II
Lascaris
|
*1222- †18.10.1258
1254-1258
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The reign of Theodore
Laskaris counted several diplomatic and military successes and Theodore could
expand his political influence in the Balkans and in Asia Minor. Internally
he met with considerable opposition which ended with the exile of his important opponent
Michael Palaeologus, who was
accused of conspiring with the Seljuqs of Rum. Theodore died in 1258, leaving
his minor son John IV under the regency of his megas domesticus George
Mouzalon.
The badge of rank
of Theodore II was a two-headed eagle which was displayed on his suppedion.This
eagle matches the function of supreme commander of the prefecture of Oriens. His
predecessor in the use of the two-headed eagle had been Kaikhosrau II of
Ikonion (1237-’45) who had to accept a Mongol protectorate in 1243 and who
used a lion passant and a sun, the badge of rank of a high ranking mongol
military official, since then.
The two headed
eagle is on a portrait of Theodore II:
Suppedion on Cod.
Marcianus graecus 404 fol. VI.
Gules, a two-heade eagle
Or.
His coat of arms
may have been Gules, a cross between four crosslets
within an annulet Or, but this seems to be more certain for his son and
successor John IV.
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John IV Lascaris
George Mouzalon
Michael Palaeologus
|
*1250-†1305
1258-1261
Regent 1258
Megas Dux &
Despot 1258
Co-emperor 1259
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A few days after
the death of Emperor Theodore II Doukas Laskaris in 1258, Michael Palaeologus
instigated a coup against the influential bureaucrat George Mouzalon,
becoming joint guardian for the new emperor together with the patriarch
Arsenios. Michael was invested with the titles of megas dux and, in
November 1258, of despotēs. On 1 January 1259 Michael VIII
Palaeologus was proclaimed co-emperor at Nymphaion with the help of the
Republic of Genoa. Probably to this political configuration a section in the Armorial
de Gelre, compiled some hundred years later, refers. The arms of the
Emperor of Constantinople and his vassals are depicted on fol’s 104v°-105 r°
of this Roll of Arms. [18]
DIE
KEYSER v. CONSTANTINOPEL
Gelre n° 1484.
These may have been
the arms of :
í Koloman II emperor of Bulgaria (1256-1257/61)
In
1256 Theodore II concluded a peace treaty
with Michael Asen of Bulgaria. In 1257, his successor Koloman II Asen was
deposed and in his place Constantine Tikh was elected by the nobles (boyars).
By 1261 Koloman was decisively
defeated, and sought asylum with Michael VIII Palaiologos, the emperor of
Nicaea.
í Manuel I Comnenos Emperor of Trabzon (1238-1263)
í (A predecessor of) Jakov
Svetoslav Despot of Vidin (1263-1276)
After having been
lost in 1261 to the future
king Stephen V of Hungary, Bulgarian Vidin and Lom was reconquered by the
Bulgarians under the
leadership of the Russian prince Jakov Svetoslav. He
was invested with the practically autonomous possession of Vidin and
maintained contacts with both Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Hungary.
íMichael II Dukas Despot of Epirus
(1230-1267)
After a peace
treaty with Nicaea in 1246 Serbia and Dyrrhachion were ceded to Theodore Laskaris of Niceae
by treaty of 1256 with Theodora, the consort of Michael II, and their
son Nikephoros of Lenza. At the same time Nikephoros
was betrothed to Mary, daughter of the Emperor and was granted the title of
despot.
At about the same time the arms of the titulary emperor of Constantinople
and of the Palaeologues were documented in the Wijnbergen roll.
In the rapidly changing political situation after the
conquest of Constantinople these arms disappeared
with the eclipse of the House of Laskaris.
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1261-1463
|
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Michael Palaeologus,
who was a co-regent of John IV Lascaris of Nicea since 1259, captured
Constantinople in 1261 reaping the fruits of Nicean policy. There he was
crowned Michael VIII and founded the dynasty which was to rule until the
final fall of the empire in 1453.
Michael’s
restored empire consisted of the Nicean lands of northwest Asia Minor, the
capital, most of Thrace and Macedonia, with some of the islands as well as
control over Epirus; as the result of his victory at Pelagonia (1259), he
also gained certain strategic fortresses in the Peloponnesus.
Ten years later, wishing to end the Great Schism that
divided Rome and Constantinople, Gregory X convoked a council in Lyon in 1272
and sent an embassy to Michael VIII Palaeologus, who had reconquered Constantinople,
putting an end to the remnants of the Latin Empire in the East, and he asked
Latin despots in the East to curb their ambitions. Eastern dignitaries
arrived at Lyon on 24 June 1274 presenting a letter from the Emperor. Michael
offered the restoration of Christian unity in
exchange for support by the Pope against the attacks from the West. Contrary
to his predecessor Theodore, who had clinged to his spiritual supremacy,
Michael offered to accept the supremacy of the Pope in religious matters.
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The council was apparently a success, and the Greek and
Roman churches were reunited indeed, but did not
provide a lasting solution to the schism; the Emperor was anxious to heal the
schism, but the Eastern clergy proved to be solidly opposed. Patriarch Joseph
of Constantinople abdicated, and was replaced by John Beccos, a convert to
the cause of union. In spite of a sustained campaign by Beccos to defend the
union intellectually, and vigorous and brutal repression of opponents by
Michael, the vast majority of byzantine christians remained implacable
opposed to union with the Latin "heretics". Michael's death in December 1282 put an end to the union of Lyons. His son
and successor Andronicus II repudiated the union, and Beccos was forced to
abdicate, being eventually exiled and imprisoned until his death in 1297.
|
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|
Michael VIII Palaeologus
|
1261-1282
|
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|
The Arms
Also, after the restoration of the Empire, a new emblem
appeared also continuing the tradition of the Latin Emperors It is a coat of
arms “Gules, a cross between four β Or”. This has been the blason of the
Palaeologues until the end of the Empire in 1453.
Arms: Gules, a cross between
four ß’s Or.
L.: “Le roi de
Pariologre”. [19]
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Banners of Salloniq and Constantinople
on
a map of Petrus
Vesconte, Genoa, 1320. In: Cod. Pal. Lat. 1362 A, fol 3 v /4r
Later
versions show flints instead of the ‘B’-s. These are a corruption of the
bèta’s of the original arms. This corruption occurred at the beginning of the
14th century, for example in the Book of Knowledge and on Catalan portolans,
but a coin from the time of John V and John VI shows the (correct) B-version:
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The Eagle
Michael VIII,
the first emperor of the House of Palaeologus did not follow the example of
Theodoros of Nicea who had two-headed eagles on his suppedion, matching a
position of a caesar (of the prefecture Oriens.) Instead, matching his
position of a prefect of Constantinople with the rank of a despot (consul), there are golden
single-headed eagles on his suppedion.
Suppedion of Michael VIII
on
Cod. Monacensis graecus 442 fol. 174 r
en Cod. Marcianus graecus 404 fol 100 r .
showing: Gules, a haloed eagle Or.
In 1272, at the appointement of his son Andronicus as his
co-emperor by prostagma of 8 November 1272 it
was decreed that the co-emperor would sit at the acclamations, in the
presence as well at the absence of the emperor, on a throne decorated with a red eagle. [20]
|
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Andronikos II |
†1332
Co-emperor1272
Emperor 1282-1328
|
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|
After the death of Michael VIII in 1282 Andronicus II adopted
the two-headed eagle, being the emblem of a caesar and matching his
position as a ruler of the main part of the former prefecture Illyricum. Such
a two-headed eagle was on the imperial suppedion but also on the
imperial banner.
|
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Two-headed eagle on the
suppedion of Andronicus II
Frontispiece
of a Golden Bulla,
Museum of Byzantium,
Athens, Ms. 1.
|
Banner of Andronicus II
in the Monastery of
Watopedi on Mount Athos
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After his deposition in 1328 he was blinded. In 1330 he
retreated to Watopedi Monastery where he took the name of Antonios and died
two years later on 13.February 1332. His banner preserved there is red with
an embroidered golden crowned
two-headed eagle between the cyphers of Άνδρωνίχος
Παλαιολόγος. [21]
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The Genoese
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After the
Fourth Crusade the Republic of Genoa, in order to regain control of the
commerce, allied with Michael VIII Palaiologos, Emperor of Nicaea, who wanted
to restore the Byzantine Empire by recapturing Constantinople. In March 1261
the treaty of the alliance was signed in Nymphaeum. On July 25, 1261, Nicaean
troops with support from Genoa, captured Constantinople. As a result, the
balance of favour tipped toward Genoa, which was granted free trade rights in
the Latin Empire; besides the control of commerce in the hands of Genoese
merchants, Genoa received ports and way stations in many islands and
settlements in the Aegean Sea. The islands of Chios and Lesbos became
commercial stations of Genoa as well as the city of Smyrna (Izmir). The colony
of Pera was able to formalize their borders as a result of a decree dated
1303.
On 14th century
portolans (sea-charts) the banner of
the Genoese colony is flown. This banner is of the same composition as
the arms of some other Byzantine vassals and consists of a quarterly of
Byzantium and Genoa, the quarter for Byzantium of the blason of Palaeologan
Byzantium
The Genoese
banner was flown over Pera until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
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|
Manuel II
|
*1347-† 1425
(1373) 1391-1425
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|
The configuration of the arms and badge of rank of the
emperors of Constantinople seems not to have changed
in the 14th century. Portraits are known of Johan VI Kantakuzenos (1347-1354) on which he is standing on a
suppedion decorated with golden two-headed eagles. [22]
His arms and/or banner seems to have been a cross between
four crosslets (like the arms of Morea, governed by his son Manuel)
Ottoman vassalage (1371-1394) apparently did not have any impact and Manuel II Palaeologus (1391-1425) is portrayed, standing on a suppedion decorated with golden two-headed eagles.
Suppedion
of Manuel II, 1384.
On the “Funeral Oration of
Manuel II Palaiologos for His Brother Theodore”. Constantinople, 1409–11.
Bibliothèque Nationale de
France, Département des Manuscrits, Paris (Supplément grec 309).
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|
At the beginning
of the 14th century Manuel II was portrayed with his
family. The leaf may have been painted in 1415 at the occasion of his son John
VIII becoming
a co-emperor and when Andronikos was made governor of Salonika. The
boys were then of the age of 23, 19 and 12 respectively.
On the picture are (from left to right):
Portrait
of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II and his family.
Paris,
Musée du Louvre. Ms. 416 dit de Saint Denis l’Aéropagite.
John
VIII. co-emperor since about 1415, Manuel II Emperor (since1391) Theodoros II
despot of Mistra since 1407, his brother Andronikos who was governor of
Salonika (1415-’23), and Helena Dragaš, the empress consort since 1392.[23]
The
badges of rank of John VIII and Manuel
II are not visible on this picture because their suppedia were in the
missing lower margin. The red tunica of Theodore is strewn with
two-headed eagles, enclosed by an annulet and this may be the badge of rank
of a supreme commander not being an emperor (autokrator).
Such two-headed eagles enclosed were also the badge of rank of the Serbian
tsar (basileus)
Andronikos is dressed in a red tunica strewn with fleurs
de lys enclosed by an annulet. This, as a fleur de lys is the emblem of armed
authority, is the badge of rank of a supreme police commander.
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|
John VIII
|
*1392-12-18-†1448-10-31
1415/1425-1448
|
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Arms of John VIII in the Bergshammer Roll
|
Two-headed eagle in the
Prayer Book of Demetrius Palaeologus
|
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|
The achievement of the Emperor of Constantinople is depicted
in Bergshammer Roll (ca. 1440) [24]
It
is:
Arms: Gules, a cross between four
flints Or
Crest: On a helmet lambrequined of
the colours, a tub of the arms filled with peacock’s feathers and issuant
from a crown of three leaves and two pearls.
|
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|
A
two-headed eagle from the time of Manuel II is in the Prayer book of
Demetrius Palaeologus.
This book in quarto and bound in green silk
with silver fittings has to be begun under the reign of Emperor Manuel. The oldest
pictures show the four Evangelists, St. Constantin and Helena keeping a long
patriarchal cross, an allegorical picture of a globe with a cross on a rock,
and the golden two-headed eagle on a red background. The two small crowns on
its heads are added later. There is also a three-quarter portrait of Manuel
II standing under an arch, his hair and beard grey. His tunic is green and
trimmed with a wide golden bordure as are his belt and sleeves. His mantle is
red trimmed with gold. On his head he wears a round red hat. Above the
portrait is written: Βυζαντίου πολεος Μανǒηλ Παλαιόλογος Βασιλεΰς Θεοΰ χαριτι (Emperor
of the City of Byzantium). On the
last but one page there is a picture of Demetrius,
the owner of the book, painted in Italian style, kneeling for prayer. He is dressed all
in black and has white hair and beard. Above him is written: † ***
ο δουλοσ
χοτου θυ –
δημέτριος –
παλαιο – λο - γος..
This Demetrius was the fifth
son of Manuel II and the last despot of Morea
(1449-1460). He died in Adrianople in 1471 as a monk
named David. He called himself
δεςποτης
‘Ρωμαίων (Roman Despot) and had a
two-headed eagle on his seal. [25]
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|
A later version of the arms, also with flints instead of
B-s, of this achievement is in the Livro do Almeiro Mor, (1509) fol 12v°
[26] :
Arms of the Rej d’
Pariologres
We may conclude that the arms and banners of the Emperors of
the Latin and Byzantine empire were closely related with the several ruling
houses. The eagle and two-headed eagle were certainly badges of rank, the
eagle symbolizing the rank of despot (the roman consul), the
two-headed eagle the rank of basileus (the roman caesar). Most
certainly the two-headed eagle was not the
arms of the House of Palaeologus.
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|
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 the emblems of
the former Empire did not disappear immediately.
As it was, the gates of the city were decorated with the
arms of the Palaeologues and with crowned shields showing the two-headed
eagle.
View of Constantinople in
the Nuremberg
Chronicle, 1493.
Showing the arms at the
sea-gates
Also
these emblems were preserved in western literature, in the first place by
Conrad Grüneberg who gives for Des Turgisch Kaiser an alliance of some six arms:
of the House of Osman (?), the house of Lascaris, the patriarch of Constantinople, the House
of Palaeologus, the House of Comnenus and the House of Branković.[27]
In a
spanish roll of arms of the Knights of the Fleece from the end of the 15th
century the arms of the empire are:
El enperador de Costantynopla. Trae de
colorado con una cruz de oro y en cada un cuartel un fyrmal de oro y más
cuatro cruzetas de oro rrecruzetadas. (Gules, a cross and in each quarter a seal
between four crosslets recrossed Or, ......which is of Philip de Courtenay)
El rrey de Por de Rromania. Trae de gulas
con el ágila de oro de dos cabeças. (Gules, a two-headed eagle Or) [28]
But also, as we have seen, the Palaeologean arms are in
the Portuguese Livro do Almeiro Mor.
In the 16th century, Martin
Schrot in his Wappenbuch, attributes the arms with the two-headed
eagle to the Emperor of Constantinople and he was right in sofar that the
two-headed eagle was the badge of rank of a basileus in general. [29]
Describing the rise of the Turkish Empire he also
attributes a coat of arms to the first bey of Bithynia Osman I which is of the same kind as the arms of the vassals of Michael VIII,
documented by Heraut de Gelre in the 14h century. It is quarterly, the 1st
and 4th of Palaeologus, the 2nd and 3rd [Azure] a
crescent [Argent]. [30]
These arms suggest a submission, at least de jure,
of Osman I to Andronicus II Palaeologus but nothing is known of such a
vassalage, even when Bithynia had been a part of the Byzantine Empire.
 |
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|
In the 17th century, last but not
least, also Ducange pays attention to the Byzantine empire in his Historia
Byzantina. [31]
The arms of the despot of Romanie are described as:
Le Roy Depos de Romenie, de gueules à l’aigle d’or à deux testes bequé & empieté de
senais. Despotæ Romaniæ insignia.
The Palaeologean arms are described as:
Le Roy de Romenie, de gueules à trois, (fortè 4) lettres
qu’on appelle d’or. B. Palæologorum insignia.
but are depicted correctly as follows:
 |
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© Hubert de Vries
2011.07.14
[1] Zacos,
G. & A. Verglery: Byzantine Lead Seals. Vol.
One, Part One Nos. 1-1095. Imperial Seals: Vth to XVth centuries. Non-imperial
seals: VIth to IXth centuries. Basel 1972.
[2] Vries, Hubert de: Wapens
van de Nederlanden, pp. 169-174
[3] Laurent, René: Les sceaux des princes territoriaux belges
du Xe sièclez à 1482, I, 1, Bruxelles, 1993, p. 161 en 162: T. II, pl. 26
[4] Zacos
op. cit. ill 8/9. Wree,
O. de: De Seghelen van de Graven van Vlaenderen. Brugge, 1640. p. 14. Prevenier,
Walter: La chancellerie de l'empire latin de Constantinople (1204-1261), in : V.D. van Aalst en K.N. Cigaar (ed.),
The Latin Empire, A.A. Bredius Foundation, Hernen, 1990, pp. 63-81.no 275. pl. XXX nos. 67-68.
[5] Brightman, F.E.: Byzantine
Imperial coronations. In:
Journal of Theological Studies, 2, 1901 pp. 359-392. And: Hendrickx, B.: Les institutions de
l'Empire latin de Constantinople (1204-1261). In: Byzantina, 6, 1974, p. 125.
[6] Bruxelles, Bibl. royale, Mss, II, 1862
[7] Memoriën van Anthonio de
Succa: catalogus (van de) tentoonstelling georganiseerd in de Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I.
Brussel, 5 maart tot 20 april 1977. Bd. I-II.
[8] Schlumberger 1943 pp.
167-169 Pl. VII, 3; Zacos
I. part 1, p. 102, no 112.; Tzotchev, A. "Molybdobulle de l'empereur
latin de Constantinople Henri, découvert lors des fouilles de Tzarevetz. In:
Numizmatika, 21 (1987) pp. 24-25. ill.
[9] Santuario San Marco, nr. 55
(catalogued in the inventarisation of 1402: nr. 2. Wooden patriarchal cross, on
the upper crossing a medaliion with an eagle, nowadays called a phoenix (?).
Die Zeit de Staufer Kat. Nr. 568, Abb. 372. De Schatkamer van de San Marco in
Venetië. ‘s Gravenhage 1991, pp 252-259.
[11] Sturdza, Mihail Dumitru: Grandes Familles
de Grèce, d'Albanie et de Constantinople. Dictionnaire Historique et
Genealogique. Paris, 1983. Chez l'auteur. 7 Rue de la Neva, F-75008
Paris. pp. 488 e.v.: Courtenay.
[12] Orfèvreries du Trésor de la Catédrale de
Namur. Namur, 1969. pp. 20-24. With an extensive bibliography.
[13] Prevenier, 1990, op.cit.
p. 69; Zacos, op.cit. 1972. p. 103, no 13.
[15] Adam-Even,
Paul & Léon Jéquier: Un Armorial français du XIIIe siècle,
l'armorial Wijnbergen. In: Archives Heraldiques Suisses. 1953 pp. 55-77.
[16] Brault,
Gerard J.: Eight Thirteenth-Century Rolls of Arms in French and Anglo-Norman Blazon.
The Pennsylvania State University Press. University Park and London, 1973.
[17] Instituto de Arquivos Nacionais/Torre do Tombo.ð
Instituto
dos Archivos Nacionais. Also: Google: Livro do Armeiro Mor
[18] Ms. 15652-56. Koninklijke
Bibliotheek. Brussel. ð Adam-Even, P.A.: Armorial
Universel du Heraut Gelre, 1370-1395. In: Archives Heraldiques
Suisses, 1961-1968; 1968 pp. 81-82.
[19] Adam-Even, op.cit. no. 1274.
[20] Dölger,
Franz: Regesten
der Kaiserurkunden des Oströmischen Reiches von 565 - 1453. 1-3. Hildesheim,
1924. P. 60
[21] Koehne B. von.: Vom Doppeladler In: Berliner Blätter für Münz-, Siegel
und Wappenkunde. Dl. VI Berlin 1871 p. 6 Taf. lxvii
–6. Also: The same: Das Kaiserlich Russische
Reichs-Wappen. Reiter und
Doppeladler. In: Vierteljahrschrift für Heraldik etc. Herold. 1882, pp 408-409. Taf. II. n° 2.
[22] Paris, Bibliothèque
Nationale Cod gr. 1242.
[23] See also Diana
Gilliland Wright
[25] Köhne, B. von: Das
Kaiserlich Russische Reichs-Wappen. Reiter und
Doppeladler. In:
Vierteljahrschrift für Heraldik etc. Herold. 1882, pp. 408-409. Taf. II. n° 2. The ms is said to be in the Imperial Public Library
[26] Istituto op. cit.
[27] Stillfried-Alcantara,
R. & A.M. Hildebrandt: Des Conrad Grüneberg Ritters und Bürgers zu Costenz Wappenbuch.
Görlitz, 1875.fol. xxixb. Also: Conrad
Grünenbergs Wappenbuch (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cgm 9210)
[28] Riquer,
Martin de: Heraldica Castellana en Tiempos de los Reyes Catholicos. Barcelona,
1986. Nos 408 & 427 (pp. 302-303).
[30] Ibid.
p. Dlxiiii
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