Kontostephanos
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thumb | right | Seal of Michael Kontostephanos, duke of Antioch, 1055 Kontostephanos (), feminine form Kontostephanina (Κοντοστεφανίνα), was the name of an aristocratic Byzantine Greek family active in the 10th–15th centuries, which enjoyed great prominence in the 12th century through its intermarriage with the Komnenian dynasty.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Occupation
- military officer
Show 2 more facts
- floruit
- 0986-00-00
- name in native language
- Κοντοστέφανος
via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- History
- Apogee under the Komnenoi
- Later family members
- References
- Sources
thumb | right | Seal of Michael Kontostephanos, duke of Antioch, 1055 Kontostephanos (), feminine form Kontostephanina (Κοντοστεφανίνα), was the name of an aristocratic Byzantine Greek family active in the 10th–15th centuries, which enjoyed great prominence in the 12th century through its intermarriage with the Komnenian dynasty.
== History == The progenitor of the family was Stephen, who served under Basil II (r. 976–1025) as Domestic of the Schools of the West, and was nicknamed "Kontostephanos" ("short Stephen") due to his height. Responsible to a large degree for Basil's humiliating defeat in the Battle of the Gates of Trajan against the Bulgarians, he was later involved in intrigues and beaten by the emperor.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kontostephanos” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.