Constantine Dragaš
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| Constantine Dragaš | |
| Died | May 17, 1395 Rovine, Romania |
|---|---|
| Cause of death | Battle |
| Spouse(s) | Unknown Eudokia Megaskomnene |
| Children | Helena Dragases, Jahov |
| Parents | Dejan, Theodora |
| Relatives | Stefan Dušan Stefan Dečanski |
Constantine Dragaš (Serbian: Константин Драгаш, Konstantin Dragaš; Bulgarian: Константин Драгаш, Konstantin Dragash; Greek: Kωvσταντίνος Δραγάσης, Konstantínos Dragáses) was a regional semi-independent lord in the fragmenting realm centered at Velbăžd (Kyustendil) from 1355 until his death at the battle of Rovine on May 17, 1395.
[edit] Life
Constantine was the son of the Serbian sebastokratōr Dejan by Theodora (Eudokia), a sister of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan. His maternal grandparents were Serbian king Stefan Dečanski and Theodora, daughter of Emperor Smilets of Bulgaria.
Together with his brother John Dragaš (Jovan Dragaš), who died in 1378/1379, Constantine governed large portions of Slavic eastern Macedonia and middle portion of the Struma River (Strymon) valley. Constantine's titles vary in the sources, where he is called variously "lord" (Bulgarian/Serbian gospodin, Greek kyr or authentēs), and he may have acquired the title of Despot (despotēs), by which he is usually referred to in modern discussions, perhaps by a grant from his son-in-law, the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos.
The Dragaš brothers generously endowed several monasteries on Mount Athos, including Hilandar, Pantaleimon and Vatopédi.
After the battle of Marica, they were forced to become vassals of the Ottoman Empire, but they maintained close links with their Christian neighbors, including the Byzantine Empire. In 1395, together with his neighbor and ally, the Serbian king of Prilep Marko, Constantine Dragaš was killed fighting for their Ottoman overlord Sultan Bayezid I against Mircea cel Bătrân of Wallachia at Rovine, near Craiova. The Ottomans named Constantine's capital Velbažd/Velbužd after him, Küstendil (now Bulgarian Kyustendil/Kjustendil).
[edit] Family
Constantine Dragaš was married twice. The name of his first wife is unknown, but she is not identical with Thamar (Tamara), the daughter of the Emperor (tsar) Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria, who had married a certain despotēs Constantine. Constantine Dragaš married as his second wife Eudokia Megaskomnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios III Megaskomnenos of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene. By his first wife, Constantine Dragaš had at least one daughter and possibly a son:
- Helena Dragases (Jelena Dragaš, nun Hypomone), who married the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos and died on May 13, 1450. Their many children included the last two Byzantine emperors, of whom Constantine XI added the name Dragaš (in Greek, Dragasēs) to his own.
- (possibly) Jakov (Muslim under the name Yaqub), who succeeded as lord of Velbăžd (Kyustendil).
[edit] References
- Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
