Casa Imperiale Cantacuzene di
Bisanzio
Principi Sovrani di Valacchia,
Moldavia e Transilvania
The
history of my family is inextricably linked with the fall of the Eastern part
of the Roman or, as it is customary in European literature, the Byzantine
Empire. In 1453, after the fall of Constantinople, actually being the
Government in exile, the Imperial Household aims at preserving the cultural
traditions of the Roman Empire and uniting the Romans (Byzantines) forced to
exist outside the homeland. Unlike most Dynasties whose history begins directly
with the coming to power, the Cantacuzene family has a long history both before
the ascent to the Throne of Basileus John VI, and after the Constantinople's
fall. According to
the Greek scholar K. Amantos, the name Cantacuzene
comes from the Greek κουζηνᾶν
or κουζηνόν, the names of the southern
slope of Mount Sipylus that is near the
ancient city of Smyrna, and κατὰ
that means to go down. Historian D.
Nicol confirms this theory. Perhaps, coming from
somewhere the first Cantacuzenes descended from the mountain; we do not know it
for certain. However, two lions holding a torn tree in their paws - the symbol
of the family - probably prove this theory, because the torn tree is the symbol
of those who were pulled away from the homeland of their ancestors. Anyway,
this symbol, as well as the family motto (Quae Nocent - Docent) is relevant to
this day: we are deprived of our Motherland, away from the land of our
ancestors, but we strongly protect our history and are proud of it. The first
mention of the Cantacuzenes is found in the historical chronicle of ''The Alexiad
1137-1141", written by Anna Comnena. It is said that Cantacuzene was a
military leader sent to fight Tancred in the Asian war after a clash in 1094.
In his Chronicles the Prince M.
Cantacuzin-Speransky mentions that his first name and the origin are unknown.
However, this fact allows us to conclude that this battle master, described in
the chronicles as "brave," was not the progenitor of the Dynasty. As
a consequence, one can say with certainty that the family existed before the XI
century. Another representative
of the family, Sevast John (sevast from Greek σεβαστός
- "venerable", in the 12th century the title was given to a
representative of an aristocratic family, who became related to Basileus per
marriage with his relatives), is mentioned in 1176 as a participant of Battle
of Myriokephalon. It is known that his wife was Maria Comnena, the
great-granddaughter of Basileus John II Comnenus and the niece of Basileus
Manuel I Comnenus (according to Prince Mikhail Cantacuzine-Speransky). The son
of Sevast John, Caesar John (as we see, the name John dominates among other
names in the family) was the son-in-law of Basileus Isaac II Angelus. Another
son Constantine is mentioned in 1189 as a military leader, and daughter Irene
was married to Grand Duke (Lord High Admiral) Alexios Palaiologos- the
grandfather of the first Basileus from the Palaiologos family, Michael VII who
conquered Constantinople from the Crusaders and revived the Byzantine Empire.
The Emperor Michael VII was also the father of Irene Palaiologos, who became
the wife of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan III Asen, whose granddaughter Irene was the
wife of the first Basileus of the Cantacuzene family, John VI Cantacuzene. Among the
Cantacuzenes mentioned in the chronicles before John VI, it is difficult to
understand family ties. Thus, as a family representative, it was still
mentioned Theodore who was killed in 1184: a servant of Basileus Andronikos I Comnenus beheaded his
head when he fell off the horse, after which he triumphantly carried it at the
point of the spear in the Constantinople streets. Another family
representative, sebastocrator John Angelos (in Byzantium, children whose mother
had a noble lineage, could use her name as an additional to the father's
surname, then their children could also use it, but do not consider such use a
double surname, since unlike the latter, additional surnames were not always
used), the husband of Anna Palaiologos, according to G. Rodolphe was the nephew of The Emperor
John VI, who was adopted (for unknown reasons) by the
protovestiarios Andronikos Palaiologos. The first mention dates back to
1328, when John governed the city
of Kastoria. In 1335 the king of Epirus John II Orsini died and Basileus
Andronikos III Palaiologus seized his possessions in Thessaly, as well as
Epirus and Albania. In 1336 or 1337, John the
Angelos received the post of Ioannina's kephale (governor) with the title of
Pinkernes. On October 26, 1341, he supported the election of uncle Basileus,
who appointed him the governor of Thessaly and Sevastokrator by a special
Hrysovul. There is no information about children; however, from the point of
view of N. McGilivray, his descendants were the
brothers "Pinkernaioi". Another member of the family, from whom
we may trace all family ties, was Mikhail Cantacuzene, called a man of
"unrestrained and impermanent temperament" when in 1195 he proclaimed
Alexios III Angelos Basileus, although he overthrew his younger brother from
the Throne. He was killed during the Fourth Crusade (i.e., about the year of 1204)
"before he could defend himself or escape after his horse stumbled and
fell into a ditch." "What an unworthy death for such a glorious
warrior," the historian will write later. His son, whose name is unknown,
lived from 1265 to 1294 and was appointed the despot of Morea (the modern
Peloponnese) by the decree of Basileus Andronikos II of Palaiologos. He was
married to Theodore Palaiologus Angelos (died in 1344), who, according to
contemporaries, was "very experienced in managing affairs and possessed by
no means a woman's strength of spirit." It was this nature that enabled
her to make a fortune, thanks to which her only son John was very rich and
possessed vast tracts of land in Byzantium and Macedonia, Albania, the island
of Lemnos. John VI, named
in portraits John Flavius Comnenus Angelos Palaiologos Cantacuzene (that
indicates a kinship with all these Dynasties), was the closest friend of
Basileus Andronikos III the Younger and rendered him great support in the
struggle against his grandfather Basileus Andronikos II the Elder. Andronikos
III proposed John to become a co-ruler, but he refused, having received the
title of Megas Domestikos (Commander-in-Chief of the Army). During the reign of
Andronikos III, he administered all the affairs of the Emperor (since 1339 -
the despot of Morea), initiated a large construction of ships in order to
reduce the dependence of Byzantium on the Genoeses and Venetians, led military
operations against the Serbs, annexed the Epirus Despotate to the Empire. The
church activity of John deserves a special attention. Being a devoted
Hesychast, he organizes the Council of Constantinople of 1341-1351 against
Varlaam and Akindin, the enemies of the Hesychast. The purpose of the Council
was to confirm the doctrine of St. Gregory Palamas on the Divine energies. The
first session of the Council was opened on June 10, 1341, and on June 15 the
Emperor Andronikos died. His possible successor was John V, who at that time
was only 9 years old, so, John Cantacuzene became co-regent in 1347 and
presided all subsequent sessions of the Council. According to the testimony of
contemporaries, the Council gave preference to Varlaam, but driven by the Holy
Spirit, John forced the participants of the Council to accept the doctrine of
Hesychasts. As history showed, it was a risky, but the right step; the
subsequent Councils confirmed the correctness of the doctrine. However,
resentful of Basileus' apparent interference in the affairs of the Church, the
Council excluded his name from the Acts of the Council. Thus, the paragraph 9
of the Act of 1351 states: "Commemorable and the Blessed Basileus, our
Andronikos Palaiologos ... eternal commemoration." The very fact that John
Cantacuzene did not require the inclusion of his name in the Acts (he could
achieve it) indicates him as a humble person who honors the memory of his
friend. So, after the death of the Basileus
Andronikos III, the Throne goes to his son John, who should be only 9 years old
in just a few days. The deceased Basileus ordered Cantacuzene to become a
regent, but the mother of the minor successor Anna of Savoy removed him from
power, which plunged the country into a civil war that lasted 6 years. The
history of these years is described in the memoirs of John Cantacuzene, and his
biography is extensively studied by many historians. The main event will be his
proclamation of Basileus and the coronation in 1347. It is from this moment the
Cantacuzene family becomes the ruling Dynasty. On
June 15, 1383, Basileus John VI dies leaving behind several theological and
historical works. His merits to the Motherland and the Dynasty are above price.
Many historians consider him the most outstanding Emperor of the last period in
the Empire’s history. Until now he remains the most famous representative of
the family. Approximately at the same time, his son and co-regent Basileus
Matthew dies. We only know that the son of
Basileus Matthew, the Despot of Morea and Sevastokrator Dimitry I, transferred
the power over the despotate to his nephew Theodore Palaiologos. Much more we
know about his children, since the tragic events of 1453 are connected with
them. His daughter Irene married the Serbian despot Georgy Brankovich. Their
daughter Mara was the wife of Sultan Murad II and the stepmother of Mehmed II,
the same one who would triumphantly enter Constantinople. Toma (Thomas) will go
with his sister to Serbia, where he will become famous as a defender of the
Smederevo Fortress (1439). Elena was the second wife of David the Great
Comnene, the last Emperor of Trebizond. The
eldest son Andronikos, the last Megas Domestikos, conducted defense of
Constantinople. His name is found in the treaty between Byzantium and Venice,
concluded in April 1448. He had at least three sons. The Byzantine historian Dukas
reports that after the fall of Constantinople, Andronikos' youngest son was put
to death along with his father-in-law, Grand Duke Loukas Notaras. The two elder
sons, Dimitry and John were on the list of passengers of the Genoese ship,
rescued in 1453 under the command of Admiral Zorzi Doria. As for the succession to
the throne, the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine Dragases was a childless
widower. He died during the combat assault of Constantinople and, accordingly,
did not capitulate. According to tradition, his the most likely successor had
to be his cousin, the megas domestikos Andronikos (known as Andronikos
Palaiologos-Cantacuzene, although his descendants do not use the surname
"Palaiologos"). After Andronikos'
death on July 3, 1453, his son Dmitry becomes the Head of the Dynasty, whom the
Turks will call "Şeytan" (Shaitan). His son Michael, called
"Şeytan oğlu" (Shaitan-oglu), will return to Constantinople and will
be put to death in 1578. His son Andronikos will also be put to death in 1595.
Andronikos' children will forever leave their homeland and settle down in the
world. One of them, the great gentleman in waiting Constantine, will become the
founder of the Valashian branch, from which the Valash-Russian branch will
emerge, the only one that has survived to this day. His son Prince Dragić
(Troyan) with his wife, children, servants and all property received the right
to live in Transylvaniya, and also to be called Prince and Count of
Transylvania and Hungary. This right is confirmed by two letters signed by the
ruling Prince of Hungary George Rákóczi and Prince of Transylvania Imre.
Dragić's son Prince Matthew was the great governor of Craiova, the lord of
Magureni, and his grandson Prince Rodion Radukan moved to Russia in 1770 and
founded the Serbian Hussar Regiment. By permission of Empress Catherine II of
Russia he was given the right to wear the Byzantine family coat of arms on a
cartouche (a box for ammunition). He was also the founder of the Valash-Russian
branch. Unfortunately, the government of the Russian Empire did not recognize
the Imperial House of Cantacuzenes and its members. The other Households gained
the same destiny, so it's impossible to talk about the Imperial House or the
Government in exile. The events of 1917 became a powerful blow for the Dynasty,
most of which migrated to Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, the United States and
other countries. Many of them have become the lieges of Kings and prefer not to
remember their origins. Those who remained in Russia underwent deprivation from
the Soviet power. Prince Ivan Pavlovich was executed by shooting in Odessa,
unable to get to his father and brothers in Switzerland. His younger brother
Prince Matthew, was executed by shooting in Moscow, and his daughter Tatiana,
my great-grandmother, managed to escape. As remembered by Prince M.
Cantacuzine-Speransky: "In 1918, when our house was burnt, everything was
destroyed, there was not a single official document concerning the
Valash-Russian branch of our family." Such a cruel time took many lives,
maimed destinies, separated families and destroyed historical monuments. Now,
we know about many documents only from the memories of people who saw them,
some of them have been preserved in copies and few originals. Princess
Tatiana married Peter V. Gorshkov, a representative of the Polish family
Gorzhkovsky. At this time, de jure, the grandson of Prince George Pavlovich,
the Bishop Ambrose of Geneva and the West Europe (in the world - Prince Peter
Petrovich Cantacuzene of Byzantium) was the Head of the Dynasty. He died on
July 20, 2009. As he left no children, the dynasty's priority passed to the
descendants of Princess Tatiana (according to Thomas of the year of 1171 of the
succession in Byzantium). Since my grandfather and father gave up the title, in
2014 I became the Head of the Dynasty and, as the heir to the throne, I have
the title "Basileus" and the international status of Fons Honorum. My
rights are recognized by the heads of many states, aristocrats, Heads of
different Dynasties, knightly Orders and historians, with whom I support
communication. Since 2017, my rights have been recognized by the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, which no candidate for the throne has had since 1453. My main
goal is to preserve the culture of the ancestors and the Orthodox Greek church
tradition, so that the great contribution of Byzantium to the world development
would not become a footnote in historical books. I believe that someday the
words of the Eucharist will sound again in the great walls of Agia Sophia, and
the yellow flag with the black eagle on it will again be flying above the
Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.
Attuale
rappresentante è Sua Altezza Imperiale il giovane Principe Vladimir Gorshkov
Cantacuzene di Bisanzio, Basileus Porphyrogenitus (legittimo erede al trono dell’Impero
Romano d’Oriente), Despota di Morea, Principe di Costaninopoli, Didymoteicho,
Nicea e Mystras, Guardiano
di Santa Sofia e Gran Maestro dell’Ordine Imperiale di San Costantino il Grande
(riconosciuto dal Patriarcato Cristiano Ecumenico Greco Ortodosso di
Costantinopoli), Voivoda Gospodar (gran principe sovrano) di Valacchia, Moldavia
e Transilvania e Gran Maestro dell’Ordine Imperiale del Drago (riconosciuto
dalla Chiesa Ortodossa di Romania), Principe di Ungheria, Principe dell’Impero
Russo (con il trattamento di Altezza Imperiale ed il titolo onorifico di
Difensore della Fede) riconosciuto dagli Zar e dal Patriarcato Cristiano
Ortodosso di Mosca, classe 1995, dopo gli studi in storia e teologia, si è
brillantemente laureato (nella metà del tempo solitamente previsto e necessario)
in medicina, è medico cardiologo e docente universitario a Mosca, impegnato in
diverse attività accademiche e di ricerca scientifica a livello internazionale.
