John Spyridonakes

John Spyridonakes (Greek: Ἰωάννης Σπυριδωνάκης, fl. ca. 1195–1201) was a Byzantine governor and rebel in the region of Macedonia during the reign of Emperor Alexios III Angelos (r. 1195–1203).

Spyridonakes was born in Cyprus. Originally a low-born handicraftsman, he secured the favour of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and rose to the post of head of the imperial privy purse (the oikeiakon vestiarion).^[1] Subsequently, he was appointed governor of the theme of Smolena in eastern Macedonia. In 1201, he rebelled against the Byzantine emperor, taking advantage of a series of raids and rebellions – such as those of Dobromir Chrysos and Ivanko – then occurring in the Byzantine Empire's Balkan provinces.^[2] He was soon defeated by imperial forces under the Emperor's son-in-law Alexios Palaiologos and driven to seek refuge at the court of the Bulgarian emperor Kalojan (r. 1197–1207).^[3]

References

1. Brand 1968, pp. 133, 143.
2. Brand 1968, pp. 132–133.
3. Brand 1968, p. 133.

Sources

• Brand, Charles M. (1968). Byzantium Confronts the West, 1180–1204. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.