Despotes (Greek Despotēs, feminine Despoina, Bulgarian and Serbian Despot, feminine Despotica, sometimes Anglicized Despot), is a Byzantine court title, also granted in the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Empire of Trebizond. Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus. ... Serbia and Montenegro  â€“ Serbia      â€“ Vojvodina      â€“ Kosovo (UN admin. ... // Foundation The Empire of Trebizond and other states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The Empire of Trebizond was a successor state of the Byzantine Empire founded in 1204 immediately before the fall of Constantinople. ...

Origin and Distribution

The original Greek term despotēs designated simply "lord" and was synonymous with kyrios. As the Greek equivalent to the Latin dominus, despotēs became a way of reference to the Roman Emperor, occasionally used in formal settings, for example on coins. Dominus is the Latin word for master or owner. ... Roman Emperor is the term historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ...

The title despotēs was granted as the highest courtly dignity to members of the imperial house, starting with the future King Béla III of Hungary, as intended son-in-law and heir of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos in 1163. The majority of despotēs were younger sons or sons-in-law of the Byzantine Emperors, who tended to crown their eldest sons co-emperor (symbasileus). The title despotēs was a strictly courtly dignity without specific military or administrative functions or powers, inspite of enjoying the highest position of honor below an emperor. Béla III of Hungary (Hungarian , Slovak: Belo III), born in 1148, was King of Kingdom of Hungary circa 1172-1196. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... Manuel I Comnenus (Greek: Μανουήλ Α ο Κομνηνός; November 28, 1118 – September 24, 1180), was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean. ... // Events Owain Gwynedd is recognized as ruler of Wales. ...

The title of despotēs spread to the Byzantine successor states after the Fourth Crusade and was awarded by any sovereign who held the imperial title, including the emperors of the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Trebizond. The title despotēs could also be awarded by an emperor to a foreign magnate for kinship or services. In the Empire of Trebizond the title was granted to the intended heir to the throne, in marked contrast to practice elsewhere. The Fourth Crusade (1201–1204), originally designed to conquer Jerusalem through an invasion of Egypt, instead, in 1204, invaded and conquered the Eastern Orthodox city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. ... The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus. ... Serbia and Montenegro  â€“ Serbia      â€“ Vojvodina      â€“ Kosovo (UN admin. ... // Foundation The Empire of Trebizond and other states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The Empire of Trebizond was a successor state of the Byzantine Empire founded in 1204 immediately before the fall of Constantinople. ... // Foundation The Empire of Trebizond and other states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The Empire of Trebizond was a successor state of the Byzantine Empire founded in 1204 immediately before the fall of Constantinople. ...

Insignia

The Byzantine despotēs dressed in a fashion reminiscent of the attire of the Byzantine Emperor, including:

• a mural crown (with four crenelations for imperial sons, or one for imperial sons-in-law)
• a red or purple tunic, usually decorated with imperial eagles
• a pair of red and purple soft boots

The insignia was modified in Bulgaria and Serbia according to local preferences.

"Despotates"

In the period after the Fourth Crusade, certain despotēs came to be associated with particular territories, such as Epirus, Morea (the Peloponnese), and Serbia. It is important to stress, however, that the derivative term "Despotate" employed for these territories is technically inaccurate, as the title of despotēs was neither hereditary, nor intrinsic to a particular territorial jurisdiction. Accordingly, proper usage would be "despotēs in Morea", rather than "despotēs of Morea". The virtually uninterrupted succession of despotēs in Morea, for example, is due to the fact that emperors consistently appointed their younger sons, already created despotēs, as governors of that province. Rulers of Epirus and Serbia called despotēs technically bore that title not by hereditary right, but by grant from successive emperors. The Despotate of Epirus was one of the medieval Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire, founded in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. ... The Despotate of Morea was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. ... Though Peloponnese is used to refer to the entire peninsula, the periphery with that name includes only part of that landmass. ... The Serbian Despotate (Srpska despotovina) was among the last Serbian states to be conquered by the Ottoman Empire. ... A Despotate is a State ruled under a Despot/Despoina (in this context it should not be confused with Despotism). ...

With the death of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI on May 29, 1453, the creation of a despotēs became irregular. The title was granted by Pope Paul II to Andrew Palaiologos, heir to the Byzantine throne in 1465, and by the king of Hungary to his dependent ruler of Serbia in Vojvodina on the Ottoman frontier. Emperor Constantine XI, the last Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, who reigned from 1448 to 1453. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ... Paul II, né Pietro Barbo (February 23, 1417 – July 26, 1471), was Pope from 1464 until his death. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Events July 13 - Battle of Montlhéry Troops of King Louis XI of France fight inconclusively against an army of the great nobles organized as the League of the Public Weal. ... Serbia and Montenegro  â€“ Serbia      â€“ Vojvodina      â€“ Kosovo (UN admin. ... Serbia and Montenegro  â€“ Serbia      â€“ Vojvodina   â€“ Montenegro Kosovo (UN administration) Official languages Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn1 Capital Novi Sad Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water  21,500 km²  n/a Population  â€“ Total (2002)  â€“ Density  2,031,992  94. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanl...

References

• Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
• B. Ferjančić, Despoti u Vizantiji i južnoslovenskim zemljama, Belgrade 1960.
• I.A. Biljarski, Instituciite na srednovekovna Bălgarija. Vtoro bălgarsko carstvo (XII-XIV v.), Sofia, 1998.