Andronikos Kantakouzenos ( or Ανδρόνικος Βηστιάρης, Andronikos Vistiaris;Ionescu, p. 291 ; or Andronie Cantacuzino; 1553 – late 1601), also known as Mihaloğlu Derviş, was an Ottoman Greek entrepreneur and political figure, primarily active in Wallachia and Moldavia. He was the son of Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu, a powerful merchant of the Ottoman Empire, executed by Murad III in 1578. Forced to honor his father's outstanding debt, and briefly imprisoned as a galley slave, he rebuilt the fortune through commerce and political intrigues. In the 1590s, he was continuing his father's involvement as kingmaker for both Wallachia and Moldavia, acting as patron for a succession of Hospodars: Stephen the Deaf, Petru Cercel, Aaron the Tyrant and Peter the Lame all benefited from his financing. From 1591, he involved himself directly in the administration of both countries. Integrated within Moldo–Wallachian boyardom, he was Vistier, and then the first-ever Ban of Oltenia to be appointed directly by the Ottomans.
Andronikos' final choice as Wallachian Prince, Michael the Brave, was also his most enduring, allowing Wallachia to rebel against Ottoman suzerainty. The uprising ended up absorbing Kantakouzenos, who escaped an Ottoman death sentence and settled in Wallachia with his wife, Irene Rhali. He went on to serve Michael as Ban, Vistier, and Postelnic. At the climax of the Long Turkish War, Kantakouzenos oversaw the diplomatic actions which formalized Wallachia's alliance with the Holy Roman Empire and the Holy League. During Michael's conquest of Transylvania, he remained behind in Bucharest to assist the heir apparent, Nicolae Pătrașcu. A prevailing opinion among historians also identifies Andronikos as one of four regents of Moldavia, following that country's annexation by Michael, in mid 1600. Later that year, as Michael's Holy League alliance began to unravel, Andronikos proposed a separate peace with the Ottoman Empire. He was sent to Giurgiu to negotiate it, but was kidnapped by the Ottomans and disappeared from records. He was killed at the latest in November 1601, presumably decapitated in Moldavia.
Andronikos is the patriarch of the Cantacuzino family: its branch in Wallachia was established by his son Constantin I, with Constantin's brothers settling in Moldavia. Intermarried with local aristocrats, these branches feuded with each other and with other families, rising to prominence later in the 17th century. Andronikos' grandson, Șerban, served as Prince of Wallachia and Moldavia, while a great-grandson, Dumitrașcu, was Prince of Moldavia. Another great-grandson, Ștefan Cantacuzino, was Wallachia's last Prince of the pre-Phanariote era, executed by the Ottomans alongside his father Constantin II. From that stage on, the family survived as one of the leading components of a "national party", which fought against Greek and Phanariote influence.
Biography Origins and early life Andronikos' father was Michael Kantakouzenos, commonly known by the nickname Şeytanoğlu ("Son of Satan"). This market speculator, mine owner, and tax farmer also pioneered the family's kingmaking practices in the Danubian Principalities—historian Neagu Djuvara argues that the Princes of Wallachia and of Moldavia were effectively clients of this "immeasurably wealthy" entrepreneur.Djuvara, p. 28 The 1570s chronicler Stephan Gerlach even suggested that Şeytanoğlu was the actual "lord of Wallachia and Bogdania".Cazacu, p. 177; Iorga (1971), p. 120 In addition to controlling the two counties politically, Michael "is reported to have controlled almost all the salt trade in Wallachia and Moldavia."Papademetriou, p. 200
Şeytanoğlu regarded himself as an heir to the Kantakouzenos, one of the most prominent aristocratic clans in the late Byzantine Empire. This lineage is often described as spurious by both early observers and modern historians.Djuvara, pp. 130–131, 337 Some researchers have nevertheless endorsed the genealogical claim, leading back to the 14th-century Emperor John VI.Apetrei, pp. 231–234; Cazacu, pp. 163–164; Djuvara, pp. 28, 90–91, 337; Gane, pp. 93–94; Iorga (1931), pp. 7, 9, 13 & (1971), pp. 118–119, 124–127; Năstase, pp. 222, 223; Olar, p. 154; Papademetriou, pp. 197–199; Vergatti, pp. 230, 238 Several of these authors agree that Şeytanoğlu's great-grandfather was George "Sachatai", who was in turn the great-grandson of John VI.Cazacu, pp. 163–164 Overall, historian Tom Papademetriou argues, the reconstruction of this genealogy remains "difficult", with no trustworthy indication of who Şeytanoğlu's father was.Papademetriou, pp. 195–199 Some period sources do however describe Andronikos' other ancestors and relations. A number of records mention that Şeytanoğlu was closely related with a Muslim Kantakouzenos, the scribe Ahmed, who succeeded İbrahim Peçevi as defterdar of the Danube.Cazacu, pp. 179–180 The family also had a branch claiming to be Palaiologoi, of whom Constantine was Şeytanoğlu's alleged nephew.Apetrei, pp. 228–229, 231–234, 243–244; Gane, p. 94; Iorga (1931), pp. 9–13, 16, 20; Stoicescu, p. 361 Şeytanoğlu, Andronikos, and other figures from both branches of the family used seals marked with the double-headed eagle, deriving from Byzantine imperial usage.Apetrei, p. 234
According to various readings, the Greek man known as "Iane", "Iani" or "Ianiu", probably involved in Wallachian politics from as early as the 1550s, under Prince Pătrașcu the Good,Stoicescu, pp. 64–65 may have also been a Kantakouzenos. This Iane probably served as Vistier (treasurer) of Moldavia under John the Terrible, then moved to Wallachia with Mihnea Turcitul and became Ban of Oltenia.Cazacu, pp. 174–175; Iorga (1931), pp. 13, 14; Stoicescu, pp. 41, 64, 312 The same Iane was then sent back to Istanbul as diplomatic envoy of both principalities, which allowed him a great say in the appointment of Princes and court dignitaries.Cazacu, pp. 174–175; Iorga (1931), pp. 13–14 & (1971), pp. 123–124; Stoicescu, pp. 64–65; Vergatti, pp. 230, 238; Wasucionek, p. 86 Genealogist Ioan C. Filitti argues against identifying Ban Iane with the Kantakouzenos, describing him as a commoner from Zagori.Gane, p. 139; Stoicescu, p. 64 However, according to historian Radu Ștefan Vergatti, Iane was Şeytanoğlu's brother and Andronic's uncle.Vergatti, pp. 230, 238 The writer Constantine Dapontes apparently suggests that Iane was Andronikos' older brother, but this descriptor is viewed as inaccurate by scholar Nicolae Iorga.Iorga (1971), pp. 123–124 The latter hypothesizes that Iane was brothers with Michael, but notes that his origins are overall "more doubtful".Iorga (1931), pp. 13–15 Genealogist Constantin Gane takes an intermediate position, arguing that Iane of Zagori was mistaken for Şeytanoğlu' real brother, John; according to Gane, both Iane and John served as Bans, at very close intervals.Gane, pp. 94, 139–141
Andronikos was born from Şeytanoğlu's first marriage. His stepmother, a Romanian, was either the daughter of Mircea Ciobanul and Doamna ChiajnaIorga (1931), p. 8 & (1971), pp. 119–120 or, contrarily, of Mircea III Dracul.Cazacu, pp. 157–159, 170–173, 178 Andronikos was the one of several children: Şeytanoğlu had two other much younger sons, Demetrios (born 1566) and John (born 1570), and at least two daughters, one of whom was Andronikos' senior.Iorga (1931), pp. 9, 13, 15 & (1971), pp. 120, 122. See also Cazacu, pp. 171–172, 176, 178; Papademetriou, pp. 212–213 The recipient of a classical education at his father's palace in Anhialo, Andronikos learned to speak and write in Greek, Italian, German, Neo-Latin, and Ottoman Turkish.Vergatti, pp. 230–231, 233 During his son's early years, Şeytanoğlu pursued a political alliance with the Rhali merchants, marrying Andronikos' elder sister to one member of that family, setting her a dowry at 40,000 ducats.Iorga (1971), p. 120 Another sister reinforced the family's genealogical claims by marrying Anthony Kantakouzenos, a merchant from the Crimean Khanate.Iorga (1931), pp. 9–11 In 1576, Şeytanoğlu oversaw the marriage between Andronikos and Irene, daughter of the merchant Jacob Rhali from Edirne.Papademetriou, p. 213; Vergatti, p. 231
Persecution and return The lavish wedding itself may have played a part in Şeytanoğlu's downfall, contributing to his arrest for tax evasion, during which he was shown to be involved in an anti-Ottoman intrigue.Vergatti, p. 231 One theory, advanced by scholar Matei Cazacu, is that Sultan Murad III had discovered Kantakouzenos' sponsorship of Ioan Potcoavă, who wanted to take Moldavia out of the Ottomans' orbit.Cazacu, p. 175 Andronikos was also imprisoned,Stoicescu, p. 41 then, in March 1578, was forced to watch as his father was hanged at Anhialo.Iorga (1971), p. 121; Papademetriou, pp. 212–213; Vergatti, p. 231 He escaped more serious punishment by taking flight across the Black Sea to Istanbul, where he asked and obtained protection from Şeytanoğlu's friend Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, the Grand Vizier.Papademetriou, pp. 212–213; Vergatti, pp. 231–232 He was detained as a galley slave for the Ottoman Navy, but Sokollu released him after some weeks of servitude, with Andronikos promising to liquidate his father's debts.Iorga (1931), p. 13 & (1971), p. 122; Papademetriou, p. 212; Vergatti, pp. 231–232 The persecutions also fell on the "Palaiologoi" branch of the Kantakouzenos, with Constantine fleeing for safety to the Crimean Khanate.Apetrei, pp. 231–232. See also Gane, p. 318; Iorga (1931), pp. 9–13 & (1971), pp. 119, 124, 186
From about 1585, Andronikos rebuilt his father's business ventures and resumed contacts with traders from the Republic of Venice and from all over Lombardy; like Iane, he also became involved in the lucrative business of princely appointments in Wallachia.Vergatti, p. 232 In various records, he is credited with having obtained in 1591–1592 the Wallachian throne for the Moldavian Stephen the Deaf. He himself was Prince Stephen's Vistier from June 1, 1591, to May 28, 1592, and again in July 1592.Stoicescu, p. 41. See also Vergatti, p. 239 According to Iorga, he exercised this task without actually being present in Wallachia.Iorga (1931), p. 14 Several researchers, including Iorga, note that one of Andronikos' daughters probably became Stephen's wife.Iorga (1931), p. 14 & (1971), p. 124; Vergatti, pp. 232, 239. See also Cazacu, p. 176 According to Iorga, that lady may have actually wed another pretender, Petru Cercel, while her sister was more certainly the wife of Moldavia's Aaron the Tyrant.Cazacu, p. 176; Iorga (1931), p. 14 & (1971), pp. 122–124. See also Gane, p. 126 Any such connection is disputed by Cazacu, who notes that Iorga mistranslated a letter by Andronikos: what Iorga read as a reference to his "grandchildren" from both Princes was in fact translatable as "servants".Cazacu, p. 176