Konstantinos Doukas Komnenos Palaiologos, despotes, late 13th-first third of the 14th century. Seal (Lead, 34 mm, 39.56 g, 12 h). +KⲰ/NCTA/NTI/NOC / ΔЄC/ΠOT/HC – ΠOP/ΦVPO/ΓENNH/T, Δ,C KO/MNNHO/C O ΠAΛAIOΛO/ΓOC Konstantinos standing facing, holding sceptre in his right hand. Rev. +CΦPAΓIC / O XC KAI ΦVΛAK/THP KAI CKЄΠH A/NAKTOΠAIΔOC ΔЄC/ΠOTOV KⲰNCTANT/INOV KAI ΠOPΦV/PANΘOVC ΔOVK/A ΠAΛAIOΛO/ΓOV ('Christ is the seal and the guardian and the protector of the child of an emperor, born in the Porphyra, the despotes Konstaninos Doukas Palaiologos') in nine lines. Jordanov, Corpus II 550. Konstantopoulos 622γ. Stavrakos 198. Wassiliou-Seibt, Corpus 2698. Zacos/Veglery 2758. An impressive and important late Byzantine imperial seal. Good very fine.


This impressive seal probably belongs to Konstantinos Palaiologos, the second son of Andronikos II and Anna of Hungary. As his seal attests, he was a porphyrogenete and he was elevated to the rank of despot by his father. Constantine was present at the disastrous Battle of Apros in 1305, in which Andronikos tried to subdue the Catalan Company after assassinating their leader, Roger de Flor, but instead saw his own army routed. In 1321, Constantine held the important governorship of Thessalonica, when civil war erupted between father and his nephew, Andronikos III. The latter imprisoned him and Constantine decided to retire to a monastery, dying in 1334/5.