AM05 - Kostantinos Palaiologos - The Last Roman Emperor - Constantinople, May 29, 1453
Item Code: AM-05
Description: The Last Roman Emperor in ceremonial armor, Constantinople, May 29, 1453
Type: Foot soldier
Scale: 65mm
Sculptor: Kostas Kariotellis
Product Contents: 4 White metal cast pieces (body and head, right hand with scepter, sword and dagger) and a metal base.
Documentation: Historical note in English and photographic reference.
Dimensions: 100 X 155 X 35 mm
Suggested Retail Price: 31.50 Euro
Historical Research : Dr. Rafaele D' Amato
East-Roman Empire, May 29, AD 1453
Historical Note
Konstantinos Paleologos Dragatzès, last Roman Emperor
Kostantinos Paleologos was born into the ruling imperial family of Constantinople on 8th February 1405, fourth son of Emperor Manuel II and his wife Helena Dragas. He died 49 years old fighting with the sword at hand to defend his capital against the Turks and becoming a legendary figure in Greek history. The last Emperor of the Romans, heir of 2000 years of civilisation, is here reconstructed in full armour following the presumptive portrait of him in the fresco of Brontocheion Monastery, in Mystras, and the description of historians about the Fall of the Constantinople, Pseudo-Sfrantzès, Dukas, Nestor Iskander, Leonardo of Chios, Ibn Kemal. The archaeological finds helped us to complete the details of the reconstruction.
His face is mainly based upon the almost contemporary portrait of the Biblioteca Estense in Modena, Cod. Mutinensis Gr. 122, compared with that of Mystras. It depicts a man with dark-brown skin, long hair, strong in the body, with the characteristic tracts of his family. The picture of the body fits well with that of Ibn Kemal “Strong as a hard conifer, tall”.
Ibn Kemal says that the Emperor wore a silk brocade crown, “similar to the letters traced with the golden ink” . It was probably an ornamental band, a survived specimen preserved today in Benaki Museum, residual of the Imperial diadhma, linked behind the cap and decorated with two headed eagles, medallions, guilloche chains and fleurs de lys. This last element follows the western influence.
The body armour is of composite type, combining western elements of Italian fashion with the survived Greek-Roman tradition.
Leonardo of Chios informs us that the Roman commanders were armed with helmet, breast-plate (Thorace), lorica (chain-mail), sword or spear. Among them the Emperor is splendid in his shining armour.
Over two tunics (an internal kamision and an upper rouchon) the Emperor wears a Balkanic chain-mail (lorica) long till the elbows. It follows a heavy purple imperial garment (sakkos) knee-length, highly decorated with gold embroidery: it corresponds to the mention of Ibn Kemal, recording that the Emperor wore “a very fine clothing”.
Over the sakkos he wears a felt padded zoupa (jupe) or epilorikion, i.e. worn over the chain mail. Pseudo-Kodinos (circa 1350-1360 AD) mentions the epilorikion of the military commanders. At the garments were attached the old-fashioned kremasmata and pteryges at waist and shoulders.
The main armour worn by Kostantinos is an old-fashioned scale armour (thorakion), of gilded bronze, formed by scales of about 12x4-18x8 cm. of length, sewn to a substrate of doubled cloth (maybe felt). It was fastened on sides by means of small buckles. The cuirass was also held by a reinforcement structure, in white leather, assured by means of a belt and closed on the back with a bronze buckle.
Western type protections for neck, shoulders, knees, were worn beside the old-fashioned Roman armour. Neck protection was formed by an Italian silvered collar, in blue iron, and a lamellar rigid protection of Balkanic fashion.
On the arm, the Basileus was covered by “brassards” of Venetian type, copied by the specimens found in Halkis castle. Turkish observers told that Roman and European warriors wore “blue iron” armours, giving us a good description of the colour of such an armour.
The forearm, 43,18 cm. of length, was linked on the back by means of leather straps and buckles. Arm protections of such a type are visible on the Saint George of the Mantegna at the Academy of Venezia. Under the brassard was worn a padded felt element, visible in the Balcanian painting representing plate-armour of Venetian type. A protection roundel was worn in correspondence to the brassard elbow spike.
In the Greek version of the Western romance of Florio and Platzia Phloria (v.531-532: "...silver cover-arms, iron knee-guards and gauntlets of iron inside and gold outside”) we found an expressed reference to the battle gauntlets. They should be of iron inside and gilded iron outside. Knee-guards highly decorated with an inscribed engraved cross and closed on the back by means of small buckles, were characterized, following a Balkanic fashion, by the presence of a hanging “zaba” or ring-mail protection, done of iron interlaced ring chain.
The Emperor was dressed, following Pseudo-Sfrantzès (chronica maius, 1080), with footwear (pedilia) and greaves (periknem¡dai). In fact his body was known from“...the imperial greaves and footwear, upon which were engraved gold eagles, as it is usual for the Emperors...”. The metallic greaves, 2 cm. thick, are red lacquered, decorated by metallic rivets upon the edge. They were tied on the back of the leg by laces. Under the sole of the shoes there were iron reinforcements.
We have given to Konstantinos a leather belt (zwnh) decorated by circular plaques repoussé engraved, fastened by a hammered bronze buckle and highly ornamented by vegetal elements and eagles. From it is hanging the sword scabbard, while a single edged silver dagger (xifidion, recorded in the old poems as belonging to Konstantinos since his youth) of Venetian-Dalmatian type is worn in a scabbard (corteliera) hooked by means of a small chain on the right side of the body.
Closed by a circular flower-shaped fibula, with an inserted grey stone, a purple cloak (mandyas) is highly decorated by a gold tablion at breast height.
The trousers are silk anaxurida of military type, eswkourtsoubraka of “oxun”, i.e. true red purple colour, decorated by gold birds. Under the greaves, Kostantinos wears kaltzai of purple bands.
Dukas speaks also about the Emperor shield (aspis). The round shield has got a wooden structure, covered outside by a white painted parchment skin and reinforced by iron and bronze hammered metal leaves, with central figure flower-shaped and metallic edge bent inward. The shield is about 104 cm of diameter, with slightly elliptical shape, which gives it a typical convex profile. The internal side is concave, presenting a handle of X-shaped double leather straps (ciastoi). The inner part of the edge is highly decorated.
The sword (spath¡) is a heavy one ; described by Nestor Iskander as cutting arms, cleaving shields 94 cm. of length.
It presents a high decorated blade, following the style of the Venetian sword found in the Halkis fortress. The hilt, with an iron body, is covered by ivory with a double eagle engraved upon it. The pommel is spherical, silver decorated.
The scabbard is made of wooden leather and covered by purple velvet. Leather straps on both sides, attached to the silver fittings of the scabbard, are acting as a suspension system from the belt.
Dr. Raffaele D’Amato
